DTJ's and Tailfeathers' Ham Jerky

ragweed · February 10, 2014, 06:56:44 AM

A day after reading DTJ's post about the possibility of making jerky out of ham, I went to my local G-store to pick up some P. butts on sale for $1.27/lb. There in the "specials" cooler were Butt half Hams for .87/lb. So I thought, "Why not"? When Tailfeathers posted his ham jerky recipe, I had a plan!

My marinade:
16 oz Smoking Gun Jerky Marinade
~6 oz Molasses
~4 oz KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki Sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp white pepper
a splash or two of Coca-Cola (What the heck, just opened one ;D)

Zip lock, frig overnight with lots of massaging. Towel dry.

Dehydrated, 6 hrs later, it was jerky.

I loved the flavor and texture! Will definitely make again!

Thanks to DTJ and Tailfeathers for posting. :D :D :D

tailfeathers · February 10, 2014, 07:17:21 AM

Glad you liked it. We just love ham jerky and all my fishing buddies seem to enjoy it as well. And like you pointed out, you can buy ham pretty right if you watch for it. It probably goes without saying but the better product you start with the better your results will be. I like using John Morrell boneless EZ cut hams for jerky and one of the local groceries will have them for under $2/lb upon occasion. Then I usually get 4 whole hams. I'm blessed with abundant freezer space.

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Saber 4 · February 10, 2014, 09:58:21 AM

Looks great Joe, just so I'm not confused we are talking fresh hams and not cured hams right?

ragweed · February 10, 2014, 10:03:50 AM

Quote from: Saber 4 on February 10, 2014, 09:58:21 AM
Looks great Joe, just so I'm not confused we are talking fresh hams and not cured hams right?

I used a cured ham. Ready to heat and eat. Or just eat like I did when I was trimming. :D :D

Saber 4 · February 10, 2014, 10:05:51 AM

Quote from: ragweed on February 10, 2014, 10:03:50 AM
Quote from: Saber 4 on February 10, 2014, 09:58:21 AM
Looks great Joe, just so I'm not confused we are talking fresh hams and not cured hams right?

I used a cured ham. Ready to heat and eat. Or just eat like I did when I was trimming. :D :D

That sure makes it easy, no need to measure cure on this jerky is there. :)

tailfeathers · February 10, 2014, 10:09:34 AM

Can't speak for Ragweed (Joe) but when I make ham jerky it is made with cured "ready to eat" hams. I run them through my slicer to get the thickness I want, marinate overnight for flavor and smoke or dehydrate the following day. I don't put any additional cure in the marinade, and I don't know that this could be considered true "jerky" because I always keep it refrigerated for the sake of safety. All I know is I love both the flavor and texture of the finished product.

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Saber 4 · February 10, 2014, 10:11:22 AM

You guy's have convinced me that I have to try it, I don't know why it wouldn't be a true jerky, it's already cured and once dried it should be shelf stable for quite a while I would think.

tailfeathers · February 10, 2014, 10:17:09 AM

I've never had any that seemed bad or rancid in any way but I figure when it comes to food poisoning I'll ere on the side of caution. I'm pretty sure if you try this you'll be adding one more thing to your "gotta keep some of this on hand" list!

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Saber 4 · February 10, 2014, 10:21:20 AM

Quote from: tailfeathers on February 10, 2014, 10:17:09 AM
I've never had any that seemed bad or rancid in any way but I figure when it comes to food poisoning I'll ere on the side of caution. I'm pretty sure if you try this you'll be adding one more thing to your "gotta keep some of this on hand" list!

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I'm sure I will, how thick are you guy's cutting yours at?

tailfeathers · February 10, 2014, 10:34:52 AM

I slice mine at about the same thickness as thick sliced bacon. It might take you a try or two to arrive at what you like best, but I would err on the side of to thick rather than to thin. I used to have the meat counter guy at the market slice it for me before I got my slicer and he got it to thin once. It got really crunchy and dry almost like ham chips. Wasn't very good. To thick and it's hard to get it dried right. I'd say somewhere between 1/8"and 1/6" would be about right.

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Saber 4 · February 10, 2014, 11:09:20 AM

Quote from: tailfeathers on February 10, 2014, 10:34:52 AM
I slice mine at about the same thickness as thick sliced bacon. It might take you a try or two to arrive at what you like best, but I would err on the side of to thick rather than to thin. I used to have the meat counter guy at the market slice it for me before I got my slicer and he got it to thin once. It got really crunchy and dry almost like ham chips. Wasn't very good. To thick and it's hard to get it dried right. I'd say somewhere between 1/8"and 1/6" would be about right.

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Thanks