I am just about to try this and have bought my caulking, er, I mean
jerky gun!
I will start with just trying to create jerky.  So, start with 91% or
leaner ground beef, check.  Now, the instructions that came with the gun
suggest putting in this "cure" packet, which is, basically salt.  That's
not paleo, so I wonder, will it work without it?  Just stick the meat in
there and squirt it onto a dehydrator?  Also, it suggests that the
dehydrator go up to 160 degrees.  I haven't bought the dehydrator yet
because I'm just figuring this part out (not all of them go up to the
same temperature)

So what about germs and so on?  Is a high-heat dehydrator better for
that?  How long will this stuff keep if I don't add the salt?

Any recommendations on a specific brand of dehydrator that's worked out
for you?

Erik

On Sunday, February 3, 2002, at 02:42 PM, Todd Moody wrote:

> On Sun, 3 Feb 2002, Don Wiss wrote:
>
>>> Is it OK to use jerky made from ground meat for the pemmican?
>>
>> The problem with ground meat is the fat. You want to remove all the fat
>> before you dry the meat. For keeping qualities the only fat you want
>> is fat
>> that has been rendered.
>
> I've used ground meat, and as long as it is at least 91% lean,
> there's no problem.  The supermarket near me sells either 91%
> lean or 93% lean as their "extra lean" grade.  Another
> possibility is to buy a lean cut and have the butcher grind it
> for you, instead of slicing it.  The only advantage to working
> with ground meat is (a) you can used one of those "jerky gun"
> gadgets (like a caulk gun); (b) if you're using spices, ground
> meat has far more surface area, so the spice gets into the meat
> thoroughly; (c) if you're going to make pemmican, the jerky from
> ground meat falls apart readily.  I haven't made pemmican in
> years, but I make jerky for snacks, road trips, etc.
>
> Todd Moody
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