Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Hey Everyone,

Love all of the awesome info and people on here! I just got a dehydrator and have been trying to modify some book found jerky recipes (to a more paleo friendly format) with mild success. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share a great paleo jerky recipe. I would naturally like to keep soy sauce out, and the salt and sugar at reasonable levels. Mitigating the soy/salt/sugar issue seems to be the challenge at this point (because most traditional jerky recipes are big on these components) and I would love some advice/recipe suggestions. THANKS!!

Best,

Jordan

flag	asked Mar 12 2010 at 18:04 Jordan M. 141●1●4

speno · Answer 1 · 2010-03-12 18:23:56Z UTC

I simmer a random collection of spices in water, which I then chill. Then I marinade the meat in that overnight. I never did look up any recipes. I just jumped up and made something!

I've used cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, coriander, juniper berries, chipotle, ancho chili, black pepper, and five spice powder. Not all at once, but often three or four of them at a time. I almost always add a bit of sea salt too. I never used soy or sugar. I don't weigh or measure the spices either. I just go by intuition.

I like how the jerky comes out. It doesn't taste like any commercial product I've ever had, and it still retains a nice beefy flavor. I cook around the 115 degrees setting until done.

Good luck!

Alan · Answer 2 · 2010-08-22 14:18:45Z UTC

Sorry I'm late to this question. I've been making my own jerky for a long time and I've NEVER used sugar or soy. Sometimes if I'm short of time I won't marinate I'll just rub with spices and into the dehydrator. I use paprika, onion powder, ginger powder and of course lots and lots of chilli. I love my chilli and that way not too many people eat it all on me. ;)

Glenn · Answer 3 · 2010-03-12 18:26:43Z UTC

Speno, That's interesting. I made my first batch of jerky a few weeks and "cheated" on the marinade with a little Tamari wheat-free soy sauce. (I also cut down the amount of salt called for by more than half.) It came out very tasty, but I guess I will skip the soy sauce entirely next time, since it worked for you.

Fearsclave · Answer 4 · 2010-08-23 00:01:08Z UTC

I think that marinades are probably a Neolithic invention. If Grok marinaded, it would have to have been with locally available ingredients in season, and I'm thinking that in most cases, the Groks would have butchered their kill, woven up some drying racks, lit the fire, and just started jerking; remember that the purpose of making jerky for them was primarily food preservation, with tastiness being a secondary consideration.

Take pemmican; dried and ground meat, mixed in with rendered fat, and sometimes some berries were added. It's not exactly eleven secret herbs and spices...

That being said, I love straight dehydrated beef. Slice it up, chuck it into the dehydrator, take it out when dry, enjoy. Om nom nom.

Paleo Jerky Recipe

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