Jump to content

GottaDEAL 2019 Black Friday Prize Club Posting Thread

Brad

By Brad
in 2019

 Share

Recommended Posts

Kanyon71

Kanyon71

Posted
Posted

Happy August! It's been a little more than a year since I bought my Excalibur dehydrator and almost two years since the first time I first dried food. At this time, the hum of the dehydrator is simply part of the music of my life. Dried bananas and meat are a staple of my diet.

 

We started drying food after my youngest returned from the 2017 Boy Scouts National Jamboree. He asked me to get some of this awesome beef jerky he discovered at the event. I found out 1) jerky can be very expensive and 2) the stuff you buy is not very good for you. We had a Ronco dryer, so I sliced up some steak, soaked it in a marinade, and dried it out. It was good. We tried a lot of recipes. Then we started drying out other stuff. Did not really like most fruits, but we still dry banana slices, grapes, herbs, and peppers.

 

Eventually, we got a better dehydrator. We have had a lot of fun with the Ronco, but, after using it for most of a year, I decided to spend some money on a bigger model with some features that make dehydrating less labor intense...

  • Back mounted fan
  • Dishwasher safe racks
  • Timer
  • Capacity
  • Square trays
  • Replacement parts
The back mounted fan blows the air evenly across all trays so that there is no need to rotate the shelves every hour. This means I can actually sleep at night. The timer allows me to put a batch in on my way to work. Although spraying with Pam makes the trays pretty easy to clean, I think I may consider firing up the dishwasher to clean nine trays. The back fan also means the bottom is a smooth surface which will be easier to clean. Maybe most important with a nine tray dryer, the back fan means (per reviews) that the smell of one tray doesn't become the taste of another. Square trays are better for drying square stuff like jerky. Excalibur sells stainless replacement trays. I have cracked the cover and one of the trays in my current dehydrator, so replacement is good, and stainless is better.

 

Some stuff that may be of interest to you...

 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2785/0788/files/DehydrationGuide07617.pdf?3006800927370232280

https://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/type/excalibur_dehydrator_recipes

 

A deli slicer saves a lot of times and yields a better product by allowing more consistent food thickness...

 

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/chefs-choice-premium-meat-slicer/

 

Here are some favorite jerky recipes...

Ghost Pepper

  • 1 lb Round Eye cut 1/8th cross grain
  • 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/3 Cup Worcestershire
  • 1 tbs Onion Powder’
  • 1 tbs Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tbs Honey
  • 2 Whole Ghost Peppers

  • Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
  • While the meat is in the freezer, combine all other ingredients in a medium bowl or ziplock bag.
  • Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky.
  • Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
  • After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade.
  • Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees.
  • The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Sweet Heat Sriracha Jerky

  • 1 lb Top Round Roast or 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp salt Instructions
  • Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze
  • While the meat is in the freezer, combine the rice vinegar, sriracha sauce, brown sugar, granulated ginger, granulated garlic, and salt in a medium bowl or ziplock bag
  • Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky
  • Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator
  • After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade
  • Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees
  • The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half

 

Doc's Best Beef Jerky

  • 2 pounds beef round steak, cut into thin strips
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Mix soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, brown sugar, salt, pepper, meat tenderizer, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
  • Add the meat and mix until evenly coated
  • Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for overnight
  • Dry for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees
  • The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in halfThe jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half

 

South Texas Jalapeno Jerky

  • 1 lb top round roast or 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 diced jalapeno
  • 1 tbsp liquid smoke mesquite
  • Pick a lean cut of beef and trim off all visible fat. Place the beef in the freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze
  • While the meat is hardening, mix worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic salt, black pepper, salt, water, liquid smoke, and diced jalapeno in a large bowl or container
  • After meat has hardened, but is not fully frozen, slice to 1/4" to 1/8" thick against the grain
  • Soak beef strips in the marinade for 6-24 hours
  • Sprinkle on ground jalapeno pepper

