He's home from college at the University of Oregon and came over the other day to make beef jerky!
Ty's a lot of fun.
He's chatty.
I love that he's chatty.
He's funny, too.
We laughed all afternoon as he told stories about his life.
Here he is laying out the marinated beef on the dehydrator trays.
Here's the kind of beef we used:
This is the beef I usually buy for jerky, top round roast from Costco.
This time I also bought a beef brisket because a friend told me they always make it with brisket and they thought it was the best, so I thought I'd try it.
I cut the brisket in half, then took the fat off the one side.
Well, I took it off both sides, but it's on one side of the meat.
We like it cut across the grain.
This is the top round roasts cut into pieces, wrapped in plastic wrap for chilling in the freezer.
That makes it easier to slice thin.
Chill the meat in the freezer for at least a half-hour before slicing.
If you like the meat really thin, freeze it until it's almost solid, it'll make slicing it thin easy.
Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1 scant tablespoon chile flakes
1 scant tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 chopped jalapeño pepper
Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until the sugar is dissolved.
Note: Double the amount of marinade and it will be enough for about 5 pounds of meat as shown in the photos above.
Slice the meat however you like it--we like it sliced on the thin side, across the grain--when you buy jerky at the store, they slice it with the grain so it's chewier.
Slice the meat--whichever way you prefer--and put it in a zippered plastic bag with the marinade using about 3 cups of marinade per 2.5 pounds of sliced meat.
Squeeze all the air out of the plastic bag, zip it, lay it flat and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours before dehydrating.
Here's Ty showing you how to lay out the meat on the dehydrator trays.
Lay out the slices close together, but not touching.
I dehydrate the meat in an Excalibur dehydrator with the blower turned up to the highest setting.
5 lbs. of meat will fill up the whole dehydrator, maybe more--depending on how thick you slice the meat.
After 2 hours, I turn the slices of meat over, it's not really necessary but it keeps the meat from sticking too much to the plastic mesh on the trays.
Then check it every hour or so and turn off to cool once the meat has reached the desired dryness.
It's done!
When cooled, put into an airtight container.
I refrigerate it after a few days since I like the jerky a little softer, that means there's more moisture in it.
Colin only wanted to take what he needed to college, and Nancy wanted him to be well equipped with all sorts of do-dads.
Moms are like that.
When his bed was all made and all his stuff put away, that's when they decided to reconfigure the room.
Then we all had lunch in the Lion's Den cafeteria.
Colin and his roommate Chris have known each other since they were 5 and played ball together.
They're finally going to the same school--and roommates!
This is Chris & his mom Jenny.
The moms are so cute!
They both shed a few tears to have their boys away at college.
Moms are like that, too.
We'll be seeing each other at baseball games, I'm sure!
Study hard, Colin!
***
Cuts of meat that work well for jerky include: top round roast, brisket and flank steak. Portion the meat into pieces that will be easy to cut whether you prefer cross grain cuts or pieces cut with the grain. Freeze or partially freezing the meat makes it easier to slice.
Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1 scant tablespoon chile flakes
1 scant tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 chopped jalapeño pepper
Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until the sugar is dissolved.
Note: Double the amount of marinade and it will be enough for about 5 pounds of meat, it's about 3 cups of marinade to 2.5 pounds of meat.
Marinate the sliced meat overnight or for several hours, drain, and lay the pieces out flat on dehydrator trays. I use an Excalibur dehydrator.
Dehydrate on high for several hours, turning them over after about 2 hours, then checking them every hour or so until they reach the desired dryness. Drying time varies with humidity, it took mine about four hours but has taken up to 6.
I like to make it a little on the moister side, not too brittle, so I put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator after a few days if there is any leftover.
My cousin Tim is showing us how to make Chile Relleno!
You might remember Tim from my post about all the fun I had with my cousins, spending time with them during family dinners and running around at Bachan's house.
This is Tim and his wife Teri.
Teri is my childhood friend--I was simply thrilled when they got together!
Here's Tim and Teri's son Bradford and daughter Caitlyn.
That's Teri on the right looking like she could be one of the kids.
Tim's a great cook, I'm sure he does a lot of cooking at his house!
