C – I made a lot of jerky!
It’s the best and the worst day ever. The best day because I have a lot of jerky. It’s EVERYWHERE. Secretly hidden for some. Out where everyone can get to it for others. I am even able to give some away.
The worst part was I accidentally deleted every picture we took of jerky week. A week of posts down the drain. We had to re-make and re-shoot everything! I wasn’t liking it.
It was a really horrible moment when I was looking for the files and couldn’t find any of the pictures we took. Ugh. I am so grateful Jim was understanding. He said everyone makes mistakes. We just have to keep going and not kick ourselves for it. Now, we have LOTS of jerky. Lots of chicken, salmon, beef and, my favorite, buffalo. Luckily, making jerky is really easy, so the re-shoot didn’t take too long.
I think that is why making jerky is fun. Quick and easy. This cola jerky was probably the hardest one for me, since I didn’t have one ingredient and had to go buy it. The only ingredient that I don’t have in the house is cola. We don’t drink soda here. No high fructose corn syrup is allowed in this kitchen. So, I had to find a cola that contained sugar and not high fructose corn syrup. It was harder than I thought. There was only two brands in the store. I could barely find them. They were tucked away in a dark corner. What’s up with that?
This jerky was pretty good. A bit sweet for my taste buds. I would change a few things the next time I made it. First, I would add more spices. Maybe, I would blend the chipotle in a blender with the soy sauce, and add a bit more salt to balance out the flavors. Or, just add less honey in general. I still liked the taste.
| Jerky Week: Smokey Cola Jerky |
- 2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain
- 1 cup natural cola (nothing with high fructose corn syrup)
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- ¼ cup honey or less according to your taste preference
- Kosher salt to taste (optional)
- 1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped or blended (more or less depending on how hot you would like it)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl except beef. Mix well.
- Add beef to sauce and let marinate overnight.
- Remove beef from sauce and place in a food dehydrator according to manufactures instructions.
- When done, let cool and store in air tight containers.
- Store outside if completely dry or in refrigerator if slightly damp.
- Eat when you’re in the mood for a meaty snack.
- Enjoy!
My brother and I both agreed this jerky tasted like it had some brandy in it. I think the cola and the chipotle mixture created this taste. All in all it was a nice spin on regular jerky. I liked it.
Can’t wait to have Luke try all the jerky I made this week. I think he will be in jerky heaven.