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Homemade Jerky


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I volunteered to make a bunch of dog treats for one of our groups fundraiser events and thought I'd make some jerky treats as well as the standard dog cookies. Seems like dog cookies are just the norm and I wanted to be a little different.

 

My game plan is to make the ground meat jerky since it would lend itself to having uniform pieces. (I have a dehydrator, meat grinder and a jerky 'gun') I feel like I need to add something to the meat before I dry it but not certain what I want to add. I was thinking maybe parsley and something in the way of a flavor enhancer.

 

I'm considering doing the standard beef and chicken but thought I'd try something a little more unusual like alligator tail, salmon and bison.

 

I haven't made jerky for dogs before so I'm not sure if I even need to add anything to it.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?

Edited by greyhounds1234

Mom to BridgeGreys~~STORM 07/99-02/08/11, VICKI 12/15/00-01/12/11, BAY 02/00-10/25/10 and CASHEW 10/99-2/23/10

and cats ~~ IRISH, MUMBLES, MUFFIN, TJ, PUNKIN and Bridge cats SARAH (07/29/97-07/07/06) and BRIE (04/11/96-01/22/12)

a very lively Whippet, OLIVIA and JAKE, the Iggy

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Waiting for some responses to your thread. I have a dehydrator, meat grinder, and although I don't have a jerky gun, I was thinking of either using a pasta maker attachment on my mixer to make round jerky sticks, or maybe rolling the meat between two sheets of wax paper and slicing with a pizza cutter.

I have no idea what to put with the ground meat, or if there is anything I should add as a binder though - seems like salt, pepper, terryaki and steak sauce would be out - those are most of the flavors I think of as being in human jerky. I wonder about smoke flavoring and garlic and onion powder ...

Theresa (Tess)

Mom to Elliott (Sol Flasher) and Lea (PTL Lea)

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I have not (yet) made jerky for my dogs, but I would think just plain meat would be fine. That way, if some dogs have allergies or food sensitivities, they could have the jerky when often they can't have many other treats. Unless they are allergic to beef or whatever :)

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Guest Scarter55

I have been experimenting with chicken jerky for a little bit now. I just use plain chicken with nothing added, I figure the dogs don't need any extra sodium or anything. I generally use chicken breast, but have experimented with thighs since that meat is much cheaper. I just freeze it so I can cut it thin, then pop it in the convection oven on a rack at 200 degrees for a couple hours. It stiffens up a little after it comes out of the oven.

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I haven't tried it yet, but I saw a great recipe on GT a while back for ground chicken breast and sweet potato jerky treats. I don't know why you couldn't use your jerky gun to shape these too? Or you could just spread them and make "leather" with them. As I recall those were the only ingredients. I'm always leery of using garlic since I've heard so many varying opinions about it, so I don't add anything to my treats. Mine seem to like chicken more than beef for some reason.

Can't wait to hear how yours turn out! :cookie

Jody, Leah & Jimmie
Tavasci%2520august%2520sunset%2520%2528C
You left us much, much too soon Lima & Chip :brokenheart

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You can get alligator tail in Springfield????

Yup! We are a faux cosmopolitan city! Got several different varieties, too!!

 

I'd kinda thought about mixing sweet potatoes with bananas for leathers or adding sweet potatoes to the beef for a jerky variety. My dogs would probably love their beef mixed with a powdered sugar donut....but I'm not sure about other dogs :)

 

This event is the first Saturday in June so I need to get a "menu" figured out and a few test runs made before I do the stuff we are going to sell.

 

How does ground chicken mixed with spinach sound? There are so darned many options that I don't really know where to start.

Mom to BridgeGreys~~STORM 07/99-02/08/11, VICKI 12/15/00-01/12/11, BAY 02/00-10/25/10 and CASHEW 10/99-2/23/10

and cats ~~ IRISH, MUMBLES, MUFFIN, TJ, PUNKIN and Bridge cats SARAH (07/29/97-07/07/06) and BRIE (04/11/96-01/22/12)

a very lively Whippet, OLIVIA and JAKE, the Iggy

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now you're making ME hungry! Can't wait to hear about your successes :chow

Yup! We are a faux cosmopolitan city! Got several different varieties, too!!

 

I'd kinda thought about mixing sweet potatoes with bananas for leathers or adding sweet potatoes to the beef for a jerky variety. My dogs would probably love their beef mixed with a powdered sugar donut....but I'm not sure about other dogs :)

 

This event is the first Saturday in June so I need to get a "menu" figured out and a few test runs made before I do the stuff we are going to sell.

 

How does ground chicken mixed with spinach sound? There are so darned many options that I don't really know where to start.

Jody, Leah & Jimmie
Tavasci%2520august%2520sunset%2520%2528C
You left us much, much too soon Lima & Chip :brokenheart

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A few years ago when Cosmo had osteo I made jerky out of everything I could think of for her. I recall Tilapia jerky was a big hit. The filets shrunk down to about perfect jerky size.

...............Chase (FTH Smooth Talker), Morgan (Cata), Reggie (Gable Caney), Rufus
(Reward RJ). Fosters check in, but they don't check out.
Forever loved -- Cosmo (System Br Mynoel), March 11, 2002 - October 8, 2009.
Miss Cosmo was a lady. And a lady always knows when to leave.

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