Spicy Teriyaki Beef Jerky

My nephew Tyler and I make beef jerky together.

Remember Tyler?

The nephew that I watch the Tour de France with?

That's the one!

He's home from college at the University of Oregon and came over the other day to make beef jerky!

Ty's a lot of fun.

He's chatty.

I love that he's chatty.

He's funny, too.

We laughed all afternoon as he told stories about his life.

Here he is laying out the marinated beef on the dehydrator trays.

Here's the kind of beef we used:

This is the beef I usually buy for jerky, top round roast from Costco.

This time I also bought a beef brisket because a friend told me they always make it with brisket and they thought it was the best, so I thought I'd try it.

I cut the brisket in half, then took the fat off the one side.

Well, I took it off both sides, but it's on one side of the meat.

We like it cut across the grain.

This is the top round roasts cut into pieces, wrapped in plastic wrap for chilling in the freezer.

That makes it easier to slice thin.

Chill the meat in the freezer for at least a half-hour before slicing.

If you like the meat really thin, freeze it until it's almost solid, it'll make slicing it thin easy.

Marinade:

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1 scant tablespoon chile flakes
1 scant tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 chopped jalapeño pepper

Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until the sugar is dissolved.

Note: Double the amount of marinade and it will be enough for about 5 pounds of meat as shown in the photos above.



Slice the meat however you like it--we like it sliced on the thin side, across the grain--when you buy jerky at the store, they slice it with the grain so it's chewier.

Slice the meat--whichever way you prefer--and put it in a zippered plastic bag with the marinade using about 3 cups of marinade per 2.5 pounds of sliced meat.

Squeeze all the air out of the plastic bag, zip it, lay it flat and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours before dehydrating.

Here's Ty showing you how to lay out the meat on the dehydrator trays.

Lay out the slices close together, but not touching.

I dehydrate the meat in an Excalibur dehydrator with the blower turned up to the highest setting.

5 lbs. of meat will fill up the whole dehydrator, maybe more--depending on how thick you slice the meat.

After 2 hours, I turn the slices of meat over, it's not really necessary but it keeps the meat from sticking too much to the plastic mesh on the trays.

Then check it every hour or so and turn off to cool once the meat has reached the desired dryness.

It's done!

When cooled, put into an airtight container.

I refrigerate it after a few days since I like the jerky a little softer, that means there's more moisture in it.

If you have any left, that is.

Itadakimasu!

***

Ty is on the right.

Colin, his brother, is on the left.

Hayley, Ty's sister is next and then my son Rick.

We all went to Loyola Marymount University to help Colin move-in.

Colin's a college freshman!

Hayley's a little sad.

Both brothers are away at college.

Don't worry Hayley, they'll be home before you know it, then you'll be off to college!

Colin and mom Nancy.

Colin only wanted to take what he needed to college, and Nancy wanted him to be well equipped with all sorts of do-dads.

Moms are like that.

When his bed was all made and all his stuff put away, that's when they decided to reconfigure the room.

Then we all had lunch in the Lion's Den cafeteria.

Colin and his roommate Chris have known each other since they were 5 and played ball together.

They're finally going to the same school--and roommates!

This is Chris & his mom Jenny.

The moms are so cute!

They both shed a few tears to have their boys away at college.

Moms are like that, too.

We'll be seeing each other at baseball games, I'm sure!

Study hard, Colin!



***

Cuts of meat that work well for jerky include: top round roast, brisket and flank steak. Portion the meat into pieces that will be easy to cut whether you prefer cross grain cuts or pieces cut with the grain. Freeze or partially freezing the meat makes it easier to slice.

Marinade:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup sugar

1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)

1 scant tablespoon chile flakes

1 scant tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon grated garlic

1 chopped jalapeño pepper

Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until the sugar is dissolved.

Note: Double the amount of marinade and it will be enough for about 5 pounds of meat, it's about 3 cups of marinade to 2.5 pounds of meat.

Marinate the sliced meat overnight or for several hours, drain, and lay the pieces out flat on dehydrator trays. I use an Excalibur dehydrator.

Dehydrate on high for several hours, turning them over after about 2 hours, then checking them every hour or so until they reach the desired dryness. Drying time varies with humidity, it took mine about four hours but has taken up to 6.

I like to make it a little on the moister side, not too brittle, so I put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator after a few days if there is any leftover.

Grilled Salmon with Wasabi Mayo & Furikake

My husband loves fish.

I saw this bright colored wild caught salmon at Costco right next to the farm raised salmon, and it was a dollar a pound less, so I picked out a small package and headed to the check-out.

This Grilled Salmon with Wasabi Mayo & Furikake is so simple--and it never fails to draw a compliment or two when it's served!

My husband actually said the flavor of the fish was one to savor--he used the word 'savory' twice!

Generally he's not much of a mayo person, if he knows something is not too healthy to eat, he can easily stay away from it.

That's why I didn't put wasabi on each piece, but on the side--he put some on his and loved it!

