It's a matter of making......Jerky

In the past I have posted information about dehydrating other things, but I noticed I have not posted one of my family's favorites.....Jerky. Jerky can be made from nearly any meat. The meat should have the a majority of the fat removed before beginning. If not, the fat can go rancid and ruin the final product. Jerky can also be made from hamburger that is forced through a "cake-decorating" type of gun. Also, it looks very similar to a caulk-gun.


I often use beef. Our local family-owned grocery store will help you select a roast and slice it for free. I love that! So, that really is step one.

Take the sliced beef and put it into a Zip-lock gallon bag. Separate each slice (I use gloves as I really don't like to touch the raw meat).

Make up your marinade. If you are looking for a recipe, just use any search engine...you will find many! I particularly like a recipe that calls for Liquid Smoke. It just makes it taste that much better. You can find Liquid Smoke at any grocery store.

Add your Marinade to the bag with your meat slices.

Remove as much air as possible, and lay flat in your refrigerator. You can place the bag in a bowl if you like, but I have found that some of the pieces do not get enough marinade. Let it marinate over night or at least 4 hours for good flavor. Place the strips on the racks in your dehydrator. You could also place them on cooling racks on a cookie sheet in your oven if you like. You should dehydrate them at 155 degrees Fahrenheit and nothing lower to keep it safe.

I would show you an "after" picture....but this batch of jerky didn't have a chance at my house. My kids know when it is done at this point, and there have been many times that they have eaten it right out of the dehydrator. Needless to say, it didn't make it long enough for Mom to get a picture.

If you were to purchase Jerky in a store (i.e. Jack Link's Beef Jerky), you would pay about $3.65 an ounce. To do this at home, using a really nice roast at $4.18 a lb, the price per ounce would be $.26 per ounce for the meat alone. Depending on the marinade you chose to use, it would be an additional cost, but for me it was under $.50. So, you could make jerky for your family for around $.75 an ounce.

Depending upon who you read, it can store in a sealed container (no oxygen) for 4-6 months. Some sources say keep it in the refrigerator. However, if your home is like mine...it doesn't stand a chance of lasting over a week!

Here is a video that demonstrates how to use Hamburger to make jerky. The gentleman in the video has a clever idea, and you will see what it is. Watch the video all the way to the end....even though some editing would have been nice. It really is a good idea, and I plan to try it.

Register to Get Tickets for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert...

If you are thinking "Christmas...already?", I'm sure you are not alone. It is just after midnight, and I just registered for tickets for the "The Wondrous Gift of Christmas" event presented by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Registration for tickets began just a few minutes ago, and thus....here I am. It was easy, but the system was slow. I guess many other people had the same idea I did and were registering for the random drawing at the earliest possible moment.

This is so different from a few years ago. I recall one year all of my colleagues at work were all dialing from their office phones, and several of us were also doing the same thing with cell phones at the same time attempting to get tickets. One of us was fortunate enough to get through and we passed the phone around allowing everyone to register for tickets.

Well, there is such a demand, that a random selection process is now used......which makes sense as this free concert is performed by a world-class choir and orchestra. I am hopeful that we can get the tickets. Having been at these performances before......they were well worth the trip and the few complaints about having to wear church clothes on a weekday (made by my lovely children). If you would like to try for tickets, please see the information taken from http://www.lds.org/events/info/0,8197,726-1-740,00.html (Look in the upper right hand corner and clinic on the icon to register for tickets)

Celebrate the holiday season with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in The Wondrous Gift of Christmas, conducted by Mack Wilberg. The concert will feature Grammy Award winner Natalie Cole and author David McCullough.

Dates and Location Preview Performance,
Thursday, December 10, 2009, 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Concert, Friday, December 11, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.Concert, Saturday, December 12, 2009, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.Music and the Spoken Word, Sunday, December 13, 2009, 9:30 a.m. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Conference Center
Auditorium

Tickets

Free tickets for the concerts and the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast are required. Due to the very high demand for tickets to these events in past years, tickets will now be distributed through a random selection process. Patrons may register on the Internet at ww.lds.org/events for the opportunity to receive tickets. The registration period will be from Saturday, October 17, 2009, at 12:01 .m. through Monday, October 26, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. Those without Internet access can register over the phone at (801) 570-0080 or outside Salt Lake City at 1-866-LDS-TIKS during regular business hours (M-F, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 .m.). All registrations received during the registration period will have equal chances at receiving tickets in the random selection process. Not all registrations will be selected to receive tickets.