  • Dry for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees

  • The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half
  • Jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half
  • Allow to cool for several hours before storing in air tight containers
I make a lot of Ghost Pepper jerky. I buy the peppers already dried off ebay and grind (Magic Bullet) to a powder. I have estimated that an average Ghost Pepper yields 1/2 tsp of powder. Carolina Reaper peppers grind to 3/4 tsp per pepper, but are much hotter than Ghost Peppers, so you should substitute 3/8 tsp of ground Carolina Reaper pepper for a similar flavor and heat. A Jalapeno pepper yields 5/8 tsp of powder. All these conversions were determined by grinding hundreds of peppers, measuring the powder, and dividing powder yield by pepper count...
  • 270.9 tsp of powder divided by 547 ghost peppers equals 0.495 tsp per ghost pepper which I simplify to 1/2 tsp per pepper
  • 37 tsp of powder divided by 100 carolina reaper peppers equals 0.370 tsp per carolina reaper pepper which I simplify to 3/8 tsp per pepper
  • 48 tsp of powder divided by 70 jalapeno peppers equals 0.686 tsp per jalapeno pepper which I simplify to 3/4 tsp per pepper
You can substitute Tofu for meat in any of the jerky recipes. You'll want to use firm tofu. Some people wrap the tofu in a clean towel and apply a weight to press out the excess moisture. I just cut it thick and dehydrate at a low temperature until enough moisture is removed. Then I marinade over night and paint on excess marinade as the tofu is drying. I did this for my vegan niece, but tofu is more expensive (per yield) and not as tasty as top round roast.

 

Anyone else drying food?

ive not dried food but we’ve done jerky in the smoker. Quite good. I’ve been thinking about getting a dehydrator though to dry it.

Crazy it’s already August.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
len_mullen

len_mullen

Posted
Posted

ive not dried food but we’ve done jerky in the smoker. Quite good. I’ve been thinking about getting a dehydrator though to dry it.

Crazy it’s already August.

 

I'd like to get a smoker as well and would appreciate any recommendations/learnings you could share.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kanyon71

Kanyon71

Posted
Posted

I'd like to get a smoker as well and would appreciate any recommendations/learnings you could share.

What type of budget are you looking to stay in. Also are you partial to using charcoal, wood, propane, electric?

 

I switched to a pellet smoker about 6 years ago and have never looked back. Once I know what you're wanting to spend I can give you some feedback on any of the types of smokers you might prefer. I'm looking at in the next year or two building a nice pellet smoker that's much larger than my current one. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
len_mullen

len_mullen

Posted
Posted

What type of budget are you looking to stay in. Also are you partial to using charcoal, wood, propane, electric?

 

I switched to a pellet smoker about 6 years ago and have never looked back. Once I know what you're wanting to spend I can give you some feedback on any of the types of smokers you might prefer. I'm looking at in the next year or two building a nice pellet smoker that's much larger than my current one. :)

 

I have no budget constraints, but look for value.  I want to use the fuel that produces the best tasting jerky.  I'd like to learn more about why you love the pellet smoker, what you smoke in it, and why you want a bigger one.  Thanks!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kanyon71

Kanyon71

Posted
Posted

I have no budget constraints, but look for value.  I want to use the fuel that produces the best tasting jerky.  I'd like to learn more about why you love the pellet smoker, what you smoke in it, and why you want a bigger one.  Thanks!

I've used pretty much all types of smokers and all of them have their ups and downs. I've come to love the pellet smoker because with a good brand of pellets I get the same flavor as a stick burner (split wood) and I no longer have to worry about adjusting the vents and adding more wood throughout what can at times be a 12 to 16 hour cook. You will see people that say of you just can't get good smoke from a pellet but I can guarantee you it's not true, it's all in the quality of the pellets you use.

