Every region in the world has its own tradition of dried meat, prepared with local livestock and indigenous spices. While this recipe is inspired by the various ways we preserve food, its method is technically closer to Jerky because the meat is sliced before drying. We have given it a local Levantine soul by swapping typical sugars for grape dibs and fermented flavors.
Ingredients:
-
Meat: In principle, any cut of meat is suitable, even fattier cuts; I personally enjoy using rib meat.
Note on quantity: The meat will lose about half of its weight during the drying process, so choose your starting amount accordingly.
-
Spices: To taste.
Instructions:
-
Slice the meat: Cut the meat into small pieces or strips approximately 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide.
-
Season: Marinate the strips. My favorite marinade is a mixture of olive oil, grape dibs (a grape concentrate similar to date silan), fermented hot sauce, salt, and additional spices to taste.
-
Marinate: Let the strips sit in the marinade or spice rub for 1 to 2 hours until the flavors are well absorbed.
-
Dry: Arrange the strips in a food dehydrator, a home oven, or use the dehydration setting on a “Ninja” style appliance.
-
In a food dehydrator: Dry at 60°C (140°F) for approximately 24 hours.
-
In a home oven: Dry at 50°C (122°F) using the turbo or convection setting.
-
-
Store: Transfer the dried pieces to a sealed container. They can be enjoyed as a snack at any time.