Ingredients:

salmon

teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi powder or to taste

furikake nori

This is the fresh wild caught salmon they had at Costco.

The color is so bright and pretty.

It still has the skin on.

Salmon skin is good for you, it's got a lot of good, healthy oil in it--but you need to take the scales off before you eat it.

Taking the fish scales off is not a big deal.

I remember watching my mom do it when I was little when my dad would bring home fish after a fishing trip.

Back then she used a spoon or the back of a knife, but I use this fish scaling tool--there are a lot of different kinds and they're easy to find.

Simply scrape the skin going against the grain of the scales--and they pop right off!

You can see the darker part of the fish is without scales and the silvery part still has them.

Scale the whole fish.

I cut the fish into fillets to barbecue them, but the salmon with wasabi mayo and furikake is also good baked--leave the fish whole and it makes a nice presentation.

Today I'm using this Red Shell Teriyaki Sauce.

It comes in handy if you don't have any of your own on hand.

It's good, too.

You can find a recipe for teriyaki sauce in my Teriyaki Chicken post.

The owner of Red Shell Foods happens to be my neighbor, and Watanabe-san brings us bottles of teriyaki sauce and salad dressing occasionally.

Thank you, Watanabe-san!

Red Shell Teriyaki Sauce is thick.

It brushes on nicely.

Mine is thin, but you can use it the same way.

While the salmon is grilling, make the wasabi mayo.

Simply put a couple of tablespoons, or more, of mayonnaise into a small baggie and add about a teaspoon wasabi powder.

I used this one, there are lots of different brands.

Squish the baggie around to mix the wasabi and mayo together.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

I added a little more, I like the wasabi spiciness.

Snip the corner of the bag to pipe it onto the fish.

Snip a small hole, smaller than this one.

If you make the hole too big, simply cut another hole in the other corner, and move the wasabi mayo away from the corner you're not going to use.

Zig-zag the wasabi mayo over the grilled fish.

When you're done, throw the baggie away.

Is that mottainai?

Wasteful?

You can also serve the wasabi mayo in a squeeze bottle or small bowl and everyone can put a small dollop on the top or side of their fish.

Sprinkle a little furikake over the mayo.

Furikake is a rice seasoning that has nori (seaweed), toasted sesame seeds and salt.

There's lots of different flavors, but I like the plain nori komi furikake.

Serve with some hot, fresh rice and some grilled peppers.

If you're going to fire up the barbecue, may as well make some Grilled Peppers!

Add some sliced cucumbers and maybe some home-grown tomatoes for a perfect Japanese-stye meal.

Itadakimasu!

***

Yesterday we went to lunch for my friend Susan's birthday.

This is one of my favorite photos of Susan.

She sparkles.

And I love that she's chatty.

If you've been following along, we went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market with our friend Gail.

I've also written a little about her here.

This is a picture of my son Rick and my friend Sue at the anniversary party of Gail & Ramiro's.

Look--there's Susan in the background, that's where we met!

Sue also joined us for lunch yesterday.

Sue's working on another guest post of her Grandma Smith's Fabulous Cheesecake.

Susan and Gail met when they worked together at Macy's.

Thank you, Gail, for sharing your friend with me!

Sometimes I make too much food for a blog post.

If I call Susan, she will come right over and pick the food up--and she doesn't exactly live in my neighborhood!

When I made way too much mochiko chicken, Susan came to get some and fed it to her boys when she got home.

They liked it, and now ask her to make it!

That makes me happy.

This is Shadow, Susan's dog.

So cute!

We went to the Cheesecake Factory.

Gail had the Miso Salmon.

Sue had the lunch sized Luau Chicken Salad.

I had the Vegetable Salad.

Look what Susan got!

A burger with barbecue pork belly on top and a fried egg on top of that.

She had decided upon the Eggplant Sandwich, but when she came across the words pork belly and fried egg on the menu--she couldn't resist.

She said it was the Chinese in her that zeroed in on the pork belly.

Her mom made it for her family when she was little.

Comfort food for Susan.

I love to watch her eat.

She eats with gusto and enjoyment.

And doesn't gain any weight.

I'm jealous.

I love listening to Susan talk about her boys.

Her youngest just finished a summer program for high schoolers at USC--she had lots of stories of his experiences.

She was a little nervous for him to go and be away from home, and was so proud of what she learned about him from this experience and what he learned about himself.

Happy Birthday, Dear Susan!

Thank you for being my friend and giving me so much support.

When I've felt all alone out here in cyberspace, and wondered if anyone was listening, Susan was there to give me an encouraging comment or two on every post.

I love you, Susan.

I hope you enjoy your birthday month and have many, many happy returns!

***

Ingredients:

salmon

teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi powder or to taste

furikake nori

Brush teriyaki sauce over salmon and grill on the barbecue--or bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until fish flakes apart in the middle.

Mix about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise with about 1 teaspoon wasabi powder. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pipe over grilled (or baked) salmon and sprinkle with furikake nori.