Wednesday, September 26, 2012

home grown hops


home grown hops
Originally uploaded by flakingnapstich

My wife and son harvested some of my hops. Sadly I noticed aphids all over them this morning. There's also some mold on the leaves. I laid them out on a screen before taking Caleb to school this morning. Hopefully they'll dry out and the aphids will leave.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

The finished beef jerky


The finished beef jerky
Originally uploaded by flakingnapstich

The thing that amazed me most about the process was how incredibly easy it was. Buy some thin sliced beef, marinate it overnight, put it on skewers and dry it in the over for a few hours.

I started with an Oven Beef Jerky recipe I found online. I made a few adjustments. I added a bit of smoked paprika to the marinade. I was out of Worcestershire sauce so I substituted six tablespoons of rice wine vinegar. I figured an acid would be a better substitute than more soy sauce.

The end result was too spicy, as I'd dredged the jerky slices in cracked black pepper before drying them, and I used too much pepper. This was not a major issue, as all I had to do was rub off some of the excess pepper to dial the spice level back down. Next time I'll still add some cracked black pepper, but I'll use far less, more of a spotting than a full dredge.

The bag currently sits in the fridge, offering a quick and easy bite for hungry people. I do not expect it to last much longer. Next, I need to look into what's involved in making it shelf stable enough to ship to a friend overseas, if it isn't already.

Caleb's Concert


Caleb's Concert
Originally uploaded by flakingnapstich

Making Beef Jerky


Making Beef Jerky
Originally uploaded by flakingnapstich