Only one registration per household can be accepted. The maximum number of tickets requested per household is limited to four (4). Patrons not selected to receive tickets will be notified by e-mail. Patrons who are selected will receive their tickets in the mail.

It's a matter of.....storing fresh eggs

(Image courtesy of http://healthybirds.umd.edu/images/eggs.jpg)

By now, you know that the LRH's thoughts become a bit "random" at times. Well, there are things like "egg powder" and "egg white powder" that can be stored....and I have them. However, I looked into storing fresh eggs, and found the following information:

In the Refrigerator

• Keep eggs as fresh as possible by storing them in the refrigerator in their original carton as soon as you get home. The carton protects the eggs from absorbing flavors and odors of other foods nearby, especially from strong-smelling foods like onions, cheese or cabbage.
• Keep raw foods (meats, poultry, and eggs) separate from cooked foods in the refrigerator.
• Keep eggs refrigerated at 4° C (40 ° F) or lower at all times.
• Keep eggs in the main body of the fridge (not on the door). This will keep them at a more constant, colder temperature.
• Keep eggs in their original cartons. This will protect them from taking on any off-odors from any strong-smelling goods in the fridge (eg. onions, strong cheeses or meats).
• Leftover raw egg whites and yolks should be put in airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator immediately. To prevent yolks from drying up, cover them with a little cold water. Drain the water before using.

In the Freezer

• Raw eggs can be frozen. To freeze whole eggs beat them just until blended. Pour them into a freezer container, seal tightly, label with the number of eggs and the date, and freeze. Substitute 3 tbsp (45 mL) thawed whole eggs for 1 large fresh egg. Eggs should not be frozen in the shell.
• Egg whites can be frozen "as is." Pour them into a freezer container, seal tightly, label with the number of egg whites and the date, and freeze. Substitute 2 tbsp (30 mL) thawed egg whites for 1 large egg.
• Egg yolks will thicken or gel when frozen and therefore cannot be used in a recipe unless they receive special treatment. To prevent this gelation, beat in either 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) salt or 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) sugar or corn syrup per 1/4 cup (50 mL) egg yolks (about 4 yolks). Label freezer container with the number of yolks, the date and whether you added salt (for main dishes) or sugar (for desserts and baking) and freeze. Substitute 1 tbsp (15 mL) thawed yolks for 1 large fresh yolk.
• Freeze eggs in small quantities and defrost only what you need. An easy way to freeze them is to put them in an ice cube tray. When frozen, transfer to a freezer container and label.
• It is best to thaw eggs in the refrigerator and use them as soon as they are thawed. Use them only in dishes that will be thoroughly cooked.

Storage times in the Refrigerator:

• Raw eggs in the refrigerator: Whole eggs use by "best before" date.
• Raw yolks or whites: Use within 2 to 4 days
• Hard-cooked eggs in the shell: Use within 1 week

Storage times in the Freezer:

• Raw whole eggs (beaten): Use within 4 months
• Raw yolks or whites: Use within 4 months
• Hard-cooked eggs: Not Recommended

So, if you want fresh eggs as an option, particularly in your 3 month Food Storage supply (that your family traditionally eats), freezing them is a great way to make it happen.

Who knew?

(Source: http://www.eggs.ab.ca/about/handling.htm)

Choose ye this day.....

We all have challenges in life. Procrastination can be one of the biggest thieves available. Please hear the words of President Eyring. Enjoy

Pantry Gold.......

You may wonder what this means. Well, it is the term that the LRH's sister uses for canned meat. Many of you have said that canned meat costs so much money....and you are correct. However, consider the following option.......canning your own meat.

