>We bought a dehydrator and have made our own jerky, yummy -
>though my jaws ache for days after eating it.

Hi Debbie!  Welcome to the list.

A couple of suggestions on the jerky, from one who has made it a number of
times, with varying degrees of success :^) --

1.  Maybe you're just drying it too long.  It doesn't need to be rock-hard
to keep for weeks.

2.  I usually have the butcher grind the beef at the store, and have him
grind it coarse: like for chili.  After marinating, I spread it into flat
patties on the dehydrator trays.  Ground beef dries to a more chewy,
crumbly texture than sliced.  Also, it soaks up all the marinade, rather
than letting it drip off.  Why waste all that yummy fruit juice and spices?

3.  Once, when the butcher had a waiting line, I bought a couple of
packages of "ground sirloin."  It sounded great, but the taste was
disappointing.  The flavor was blah, and the fine-ground beef just wasn't
as pleasant to chew somehow.

4.  If you really prefer sliced beef to ground, slice across the grain, so
that each piece has a lot of "end grain" (as woodworkers call it) showing.
This should give it a crumblier texture when dry, and also help it soak up
marinade.

You can check the list archives for other jerky tips from me, if you're
interested.  Have fun!



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