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Poultry
•
All poultry MUST be cooked before drying. Steaming or roasting are
the best methods. Chicken breast are leaner than dark meat.
Fish
•
A good idea is to steam the fish before dehydrating or if you chose to
bake it, preheat your conventional oven to 200 F and bake for 20 min-
utes or until fish is flaky. When drying fish, sole and flounder are good
choices.
Dehydration Tips
Dehydrating meat without prior cooking will produce the rigid,
chewy style of meat known as jerky. It is one of the oldest known forms of
meat preservation. Because "jerked meat" is made without cooking the meat
first, it is important to start with quality meat and to have clean and sanitary
work area. Also, be sure to thoroughly cleanse the work surfaces when fin-
ished. Remember that Jerky is the only meat to be placed uncooked in the
dehydrator.
Making Beef Jerky
As with nearly all foods, it is important to start with a quality cut of
meat. Select a lean flank or round steak about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Trim
off all fat and connective tissue. Fat hampers the ability of the meat to dry
and connective tissue will make for a tough jerky to chew.
For easier cutting, place meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes to
partially freeze. Then turn it over and freeze for an additional 15 minutes.
Cut across the grain into strips about 1/8 inch thick.
Marinate the strips for at least 3 hours, or even overnight. This gives the
meat a unique flavor and at the same time tenderizes the meat. Increase the
marinating time for a stronger flavored jerky.
Meat may be seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, or
other spices. Because flavors intensify during dehydration, use salt sparingly!
There are lots of jerky recipes available. Try them, or create your own unique
flavor!
Drain marinated strips on paper towels. Then place then strips on
drying trays (remember to protect the dehydrator from dripping foods as
described earlier in this manual). Dehydrate until strips are quite dry and
stiff to bending, but can be bent without breaking. This will take from 6 to
21
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