Kangaroo Jerky
I hadn't had jerky much before I went to the AHS in August. I’d tried it, but wasn't that impressed. At the AHS the US Wellness Meats company supplied lots of jerky – so I had to try it! It tasted fantastic; completely different to any jerky I’d tried before. The beef jerky I tried contain grass-fed beef and salt. No nasty ingredients whatsoever. But I'm in Australia. What about Kangaroo Jerky?
Dried meat like this is full of protein and such a great snack, being so portable and easy to store. When I got back I was really keen to take advantage of living in the land of kangaroos – by trying Kangaroo Jerky! I think Kangaroo is such a good meat, as it isn’t farmed and is a great protein source.
Unfortunately all of the commercial Roo Jerky’s I've found so far are heavily processed with lots of undesirable ingredients such as sugar, soy sauce, canola oil and lots of artificial ingredients and flavours.
I don’t have a dehydrator yet, but have found a few recipes for home-made jerky, which I’ll be trying soon (I'll keep you updated!). In the meantime I'm going to check out a few local farmers markets here in Sydney at the weekend – hopefully I’ll be able to source some Paleo approved, local, organic, grass fed jerky!
I think Jerky will be a great snack to keep at work and to take to the gym.
Have you found some good Paleo Jerky? Have you tried Kangaroo Jerky? If you have a recipe for making your own I’d love to try it!
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Hey there,
I haven’t yet been game to try kangaroo jerky…it is pretty stinky so I have not been keen to inflict that on the household :/
About 8 months ago I got an excalibur dehydrator and have not looked back. It makes Paleo sooo much easier, we dehydrate about 2kgs of mince meat each week and it makes for a fantastic snack
[you get used to it – I definitely was not keen to start with, but really what is the alternative when you need paleo friendly portable protein?]
We also make kale chips in the dehydrator…nom nom nom…I miss crunchy snacks since going Paleo!
Hi Crystal, dehydrating mincemeat sounds great! Such a good idea. I like the sound of kale chips too!
Hi,
The mince is cheaper and quicker than slicing up skirt steak. I picked up a jerky gun on Amazon and load it up with the mince-meat marinated in a spice mixture or sauce and squirt it out into rows on the dehydrator trays.
If you are interested check out my Facebook page “Eat. Sleep. Move”, I have a photo album called dehydrated food with pics of the jerky gun and kale chips.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eat-Sleep-Move/252209828138121
What a great idea Crystal, that sounds like a much better way of doing things. I can’t wait to try!
A dehydrator is a great thing to have if you like jerky – even a cheapie will do the trick (mine was a Christmas present, but I know it was much less than $100).
I’ve always made my own jerky because I don’t like the commercial stuff (haven’t tried the hideously expensive paleo stuff).
Here’s an easy recipe to try: shmoosh up half a kilo of lean mincemeat of whatever kind you like (even roo, I guess!) with a teaspoon of dried onion, a teaspoon of dried garlic, a teaspoon of ground ginger, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper (for all of these you could add more or less to taste – some would add chilli powder too, but I don’t care for chilli). Alternatively, you could add some wheat-free tamari or coconut aminos if you like, instead of the salt. If you’re a dried fruit kind of person, you might even like to throw in a handful of dried cranberries/currants/whatever.
Mix thoroughly and then roll out the mixture thinly with a rolling pin between two sheets of baking paper. Cut into strips or whatever shapes you like, and dry out in a dehydrator or very low oven, occasionally blotting any fat that rises to the surface, until done to your liking. Then try not to eat half of it before it’s even cooled properly…
I had no idea you could get them that reasonably Sigi, I am definitely going to investigate! Your recipe sounds great – I can’t wait to try it, especially with the ginger and dried fruit!
I think I’m going to have to look into that dehydrator very soon!
(Hope this works – my last few posted comments have disappeared.) 🙁
Be aware that that cheaper dehydrators (a) are a bit noisy (the whole hot fan thing), and (b) need to have the trays rotated every hour or two to ensure even drying of your produce.
Not sure what happened there Sigi! But they’re back now!
I think I could live with a noisier higher maintenance model! I’m going to investigate further this weekend…
I haven’t found any Paleo jerky in Oz, and have been considering getting a dehydrator too. Thanks Sigi for the recipe!
