Beef for jerky sources - safety and taste?

[Draven]

Howdy folks!
I was wondering a few things about beef jerky. . . I've made it plenty of times before without any problems, but I got to thinking, with the various problems going around with meat (what with the irish pork thing recently, and mad cow disease less recently, et cetera), is supermarket beef safe for jerkying? I'd have thought that beef from a butcher would have a more reliable source, since I would imagine supermarkets tend to source cheap beef in massive quantities. How safe is properly made jerky, when it comes down to disease? To be honest, I'm not really worried, life's too short too cut out beef jerky

The other question was of taste - is there a noticeable difference in the taste of jerky from butchers, compared to supermarkets?

Atb!
Pete

[trail2]

In my experience the taste comes from whatever spices/marinade you use. Not where the beef came from.
As to safety I doubt there is much difference in supermarket or butcher's meat.
Jon R.

[Zammo]

As long as you don't by meat from a car boot sale you should be ok.

[Cobweb]

Support your local butcher!
Ask the guys in there which would be best for jerky, they'll be able to tell you.

[Mike Bowler]

any cheap beef same as Biltong it's the spices you use

[Draven]

Thanks folks

Speaking of, my local flea market does have a butchers van Don't reckon I'll risk it...

Cheers!
Pete

[xylaria]

I find you can get a much better range of cuts form a good local butcher than I can form my local tescos. Tescos is over priced compared to my butchers as well. Proper butchers that get a whole carcass and chop it up are more likely to do a long boneless cut of meat. Where as tescos do various types of steak, and premium joints and nowt else. Morrisons are about the only supermarket that seem to have anything close to proper butchers.

Personally I would talk to the butcher and say you want to make jerky out of a cut of meat. Say you don't need a premium cut just firm meat. You shouldn't get the have you grown a extra head look as you would from a supermarket.

[Draven]

I find you can get a much better range of cuts form a good local butcher than I can form my local tescos. Tescos is over priced compared to my butchers as well. Proper butchers that get a whole carcass and chop it up are more likely to do a long boneless cut of meat. Where as tescos do various types of steak, and premium joints and nowt else. Morrisons are about the only supermarket that seem to have anything close to proper butchers.

Personally I would talk to the butcher and say you want to make jerky out of a cut of meat. Say you don't need a premium cut just firm meat. You shouldn't get the have you grown a extra head look as you would from a supermarket.

Very surprised that tescos would cost more! Thanks for the reply

[nickg]

try iceland they usually have some very economical roasting joints very cheap. wait till its about 3/4 defrosted and then it cuts nice & thin dead easy. once you have it sliced go through each slice and trim off every piece of fat, tendon, fibre & gristle etc the pieces can get a little small but they dry just as well and taste fine

Cheers
Nick

[sparkplug]

In terms of safety it doesn't matter where you get the meat.

The main concerns are E.coli and salmonella, both of which are killed if you prepare your jerky properly. (see link in the "will it jerky?" thread for detailed precautions)

The choice of Supermarket vs butcher is then an ethical one. I personally try to use my butcher as much as possible as the meat is significantly better tasting and I'd rather support local producers.

For biltong / jerky I tend to use a lean cut such as silverside or topside.

[rik_uk3]

I only make if for friends as I'm not struck on the stuff, but well hung Sirloin from a good butchers works so well, trim off the fat and dry, this is one instance of more cost equals better. I chill the beef in the freezer until ALMOST frozen, then cheat a bit, I slice with an electric slicer; this gives a neat, uniform thickness.

Reminds me, I need a batch for next weekend

[Draven]

I think I'm going to try both supermarket and butcher, just to see which I prefer. I'll do a bit of each with nothing but salt and pepper (which is how I usually make jerky anyway...) and see how they compare!

Good to know it's all safe though!

Cheers,
Pete

[ZDP-189]

Safe to make, but not necessarily to store. Despite taking elaborate lengths, I can't stop it going bad.

[ForgeCorvus]

I thought that was the idea?

Dry it out so it can't go manky

[sparkplug]

I think the problem is due to ZDP-189 living in Hong Kong. The humidity is over 80% so the meat will re-absorb moisture from the air and will spoil more quickly. Take it to the Atacama desert, however and it will probably last for a lot longer

Just a guess...

[OldChinaHand]

I think the problem is due to ZDP-189 living in Hong Kong. The humidity is over 80% so the meat will re-absorb moisture from the air and will spoil more quickly. Take it to the Atacama desert, however and it will probably last for a lot longer

Just a guess...

I used to live in HK too, try dipping the dried meat in vinegar & drying it a bit more. High humidity meant i only ever tried making biltong in Autumn when it was least humid. once fully dried it did keep well.

[landrovermanuk]

Hi, a couple of things from a new bloke.....From the safety point, when I visited friends in Africa many years ago they just hung the meat on the barb wire fernce to dry when making biltong don't think you'd get away with that in good old Blighty.
Secondly if you'r in HK it might be wise to invest in one of those vacum packing machines you see on the shopping channels. Seal it up in small amounts and open a pack when you are ready.
I'll be getting the old smoker out soon and doing it that way...
John.

[He' s left the building]

The quality of the meat often depends on the stress levels of the animal (beast) during slaughter, a stressed beast will produce hormones that will affect the meat.

A supermarket is likely to chop it, wrap it and get it on the shelf regardless; whereas a local butcher is more likely to know where the meat has come from and can literally feel and see the quality.

My advice is to befriend your local butcher and keep popping in to ask what they have got, tell them what it is for and let them tell you what pieces they have in that are most suitable.

I'm not a big steak/meat fan, but the best ones I've had have been in parts of Africa and Central America, especially where the cattle have been raised/fed and slaughtered on site. There's nothing like intensive farming and modern transport/slaughtering processes to totally bugger up the quality of beef.