"Are you kidding!!!!" (I can already hear you say it.....loudly!). No, I really am not. I first learned about canning your own meat when I lived in the Northwest. I couldn't think of anything I didn't want to do more at that time.....because I was so cool and had a reputation to think of (or so I thought). However, a wonderful friend named Marilou Hutchison (who has since passed away), kindly showed me how to do this....and it was really easy. I am indebted to her kindness and patience when she taught me how to do this. And, my family has benefitted greatly from her instruction over the years.

Some folks say, "It probably costs too much to do that....and it's gross to touch raw meat". Well, if it is less expensive to buy it canned....then do it. If you don't want to touch it....use gloves (I do!). Let's see how much it costs per ounce to can the chicken I did today:

First of all, I bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.38 a pound, which works out to be about 9 cents an ounce. Compare that with the Hormel brand of White and Dark Turkey in water (5 ounce can) at 31 Cents per ounce. That is a 290% mark-up in price.

Also, please know that this is so very simple to do....and when I do show others how to do it....they often say "Is that all there is to it?". The answer is an overwhelming..."Yes".

So, let's take a pictorial tour of canning chicken.

First, cut up your chicken into chunks. If there is any fat, please remove it. With these chicken breasts, there was hardly any......I really lucked out! Notice that I am using gloves....not only to be hygienic....but also because I really don't like to touch raw meat. It took me about 10-15 minutes to cut up enough chicken to put into 8 pint jars.

Place the pieces in sterilized bottles. Here I am using Pint jars. I sometimes use half-pints because that is about 1 cup.

You can add seasonings if you wish. I choose to add some salt. If you have issues with sodium, you could add herbs or nothing at all.

Add broth, or hot water.

Be sure to get all the air bubbles out. Some advocate a plastic spatula, I use a knife to do this. Just make sure you get the air bubbles out. After this step, you sometimes have to add more liquid.

Wipe the rims with a clean cloth to prepare the jar for a sterilized lid.

Put the lid and clean rings on the jar. Prepare to place the filled jars in a PRESSURE CANNER....you cannot do this in a Hot water bath canner or a Steam canner. The pressure is required to heat the food hot enough to kill bacteria etc.

Place the jars in your canner. Now, how long do you process it? According to the Ball Blue Book of Preserving (copyright 2006), it states the following: "For boned meat (i.e. no bones) process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a steam pressure canner". However, this recommended "pressure" is for an altitude of 0-1000 feet. I live up in the mountains. Therefore, according to the same source, I would adjust the weight to 15 pounds with a weighted gauge (which is what I have) or 13 pounds if I had a dial gauge.

It is very important to let the Pressure Cooker cool naturally, you cannot use the quick-cooling process as this food is a protein. After the canner is cool, remove the jars. When I took my jars out of the canner, they were still boiling inside. Here is what they look like:

This is the "Pantry Gold" that my sister was referring to. If you have ever lived off your food storage, meats become very precious to you. I have frozen meat, freeze-dried meat, and canned meat. If one method fails, I have 2 other methods available to me to feed my family. Using only pint jars, the 40 lbs yields about 40 pints.

I realize it is not the ordinary canning most people are familiar with, but think of the money savings you could enjoy. I bought 40 lbs of chicken ($1.38/pound) at a total cost of $55.20. If I were to purchase 40 lbs of the Hormel canned chicken, I would have to spend $198.00. That is a savings of $143.20! An additional cost would be the lids, but if you have the bottles and the canner, this is a very realistic savings. Heaven's you could even buy a canner with at the savings you could get just from this example alone. Even if you had to purchase the bottles at ~$9.00 a box, the savings would be $116.20..

Just an FYI, you are able to can most meats raw, but not all. For example, you must cook hamburger and rinse it first. Check with the USDA guidelines or a source like the Ball Blue Book of Preserving for more information. The USDA guidelines can be found at the following link: http://extension.usu.edu/washington/files/uploads/Home%20Preservation/TIMETABLE%20FOR%20CANNING%20MEAT.pdf

If you are wondering how to use them, they are very versatile. They can be used in soups, sandwiches (think of chicken salad sandwiches), and casseroles. Make it a goal to try this.....soon.

Get your own "Pantry gold" for your family.