Venison (or goose) Jerky

Clean out the freezer of last year's venison by making some jerky to snack on during this hunting season. Jerky is really quite easy to make, yet it takes some time and reliable, science-based recipes must be followed. One reason to use last year's deer from your freezer for making jerky is because game meat should be frozen at 5 degrees Fahrenheit or below for at least 20 days to kill the Trichinella parasite that causes the disease, trichinosis. Other reasons could be proper rotation of your freezer space, defrosting your freezer before restocking it with this year's quarry, and jerky tastes great!

Preparing Jerky

• Take about 2lb of meat out of the freezer, choosing a cut that will slice well, such as steaks, chops or roasts. Place the meat in the refrigerator to defrost. Partially frozen meat is easier to slice. Do not defrost the meat at room temperature because this will allow bacteria to multiply and potentially cause an unsafe product. Trim fat from the meat and slice the meat into slices no thicker than 1/4 inch. Slice with the grain if a chewy jerky is desired and across the grain if a more brittle, tender jerky is preferred.
• Make a jerky marinade by combining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, dash of pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and 1 t. of hickory smoke flavored salt (or regular salt if you can't find this). Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a shallow glass or ceramic (not metal) pan and place meat in the pan, being sure to coat all of the pieces with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate the marinating meat for 1-2 hours or overnight (product will taste saltier the longer it is marinated).
• Remove the pan from the refrigerator and place meat along with the marinade in a skillet or pan and place on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes (this will kill any bacteria by reaching 160 degrees Fahrenheit). Remove the strips of meat and place to drain on clean absorbent towels.
• Arrange the meat strips on dehydrator trays with the meat close together but not touching. If you are dehydrating in an oven, place meat on metal racks that are placed on cooking sheets to catch the drippings. Place the racks in a dehydrator or convection oven preheated to 140-145 degrees. For more information on using a dehydrator, convection or regular oven to dehydrate food see the Drying Food in NYS publication from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Begin checking the meat after about 3 hours to see if it is dry. It should crack, but not break when bent.
• For more information see "Preparing Safer Jerky" from Cooperative Extension found here.
• Goose breast meat can also be prepared the same way.

How to season your cast iron skillet

A properly seasoned cast iron skillet is an excellent culinary tool; for cooking up a shore lunch, sauteing fresh duck breast with a side of eggs for an after hunt brunch, or making a stir fry from the previous post. If you are just purchasing a cast iron frying pan or are restoring an old one, the first thing to be done is to scrub it well with steel wool and hot water to remove any manufacturing film or rust. Once it is thoroughly clean and dry, heat the pan over medium to medium high heat until hot and then rub vegetable (olive is best) oil into the hot pan. Wipe out excess oil. This process may need to be repeated again until a smooth, slick surface is created. You now have a seasoned cast iron pan. An old-fashioned cast iron skillet should not be washed with soap and water because it will rust and not have the "seasoning" that prevents food from sticking. Rather, to clean your cast iron skillet, sprinkle some coarse salt (pretzel salt works great, but any salt will do) and a drop of olive oil in your pan and rub it with a cloth to remove any food and particulates. The salt helps with abrasion and to sanitize. Then heat your pan over medium high heat for a few minutes and wipe the pan out again with a paper towel or clean cloth. You may need to add a few drops more olive oil before heating the pan to create the nice seasoning (this is especially true if you are seasoning a new pan or had been cleaning with water and soap in the past). If you clean your cast iron skillet with salt and oil each time, you will have a natural non-stick fry pan. And yes, you do get extra iron in your diet when using a cast iron skillet!