2011-04-15-0535Z


Just finishing the last of the jerky I made at ambient temperature 8 days ago. It's pretty nasty-smelling and tasting, but after the first couple of days it doesn't seem to diminish my physical capacity at all; at first it kind of weakened me because my colony of bacteria were not familiar with the putrid meat. I'm pretty confident that if I can roll the next batch out thinner, and use some kind of wicker mats to keep it aerated better while drying, I can have a reliable method of storing beef for weeks without refrigeration.

The chorizo, except for two more grayish links, looks to be curing nicely as well. Towards the end of the month I can start on the most recent batch, that made with brine-pickled pepper and garlic, and report on its qualities. I'm hoping it's a winner.

I've got this idea for a "stove" made of a piece of threaded iron pipe with a cap on one end. I've already bought what I need, just have to drill a few holes in the capped end that show when I unscrew the cap for a few turns. The idea is that when the pipe is spun around, air forced through it will heat the pipe red-hot while some wood chips are ignited inside, and then when plunged into a metal container of soup or water will quickly bring it to boiling. If I survive this last batch of jerky I might let you know how it works out.

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last updated 2011-04-15 01:44:58. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com