Cowleys Fine Food -

Making Jerky At Home

Since the dawn of time meat has been a part of our diet, but for thousands of years we didn’t have many ways of preserving it. We had no freezers or fridges to keep our meat cold and safe, instead we had to preserve it using salt. Today we don’t need to preserve our meat this way, we can get fresh at any grocery store around but jerky is still a delicious treat. Making jerky at home is easier than you think let us show you how.

Salt and Spices

Even today salt is still one of the best ways to preserve meat and make jerky. Salt works to prevent the growth of bacteria until your meat reaches that “cooked” stage. Spices like pepper or garlic can be used to enhance the flavors. You can take your spices and make a dry rub and let it sit at least overnight in a container. Your dry rub should be made of mostly salt, if you are making barbecue then you can use less but for jerky you are going to need lots of salt. This will work for up to 10 pound of meat. Then you can put your meat into a dehydrator for the length of time recommended based on the weight.

Smoking Meat

Smoking meat is another old way to preserve to meat, smoke is acidic and it will prevent bacteria from growing and spoiling the meat. On top of that smoked jerky tastes absolutely incredible. While we started smoking meat to preserve it for the winter today we do it strictly because it is delicious. You can make jerky in a smoker over low heat and experiment with different types of wood to enhance the flavor. Hickory is always a favorite but you can try others like apple wood. Here are some different woods you can try in your smoker.

Whether you want to smoke your meat to enjoy that day or you want to preserve it for winter you still need to make sure that the meat it is safe. Meat needs to be at least 150 degrees to kill bacteria and keep it from spoiling. You can use a smoker or dehydrator and there will be no problem. If not then you may want to precook your meat first and then dry it out.

Making jerky is a great way to preserve meat and it also makes a great snack you can enjoy anytime.

August 10, 2019 0 comment

Fine Foods

Make Perfect Southern Barbecue

written by Charles Mason

There is not quite like southern barbecue, down here in Tennessee we take our barbecue seriously and guard our recipes like our very lives depend on it. We find any excuse we can to bust out the grill and when that doesn’t work we head to a restaurant that serves good barbecue. But not everyone makes good barbecue, if that is something that you suffer from we can help. If you want to make perfect southern barbecue then you need to get the fundamentals right, here’s how you do that.

Clean Your Grill

Plenty of people believe that not cleaning your grill makes your food taste better but that is not the case. Not only does a clean grill make your food taste better it also avoid food poisoning and it will keep flare ups from happening when you are cooking.

Marinate the Meat Ahead of Time

Marinating your meat adds flavor and makes it tender. If you want ribs that fall off the bone then you want to make sure you marinate it first, you can marinate it for as little as a half an hour or for as long as 24 hours before you cook it. Stab the meat with a fork first to allow the marinate the chance to get into the meat and tenderize it.

Make a Good Sauce

All good barbecue starts with the right sauce, here in the south we have family recipes that have been passed down for generations. You don’t want to put it on too early or it will burn. Most sauces have sugar in them and it doesn’t tolerate high heat very well.

Preheat the Grill

For meat to be cooked thoroughly as well as being tender and juicy you need to sear it to seal in the juices. That means initially cooking it over high heat, that will give you that grilled flavor that you love. If you are using charcoal then make sure that you after you light the coals that you leave them be until they are hot enough to cook with and have a light layer of ash all over them. For gas grills you can set the temperature manually.

Use Tongs

You’re probably using a fork to flip your meat but that is a mistake. Using a fork allows the juices to escape and makes your meat dry. Use tongs and keep your meat juicy and flavorful.

There is nothing like a gathering with some friends and family sharing in good food. If you want your next barbecue to be great then get the basics down and it will be delicious.

August 6, 2019 0 comment