Does anyone know how the native americans originally made jerkey and if there are easy ways to do this in my backyard?
slice the meat you are wanting to jerk and slow smoke it over a low heat fire or coals . You more want the smoke and just a little bit of heat rather than actually fire heat on it. To do this in your back yard simply make a small fire pit and make a place to set the meat on near the fire, not directly over it and slow smoke. if you are looking into a more permanent method think about making an actual cool smoke smoker . One can easily convert many things into a cool smoker. From a cardobard box to an old fridge. We have the fridge method and it works well . There are lots of versions of them available on the net for simple to intricate plans. You can also sun jerk but the methods above in most situations are the best options.
I know people who make jerkey in their stoves on the lowest heat setting, and they say it works pretty well
Would I have to make some kind of fire pit out of rocks if I had no supplies? What if I want to make a jerkey solar cooker? DO I have to use alot of salt?
The most primitive form of 'Jerky' is simply to take lean meat, the leaner the better, slice it into thin strips, and dry. This was usually accomplished by hanging a carcass someplace cool enough the bugs wouldn't attack it, and low humidity, like a windy, shaded place, and as the outer layers dried, they were pealed off the carcass and further dried. In the warmer times of the year, you had to find a way to keep the insects from infesting the kill, so racks were built fairly high over a smoky fire, and the smoke worked as an insect repellant until the meat dried enough the insects were no longer interested in it. .......................... Slow smoking at low temprature wasn't really an 'Indian' thing. Europeans used slow/deep smoking to preserve meat in hole honches or sides (like 'Bacon' or hams) but 'Indians' were mostly in preserving for shorter terms so such measures weren't needed. ............................. When it's cold enough to keep the insects off, you can jerk meat in your front yard with no fire or salt at all. Salt, or salt water sprayed on the meat as it's drying, was another way to keep insects off while nature was taking it's course... Once it starts getting down into the 50s in the daytime, and close to freezing at night, that is about perfect for jerking meat!
gam46 what does Wintergreen and how to use it have to do with the subject above, which is jerked meat?
I have not had good jerky results without building something. I live in the southeast where it is very humid. I have lived in more arid areas where I got good results from a simple fire and smoke but around here not so much. Building a small cylinder out of rock up to about 4 feet with an extended part on the bottom roof sloped up to main compartment for fire and all covered with mud and a poncho on top has worked for me. Teepee method sounds easier but I havent tried it yet.
Hey no problem gam46, just start a thread about Wintergreen, or search for a thread dealing with the subject, usually Herbs, and fire away. I know you're new, and I'm not being mean, but injecting a subject different from the original subject is called Hijacking a thread and most won't respond, so go to the appropriate section and post your question. If I can be of further help let me know.
