Question:
ATTENTION BEEF JERKY LOVERS!

Yesterday while in Walmart I saw a new item called "American Harvest JERKY WORKS KIT" It was around $12 or $13. With it you can make beef jerky from.... get this, HAMBURGER. Since I'm snacking on way to many carbs and not enough protein I decided to buy it. In the kit there is a gun that looks like a cauk gun. You take a pound of LEAN (I got 95% lean) and mix one package of jerky cure and one package of flavor. (It comes with five packets of each so you can make 5 pounds of jerky). You mix the packets with the LEAN ground hamburg and push it in the tube. There are three attachments. Two of them make a shape like a slim jim. The one I used made flat strips of jerky. You MUST have a dehydrator. It was done overnight. It is not as good as making jerky out of steak meat, as it is like the "chopped and formed" jerky you buy from the stores. I paid $3.49 a pound for the 95% lean meat at Wegmans. NOT CHEAP at all. However since there was'nt hardly any noticeable shrinkage as there is with steak meat for jerky, I was verey happy. I usually buy the Jack Links jerky at Walmart for around $4 for a 3.5 ounce bag. That figures to around $18.40 a pound for Jack Links! Once I'm done with the packets in the kit, I must buy both the jerky cure and the flavor packs. I don't know what they will cost. Lets assume the worst and say it may cost a dollar a pound, plus the $3.49 for the pound of 95% lean. That would come out to around $4.50 for a pound of jerky. (Less than a pound with dehydration, yet not much shrinkage). It still seems to be a very good deal. And the jerky tastes good. Not the best, but nevertheless VERY GOOD. The available flavors are: Original, Teriyaki, Hot & Spicy, Cajin, Fajita, and Pepperoni. The kit came only with the first three flavors. I tried the first two last night. Of the two I tried, I like the Teriyak better than the Original. I can't wait to buy the Pepperoni as I think I'll enjoy that best. Sorry this post is long but I wanted to explain this. I give it two thumbs up! WELL WORTH BUYING. :)    — Danmark (posted on March 25, 2004)

March 25, 2004
I had received this as a Christmas present and was very impressed with the jerky; it was very tasty. I would also recommend this product to jerky lovers. Plus, what Daniel failed to mention, is that you can make turkey jerky, or whatever kind of jerkey you have ground meat/fish.
   — wschaffer

March 25, 2004
DH and I have been using a "jerkey shooter" (your caulk gun looking thing)for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. We use ground venison for our jerkey as we are both deer hunters. Venison is very lean and once you add the seasonings, you can't tell it's venison. The best thing for me is that unlike regular jerkey, this is very easy to bite off and chew. I absolutely love it. Now, I guess I'd better call DH and tell his to lay out some Venison, it's going to be a Jerkey weekend. You've made me hungry for it :).
   — Carolyn M.

March 26, 2004
Yes it does say you can use Game meats and Pork but you have to freeze those meats for 30 days "before making into jerky" to kill any possible parasites. That did'nt sound to good to me! But I'm also concerned about using any kind of beef for jerky as well.... seems there is always a risk of getting sick. However I've made alot of jerky in the past and so far there has'nt been any problems. I guess nothing is completely safe. ;)
   — Danmark

March 26, 2004
Daniel et al, I love making turkey jerky this way!! I recommend that you turn the jerkey pieces about once every couple of hours on the dehydrator trays, and while you are turning them, pat them with a paper towel to remove any grease that has come to the surface of the meat. This cuts out a lot of fat!! Also, when the jerky is finished, I wrap it in paper towel and let it sit for another souple hours to soak up even more fat, then bag in 1-2 day portions, freezing all but a couple of bags. (It WILL get rancid if not at least refrigerated!) I figured out that turkey jerky runs about $2.00 per lb (1/2 lb of finished jerkey) Sue
   — Sue C.