I love jerky. It is so handy to have as a snack while travelling, golfing or just sitting around.
I have tried some Asian jerky and quite like it. In doing some reading, I found out that Thailand is known for making sun dried jerky that is extremely popular. It must be tried.
In doing my research they use beef or pork for their jerky, but it seems pork is more popular. Also, they make the jerky in thin strips as opposed to flat slices.
Traditionally, they dry their jerky in the sun and some fry it after drying. Here I went on my own as I wanted to smoke it. I also added some Prague Powder #1 for longer shelf life.
Prague Powder #1 is a curing salt that is also called Pink Salt #1, Instacure #1, and other brand names. Check the label. Your curing salt should be 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% salt. It is important you use the exact amount as too much is bad for you. Don’t use it in place of regular salt as it is meant to be used in small amounts for curing meat.
I started with pork loin. I trimmed the excess fat off and cut it into strips. I had 1 kg (2.2 pounds) after trimming.
Mix the following together for a marinade:
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) oyster sauce
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) (11 grams) sugar
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) (3 grams) white pepper
- 2.2 ml (2/5 teaspoon) (3 grams) Prague Powder #1
Put the pork in and toss to coat.
Cover the pork and put in the fridge for one to two days, stirring every now and then.
Take the pork out and put it on racks. Pat dry with paper towels on both sides. Let sit on the racks for two to three hours for the surface to dry.
I put the pork in my Bradley Smokers P10 smoker at 200 F (93 C). I used apple smoke. You can also make this in an oven at 200 F (93 C) and it will work fine.
Smoke for about 2 hours or until the jerky surface breaks on bending.
The Verdict
When I first took a bite, I thought it tasted good but was mildly flavoured. No hot spice or sweetness. I was thinking I wouldn’t make it again as I like big flavours. However, I could not stop eating it. It was like potato chips.
There is a good pork flavour, an nice saltiness and some mild pepper taste.
Then I took it to the golf course. Some of my golf buddies raved about it saying that my regular jerky was too spicy or strong flavoured.
The bottom line is it tastes good but mild. If you don’t like spicy jerky, this is perfect for you. Even I found it addictive.
The Old Fat Guy
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 pounds) lean pork loin, trimmed, cut into strips, weighed after trimming
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) oyster sauce
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) (11 grams) sugar
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) (3 grams) white pepper
- 2.2 ml (2/5 teaspoon) (3 grams) Prague Powder #1
Instructions
- Trim the fat off a pork loin and cut it into strips. You need 1 kg (2.2 pounds) after trimming.
- Mix the following together for a marinade:
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) oyster sauce
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) (11 grams) sugar
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) (3 grams) white pepper
- 2.2 ml (2/5 teaspoon) (3 grams) Prague Powder #1
- Put the pork in and toss to coat.
- Cover the pork and put in the fridge for one to two days, stirring every now and then.
- Take the pork out and put it on racks. Pat dry with paper towels on both sides. Let sit on the racks for two to three hours for the surface to dry.
- Smoke the pork at 200 F (93 C) or put on a rack in the oven at 200 F (93 C) for about 2 hours until the surface of the pork breaks on bending.
4 Responses
Hi I am making this today and was going to use my dehydrator it only goes to 135F and was wondering if I have to get the pork to a certain temperatue using the #1 cure or if drying is safe using the cure.
Thanks, Dave
In a dehydrator, you will need to dry it more than you would in a smoker as you can’t get to as high a temperature so you will be relying on the cure and low moisture level for keeping qualities. A buddy does it in a dehydrator and dries until it cracks through when bent.
Thank You for your reply on dehydrating will try next time. Made this yesterday and smoked with walnut smoke and it is awesome, you are right again, my wife and can not stop eating this. Thank you for all your great posts and beginners book for smoking. Happy smoking.
Dave
Thanks so much for letting me know. This is my favourite jerky.