Need Pork Jerky Recipe's

[buckwheatpaul]

It has been so wet that the deer have moved to the high ground....but the pigs are having a ball in all the slop....does anyone have a pork jerky recipe that they would like to share....Thanks in advance....Paul

[gtgeorge]

I was wanting to do that myself but I was told and read that pork was not suitable for Jerky. I will be watching to see what comes out in this thread though as wild hog is quite different from my experience.

[waksupi]

Unless you can come up with a way to beat trichinosis, I would scrap that particular idea.

[Artful]

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/prep_safe_jerky.pdf


The risk of foodborne illness from home-dried jerky can be decreased by allowing the internal
temperature of the meat to reach 160o
F, but in such a way as to prevent case hardening.
Two methods can be used: heating meat strips in marinade before drying or heating the dried
jerky strips in an oven after the drying process is completed. Directions for both methods will
be presented here. When the strips are heated in a marinade before drying, drying times will
be reduced. Color and texture will differ from traditional jerky.
...
If you choose to heat the meat prior to drying to decrease the risk of foodborne illness,
do so at the end of the marination time. To heat, bring the strips and marinade to a boil and boil 5 minutes
before draining and drying. If strips are more than ¼ inch thick, the length of time may need to be increased.
If possible, check the temperature of several strips with a metal stem-type thermometer to determine that 160 F has been reached.
...
If the strips were not heated in marinade prior to drying, they can be heated in an oven after
drying as an added safety measure. Place strips on a baking sheet, close together, but not
touching or overlapping. For strips originally cut ¼ inch thick or less, heat 10 minutes in an
oven preheated to 275 F. (Thicker strips may require longer heating to reach 160 F.)


http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/PNW/PNW0632.pdf


Vinegar Soak

From the CDC:
To prevent trichinellosis, consumers should be advised to monitor for an adequate cooking temperature of 160° F (71° C) and observe the color and texture of the meat during cooking. A change in color from red to dark gray throughout and a change in texture such that muscle fibers are easily separated from each other are indicators that meat has been rendered safe to eat. However, game meats such as bear are very dark, making interpretation of color changes difficult; for these, adequate cooking might be better judged by texture and temperature. USDA recommends a higher temperature to allow for different cooking methods (e.g., microwave cooking) that might result in uneven temperature distributions throughout the meat.

USDA recommends 170-175 degrees F, if I recall correctly.
I think those temperatures turn the meat to dust unless wet cooking, but better to be safe than sorry.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUq9XK6Zr2U

[Dale in Louisiana]

It's not exactly jerky, but let me introduce you to 'tasso'. It's pronounced 'TAH-so' and if you watch the foodie shows you'll hear it referred to as Cajun ham, which is not exactly right.

Tasso was just another of those ways that the old folks devised to keep pork around before refrigeration.

The basic premise is so darned simple as to be laughable. Take cuts of mostly lean pork, salt and pepper it generously, like almost completely coated. 'Pepper' means both black and red. 'Cuts' means half-inch at the thickest part. You want to allow smoke to penetrate and moisture to migrate out.

After it's coated, hang it in the smokehouse and cold smoke it. Dad made this and we smoked it two or three DAYS over sassafras or hickory.

The end product is very dry and will keep very well if kept dry during storage. The salt and pepper keeps all but the most ambitious pests away.

For us with modern conveniences, vacuum-sealing and freezing means this stuff keeps forever.

To use, look at this as a flavoring meat. Cut small chunks up and add to beans or to soup.

dale in Louisiana

[MaryB]

There is another way of freezing the pork, it takes a certain time at a certain temp for a certain thickness. Would have to research to see if the tables are online showing time/temps.

[Artful]

MaryB are you talking freeze drying or to beat trichinosis?

[khmer6]

There are things freezing can help with and not. Same thing as heating to proper internal temperature. And there are things like mold spores or toxins that neither can help with. I would recommend to freeze for at least a month before processing. Heat it properly to the correct temperatures and dry it out. It's not quite the same but if you want to try something out

[khmer6]

Sorry I was ranting a bit, but what I was trying to say. Freezing pork will not kill all species that can cause trichinosis. Only thoroughly cooking will.

[Lloyd Smale]

I would like said freeze the meat for a couple weeks then use some insta cure #1. I sure would think that doing that along with smoking it at 200 degrees vs cold smoking would take care of any parasites. Even when making jerky from venison i use a cure. Most commercail jerky mixes have it. With all of the cronic waste and tb that is found in deer around the country its not a bad idea to use it and to avoid cold smoking.

[richhodg66]

What other species can harbor trichinosis besides pigs? I recently learned bears could as well, can any others?

[Artful]

Any meat can be infected! It depends upon the environment it was raised in.

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

All meat (including pork) can be safely prepared by cooking to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) or more for 15 seconds or more.

Wild game: Wild game meat must be cooked thoroughly (see meat preparation above) Freezing wild game does not kill all trichinosis larval worms. This is because the worm species that typically infests wild game can resist freezing.

Pork: Freezing cuts of pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5 °F (−15 °C) or three days at −4 °F (−20 °C) kills T. spiralis larval worms; but this will not kill other trichinosis larval worm species, such as T. nativa, if they have infested the pork food supply

Pork can be safely cooked to a slightly lower temperature provided that the internal meat temperature is at least as hot for at least as long as listed in the USDA table below.[27] Nonetheless, it is prudent to allow a margin of error for variation in internal temperature within a particular cut of pork, which may have bones that affect temperature uniformity. In addition, your thermometer has measurement error that must be considered. Cook pork for significantly longer and at a higher uniform internal temperature than listed here to be safe.

Internal Temperature Minimum Time
(°F) (°C) (minutes)
120 49 1260
122 50.0 570
124 51.1 270
126 52.2 120
128 53.4 60
130 54.5 30
132 55.6 15
134 56.7 6
136 57.8 3
138 58.9 2
140 60.0 1
142 61.1 1
144 62.2 Instant[27]

Unsafe and unreliable methods of cooking meat include the use of microwave ovens, curing, drying, and smoking, as these methods are difficult to standardize and control.[14]

[MaryB]

from the CDC

Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat alone does not consistently kill infective worms; homemade jerky and sausage were the cause of many cases of trichinellosis reported to CDC in recent years.

Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any worms.

Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, may not effectively kill all worms because some worm species that infect wild game animals are freeze-resistant.

Clean meat grinders thoroughly after each use.

[Shiloh]

The couple of times I've had pork jerky, it has been to salty to eat. Country style ham is the same way.

Shiloh

[khmer6]

Hahaha and that too. But I do hear bacon Jerky is really good. I don't mind too much salt, I'll still eat it even if it is hard to stomach down

[mikeym1a]

Pork jerky? Isn't that what they call 'country ham'? :-)