Make a homemade jerky kit.
Many people love beef jerky. Since jerky is salted and dried, it stays good to eat longer than raw or cooked meat. In America's early days, colonists used this to their advantage by making jerky and storing it over the winter so that they would always have it. Today, convenience stores sell it in pouches as a travel snack and many hunters make jerky from excess meat. There are as many recipes for jerky as there are people that make it. Beef jerky kits may make good gifts for jerky or cooking enthusiasts. You can make a simple kit at home that includes your favorite recipe for very little money. The recipient will appreciate the homemade though that went into it.
Instructions
1. Write down your beef jerky recipe as completely as you can on a decorative recipe card. Include the measurements for all of your ingredients, how thick to slice the meat, what kind of meat to use, oven temperatures and drying time.
2. Gather all the ingredients included in your recipe except for the meat. Look for small packages of each ingredient. If you can't find small packages, pour a little of dry ingredients like black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic or chili powder and dried onions into small plastic tubs or little plastic baggies. Include enough for the recipient to make several batches.
3. Place a sticker label onto each plastic tub or baggie and write what the item is neatly in black pen. You can also print sticker labels with a word processing program; use a funky but still readable font.
4. Get small bottles of wet ingredients if you can. Many grocery stores sell tiny bottles of soy, Worcestershire and hot sauce. If you can't find them, get 8 ounce glass bottles with screw caps and fill them with wet ingredients. Label them as you did dry ingredients in step 3.
5. Place everything in a small, sturdy box. They are available in many shapes at craft stores; choose one that holds no more or less than you need it to. Arrange everything artfully along with the recipe card and a few samples of your own homemade jerky.
Tags: homemade jerky, recipe card, small packages, stores sell