It definitely sounds worth having one doesn’t it? My main concern is storing it as they look huge – and my kitchen isn’t!
I keep mine in a back room that is used as an office/store-room…that way I can shut the door and ignore the noise and the smell!
That’s a good idea – and would help with the space issue!
I haven’t been able to find any paleo jerky in Sydney as well.
If you are interested it is possible to make Jerky without a dehydrator:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-make-your-own-jerky/
Cheers
Thanks Roberto! I think I’ll try to make it without a dehydrator first; would be good to have a recipe perfected by the time I get one! FIngers crossed homemade jerky next week!
Urgh it is such a pain not being able to buy good paleo-friendly jerky in Oz. And yeah yeah I know i should just make my own…. I’ve been lobbying one of the farmers at the Everleigh farmers market to get into making paleo-friendly (grass fed, no soy or sugar) biltong, will let you know if i have any success! (it is the Back Paddock stall, in case anyone else wants to join the lobbying effort).
Consider them lobbied Kitty, that would be great if they’d make a Paleo approved jerky! I think they’d get enough business!
Okay folks, I spoke to Phil at The Back Paddock stall at the Everleigh markets and he is totally open to making grassfed, gluten-free, sugar-free jerky and/or biltong if there is sufficient demand! (Which doesn’t seem to be a high threshold, since he is making some jerky just for me!). So get your butts over there and start demanding! (Really nice guy too).
Brilliant Kitty, can’t wait to try some!
And just to make it easy for you: Everleigh Market 243 Wilson Street Darlington NSW 2008
open 8am – 1pm Saturdays. I tend to go towards the end and there are some good bargains to be had on grassfed beef and free-range chickens when the stalls are close to closing.
That’s a great idea going near the end. It’s always good to get a bargain!
In case anyone is still following this thread – I posted some info in the forum section about where to find jerky and biltong in Sydney
I like the recipe above, will try.
But, why buy a dehydrator? I wanted to try beef jerky, got a half plastic drum, with two holes at the top, went down to the op shop and got a hairdryer, sat the meat on waxed paper on fridge shelves separated by bricks, from the roadside pickup, put fly screen over one hole and used gaffer tape to to put the hair dryer in the other, voila, jerky in a few hours. If I was doing it again I would get a twelve volt fan, from an auto shop or cheaper yet from a wreckers yard, and mount that at the bottom and put fly screen on both holes and that would give me jerky in about eight hours with a nearly no electricity cost.
The meat bit is up to you, but you can build a very large and very efficient dryer for around 15 or so dollars.
cheers
Steve
That sounds great Steve! I wish I had your creative skills – you know what, when I have more outdoor space I’m going to try to make my own!
Check out Paleo Snacks, they sell Paleo Packs which is Jerky mixed with nuts and berries. It’s pretty unique, i’ve purchased off them a few times and it’s pretty good. http://www.paleosnacks.com.au is the website.
Oh no! This thread has made me want to buy a jerky gun and dehydrator now… Hah! It is true though, very difficult to find local Paleo products here in Brisbane aswell. Well I mean I have found some biltong out by Capalaba but at $100/kg I think it def pays off to DIY home jerky. Even buying in bulk from the local butcher will set you back at least $60/kg.
WHY WHY WHY does all jerky NEED to have sugar in it??!! If it didn’t have sugar, I’d eat it ALL the time!! I used to love the stuff when I didn’t care about what I was putting into my body. It’s such a shame and I am really too lazy to make my own! :-/
I know I am uber late to this thread, but…
I made kangaroo jerky at home tonight with a cheapy deals direct dehydrator. Sliced really thin fillets, salt and peppa, some squid sauce, tiny bit of stevia and some apple cider vinegar (all splashes).
It is still on, but the thinner bits are done and are excellent. Now just trying to figure out how to store 1 kg (starting weight) of jerky!
I think that is paleo, no?
I’ve made a couple of batches of Roo Jerky using the following recipe.
500g of kangaroo steak sliced thin across the grain
1/4 cup coconut aminos ( i used niulife brand )
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
just a shake of cayenne pepper
Put the roo in the freezer for a couple of hrs makes it easier to slice
combine all other ingredients in a snap lock bag toss in the roo and marinate over night in the fridge. I don’t have a dehydrator so you can cook it in the oven on the lowest heat setting for 4-5 hrs . This stuff is sensational!