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Summary: Beef Jerky

Thank you to all who responded. Here are the brands that some people have found to be GF. 

Oberto available at Kroger, Kmart, and Walmart

www.jerkyusa.com 

J.D. Links

New Braunfels Smokehouse, http://www.nbsmokehouse.com. (Teriyaki is not GF)

Shelton's; only the sticks are GF. The ingredients for Shelton's Beef Sticks are as follows. Hormone Free Beef, Spices (black pepper and red pepper), Honey, Garlic Powder, and Paprika. The ingredients for Shelton's Turkey Sticks, Regular are the same as above. The ingredients for the Shelton's Turkey Sticks, Pepperoni also include in the spices (cayenne pepper, anise, fennel, ginger, cloves and allspice). The manufacturer for the sticks does not currently use any ingredients that are gluten based, so Xcontamination is not possible from that standpoint. Spices may be a problem, because they aren't subjected to the intense regulation and inspection that meat processors are. They sort of get inspected twice yearly and even then they get a warning call for the inspector a week in advance letting them know they'd better clean up their act. Right now there's not a lot we can do about that. The spice companies also won't commit to guaranteeing 0 Xcontamination for glutens, mainly because the government doesn't make them. They do have to state whether or not there is a possibility for Xcont. from peanuts or other highly lethal allergens. That's only because of lobbying efforts on behalf of families that have lost loved ones due to the Xcont. Unfortunately that's the way it works.


Stonewall's 1-800-256-2253 as of 4/4/01 Teriyaki Beek Small Pieces was Gf. http://soybean.com/ There are other varieties listed as GF by Clan Thompson so you can get a current list from this 800 #. On 2/14/02 I spoke with Sue Barrett about Slim Jim's. She was very helpful. Steak, not jerky, with soy =GF; Pepper beef steak=GF; Jerky, chopped & formed=GF. Pennican (same co.): Original beef steak not jerky=GF; Andy Capp's hot fries=GF. They had other varieties that were more peppery that were GF. I found this at Wal Mart and called # on back of Slim Jim wrapper. Rustler's Beef Jerky made by Frito Lay 1-800-352-4477 verified 9/21/01 by Clan Thompson. Hormel Beef Jerky regular and low fat 1-800-523-4635 Clan Thompson verified 1/14/02 Cajun Jerky spicy Italian various sizes verified Clan Thompson 4/4/01 1-800-256-2253.

Additionally, some people sent recipies. 

Recipes

A) Make it using a very inexpensive food dryer, about $25 - $30. I make my own barbecue sauce (or you can use any GF one you like) and either thin sliced sandwich steaks or liced up flank steak. I can change the dryness, spiciness and sweetness to suit our taste. Also, we get about a pound of finished jerky for $10 - 12. I don't think you can beat that with store bought. 

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B) The trick is to buy a dehydrator (not to try to make it in your oven).

1. Freeze the meat (for at least 2 weeks is a good idea). 2. Slice it while partly frozen. 3. Marinate it in kefir and spices, or in salt/sugar/vinegar brine. 4. Dehydrate it at about 135 degrees.

This stuff is really delicious! You can use the cheaper meats at Costco (a shoulder roast there was priced at $1.29/lb today). It tastes like *beef*, not like chemicals, and it is very filling. I take a few pieces of jerky, some home-dried fruit, and a few nuts, and I'm good for a day of shopping. The commercial jerky was always too salty, and even without gluten made my stomach feel weird. Everyone who has tried this has really loved it! The kefir will kill any e-coli that is around. A vinegar dip or soak will too: kefir makes the meat more tender though. You can also use Adolph's meat tenderizer, or use yogurt or buttermilk to soak it in. 

I store it in the freezer, but if it's dry enough and lean it will keep at room temp. If there is fat on it, the fat will go rancid if kept at room temp too long. The whole process does NOT take as long as you would think, BTW. I make a big bunch of it, which lasts several months. It probably takes about an hour or two of work for the entire batch. You can save yourself even more work by letting the butcher do the slicing.

C) There is a recipe for GF beef jerky on the Miss Roben page, http://www.missroben.com, click on recipes, scroll down to "meat"

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