When Tim was writing up his post, he said he followed my format and included a little bit about family at the end.
So you, dear readers, are in for a treat!
Thanks, Tim, for cooking up your fabulous Chile Rellenos for FOODjimoto!
***
Chile Relleno
by Tim Hirahara
Many years ago, I volunteered at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in the Rehabilitation Center. I was part of the patient activities program.
Once a week the patients and their families would prepare their own dinner. Once, one of the mothers, I cannot recall her name, made Chile Rellenos from scratch.
I loved chili rellenos and watched with much interest how she made it.
The following is how she did it.
Main Ingredients:
4-5 Pasilla chiles
4 eggs
4-5 oz. Monterey jack cheese
1 medium onion diced small
1 small 14 1/2 oz. can enchilada sauce
flour for coating chiles
1/2 inch deep vegetable or canola oil in pan heated to 350ºF.
Char the outside of the chiles thoroughly.
Once completely charred, wrap in a clean dish towel to steam off the skin.
You could also put them in a paper bag.
Dice one medium-sized onion for the sauce.
Saute the onion until it starts to get translucent.
Add the enchilada sauce and simmer to thicken.
Once the chiles have been steaming in the towel or in a paper bag, the charred skin can be peeled off easily.
Remove all of the charred skin.
You will be left with a whole chile without the skin.
Slice up your cheese into chunks to put inside the chiles.
*Relleno = filling or stuffed*
Separate the whites of the eggs and place in mixer bowl to be whipped.
Save the yolks, they will be used later.
Whip the egg whites until stiff but do not over mix.
Open up the chile by making a slit in the side from top to bottom.
Take out the seeds and membranes if you do not want too much heat.
Fill with the cheese.
Fold the egg yolks into the whipped egg whites to incorporate.
Roll the stuffed chile in all-purpose flour.
Place in egg mixture.
Thoroughly coat the chile.
Fry in pan in 1/2 inch of oil--or you can deep fry them if you have a deep fat fryer.
Cook until golden brown, this ensures the cheese inside has melted.
Drain on rack.
Itadakimasu!
***
I guess my appreciation for good food and making good food came from my father. When we went out to eat, we went dining--to Lawry's or Tam O'Shanter Inn. He continued the tradition with my children at the Dressing Room in Los Feliz.
I think my son Bradford has the same appreciation for food too.
Thanks to Grandpa.
That's Dad and me.
That's Dad and Bradford.
My dad passed away a year ago.
As Karolyn comments in her blogs, family, food and good memories go together.
This is a tribute to my dad for all the good food and all the good memories.
***
Ingredients:
4-5 Pasilla chiles
4 eggs
4-5 oz. Monterey jack cheese
1 medium onion, diced small
1 can-14 1/2 oz- enchilada sauuce
3/4 cup flour for coating chiles
1/2 inch deep vegetable or canola oil in pan heated to 350ºF
Wash, dry and char chiles completely on burner (BBQ grill or other grill).
Place charred chiles in a clean dish towel and roll up to cover. Some recipes say to put in a plastic or paper bag, both work. It is mainly to loosen the skin from the flesh of the chiles. Leave for at least 20 minutes.
Peel all of the skin off of the chiles but do not rinse them. That washes some of the flavor from charring off.
Cut a slit in the side of the chile so that you can cut out the seed pod and this is the opening you will put the cheese into. (If you like more spicy chiles, do not remove the pod.) Do not cut the stem off, aesthetic reason--for presentation--and so the cheese does not come out of the top while cooking.
Cut cheese into chunks to fit inside the cavity, do not overfill or you will have a little mess while cooking.
Separate the eggs and put the whites into a mixing bowl and whip to a stiff consistency. Make sure the bowl is very clean and cool (if there is any oil in the bowl, the whites will not fluff up as much).
Fold egg yolks into the whipped-up whites to incorporate.
Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet to about 350ºF.
Lightly coat the chiles with flour.
Place them in the egg mixture to coat the chiles.
Gently place them in the oil and cook to golden brown.
Drain on rack or paper towels.
You can eat them plain as a side dish or put any of your favorite sauces or salsas on them.
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