Jerky: The Fatted Calf's Guide to Preserving and Cooking Dried Meaty Goods [A Cookbook]

by Taylor Boetticher

IACP WINNER • This love letter to jerky will make you fall hard for dried meats of all stripes.
 
“ Jerky , with its beautiful photographs, fresh and unexpected recipes, and passionate writing, gives an in-depth look into the art and craft of drying meat at home.”— The Art of Eating
 
Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller, James Beard Award–nominated authors of  In the Charcuterie  and owners of San Francisco’s acclaimed Fatted Calf Charcuterie, share their favorite recipes and tested techniques for a variety of jerkies and cured meats, from dehydrator and oven drying, to smoking and air drying. Recipes range from classics like the Fatted Calf’s signature Bourbon and Molasses Smoked Beef Jerky, to traditional dried meats from around the globe, such as Gueddid, a spicy Moroccan goat jerky; Chinese Rousong or pork floss; and the Italian pork jerky Coppiette di Norcia. In addition to recipes for drying both sliced meats and whole muscles, Boetticher and Miller offer a chapter on cooking with jerky, including dishes like Gingery Cabbage Slaw with Smoky Beef and Herbs, and the meaty breakfast scramble Machacado con Huevos, allowing you to embrace and enjoy jerky in a whole new way.
 
Whether you’re a veteran DIY meat curer, or embarking on a jerky affair for the first time, this gorgeously photographed book is your essential guide.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking

128 pages, Hardcover

Published March 20, 2018

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to take a look at this book. My son-in-law loves jerky and I thought it might just make a wonderful potential gift for him along with a smoker. I assumed all jerkys were smoked. I was wrong! They are dehydrated! Who knew?!? Anyway, there are a wide array of recipes and lots of detailed instruction for creating jerky! If there is a jerky lover in your life, treat them to this book and see if they don;t create their own favorite jerky in time! Great book!Loved the photos, too!
I received a Kindle Arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Naj · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes look delicious and are quite varied, but for a book with the phrase "guide to preserving" in the title, the information felt lacking from a food preservation and storage perspective. The closest the book came to discussing long-term storage was the sentence, "If you plan on keeping your jerky for longer than a week or two, we also encourage the use of food-safe desiccant packets." No estimates were given about just how long might be reasonable to plan to store jerky, nor did I see information about which jerkies might store better than others.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good recipes for various types of jerky or dried meats. It also discuss several processes that could be used and tips for best practices before the recipes section begins. The recipes end with a few full meal recipes that incorperate some of the dried meat or jerky made previously in the book. It was laid out well, the recipes are sound and easy to follow. Lots of great color pictures that follow the recipes.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book for ideas for Jerky. Some ideas could have been expounded on but on the whole well worth the read.

[Beth Tabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a Kindle Arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

I was pleasantly surprised that this recipe book does not call for a lot of fancy equipment. Fancy equipment is fine, but for the average person, they are not going to have a smoker in their kitchen. The recipes became a lot more accessible for the home cook because of this. The recipes themselves were great, and the photography work was pretty. It made you want to try the recipes and get going making your own jerky. All in all, I liked this book and will give some of the recipes a try. Store bought jerky is not happening anymore.