I still haven't replaced my sausage stuffer that broke over a month ago but was craving some ham sticks. So I decided to adjust and adapt according to what I had. The plan was to turn the ham sticks into ham jerky. I must say it worked out splendidly :) The basics were the same as OU812's recipe. I cut the recipe in half so this was just a 5 pound batch. The meat was cubed and mixed with the brown sugar and TQ. I should also mention that it was trimmed to be quite lean.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/Big_Daddy_Lincoln/Lincoln/null_zpse9064af7.jpg)
Once it was ground I mixed it with the honey and added half a cup of NFDM.
I then pressed it into a sheet that would fit my whole rack. I have 2 pieces if 1/4x1 inch stainless steel that I lay on the counter. I put waxed paper underneath and then a scoop of meat and waxed paper on top. Then I press one of our solid cutting boards on it to flatten it out to a uniform thickness.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/Big_Daddy_Lincoln/Lincoln/null_zpsbb6b5af0.jpg)
And once it is done in the Bradley, I pull it and slice into to strips
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/Big_Daddy_Lincoln/Lincoln/null_zps351d9ae3.jpg)
And the money shot
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/Big_Daddy_Lincoln/Lincoln/null_zpsaae78030.jpg)
I must say that these were JUST as good as the sticks were. So until I finally make up my mind on which stuffer I want to buy, this is how I will be making OU812's ham sticks :)
Great idea! Think of what you'll save on casings.
Yep, too bad I could just "jerky" all my sausage recipes lol
Nice looking jerky and the clean up looks easier than a jerky gun
I had a jerky gun and gave it away cause it was a pain in the ace to always clean. This is much MUCH faster and cleaner.
Sometimes you just do what you gotta do!! That batch looks really good.
This test batch tasted really good. All 5 pounds of jerky was gone within 30 hours. I will make it this way again for sure. It was almost like leathery breakfast. Grab that and a hard boiled egg in the morning and you are off lol