Is it possible to make beef jerky without salt?
just purchased a ronco 3 shelf dehydrator (cant resist kitchen gadgets) Always wanted to make my own beef jerky but i'm supposed to restrict my salt intake.Most recipes i know have alot of salt/soy .Is it possible to do without such huge amounts of sodium for those with heart issues?Also what are your favorite veg/fruits/meats to use in a dehydrator.Please tell me your recipe for achieving your favorites.Thank you in advance.
Old dental issues never really stopped haunting me (my genes!) so I try not to think about beef jerky much anymore but hmmmm, I don't see how you could make beef jerky without a lot of salt. Teriyaki sauce, maybe for flavoring, but I don't think that'd cut it. Maybe that other salt? The special but not too "special" kind, but no, that never really worked either, just caused dehydration of an inapplicable kind... If you're really desperate to give it a shot, you could always try making it the usual way and then rinsing the salt off? Seems excessive and probably not very helpful, but who knows.
For fruits, it's kind of late in the season but if you don't much like apricots - always a fairly popular choice - you could try peaches maybe? Clings do kind of taste a bit better but whaddo they call 'em, slip-pits?, might work better. I discovered that pears are pretty good, but the more common apples are better. Not sure which kind would work for that, presumably something firm but not too sweet might work out pretty well. <bg> There are always pineapples if you find something decent, maybe even local if you're east of the right spot, say, east of the international whatsis line?
Despite their simplicity, these recipes continue to confuse me...I'm still trying to figure out why some call for curing salt and others make no mention...From what I've come to learn curing salt can be replaced by another typical salt ingredient...So what is it that makes some recipes safe from bacteria in a dehydrator without the curing salt or powder being added ?
The salt is there to prevent spoilage by stopping the growth of microbes, I wouldn't suggest it.
Salt,sugar and most acids used in curing,(jerky etc) are the anti-microbials.If you dry
cure etc without "curing agents" the resulting product is very PERISHABLE.So yes
you can leave some things out and store in the freezer.
http://www.sausagemaker.com a visit here may help with ideas
The list of things to make is longgggg,start easy.Thinking about clean up,some things(fruit leather) are quite like glue.