 

I've settled into Lumberjack Pellet's they are very high quality and pure wood no cheap filler woods. Now as for what I cook on my pellet grill I can tell you pretty much everything, with how I can adjust and hold temperatures I've done everything from jerky to entire meals. I do a lot of brisket, pulled pork, fatties (they are kind of a stuffed bacon wrapped tube look em up), reverse seared steaks, smoked hamburgers (some of the best tasting juiciest burgers), chicken, smoked turkey, smoked ham, corn, baked beans, mac n cheese, cornbread and the list goes on and on.

 

As for wanting a bigger one it's two sided first we love to have gatherings and also like cooking for them when we go to others. So at times I need to feed a lot of people, my current one is a Traeger Texas Elite which used to be one of their biggest, I've had many time where I had to do things in batches. The second side of wanting a larger one is I also want to build a Raspberry Pi PID controller with remote monitoring and adjusting this way I can do larger cooks but I can also watch over temps and make adjustments as needed without being right there, again this becomes a bigger thing when I'm doing 12+ hour smokes.

 

Do you have a Rural King near you? If so check them out for their smokers they are having some great sales right now since were getting closed to the end of the grilling season (I smoke year round), they also carry Lumberjack Pellets I prefer the Competition Blend which is a blend of Maple, Hickory, and Cherry which gives you the smoke ring and a nice mixture of sweet tones. I'm the same way when it comes to value on what I'm buying I also research the heck out of them. Traeger invented Pellet Smokers, they used to be the best, when they moved their manufacturing plants they quality went down. Around the time I was looking for one they fixed the issues and at least their bigger pit's were back to the quality they used to be. Spitts & Pitts is a very good brand, so is Fast Eddy's, Red Tec is good and a little more on the affordable side of the pellet smokers.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BFgrl79

BFgrl79

Posted
Posted
Happy August everyone! The county fair is winding down here; I won’t miss the sounds of the derby (carried through the air and somehow through my air conditioner) after tomorrow night. Once the fair is over, it’s full steam ahead to fall! Cool temps! Pumpkin Spice Lattes! And Black Friday!!
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
magickallight

magickallight

Posted
Posted

For those of us who are addicted to the Hallmark Christmas movies, there's an ornament for that!  I picked mine up from my store the other day and it's quite adorable!  

 

attachicon.gifUntitled.png

 

 

https://www.hallmark.com/ornaments/keepsake-ornaments/i-love-hallmark-channel-snowman-in-mug-ornament-1299QGO2469.html

 

LOVE it! I MUST have one! I got a mug for myself and my mom and one daughter that is similar to the ornament, as well as a shirt for myself that says about the same thing on Amazon, LOVE them!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
len_mullen

len_mullen

Posted
Posted

I've used pretty much all types of smokers and all of them have their ups and downs. I've come to love the pellet smoker because with a good brand of pellets I get the same flavor as a stick burner (split wood) and I no longer have to worry about adjusting the vents and adding more wood throughout what can at times be a 12 to 16 hour cook. You will see people that say of you just can't get good smoke from a pellet but I can guarantee you it's not true, it's all in the quality of the pellets you use.

 

I've settled into Lumberjack Pellet's they are very high quality and pure wood no cheap filler woods. Now as for what I cook on my pellet grill I can tell you pretty much everything, with how I can adjust and hold temperatures I've done everything from jerky to entire meals. I do a lot of brisket, pulled pork, fatties (they are kind of a stuffed bacon wrapped tube look em up), reverse seared steaks, smoked hamburgers (some of the best tasting juiciest burgers), chicken, smoked turkey, smoked ham, corn, baked beans, mac n cheese, cornbread and the list goes on and on.

 

As for wanting a bigger one it's two sided first we love to have gatherings and also like cooking for them when we go to others. So at times I need to feed a lot of people, my current one is a Traeger Texas Elite which used to be one of their biggest, I've had many time where I had to do things in batches. The second side of wanting a larger one is I also want to build a Raspberry Pi PID controller with remote monitoring and adjusting this way I can do larger cooks but I can also watch over temps and make adjustments as needed without being right there, again this becomes a bigger thing when I'm doing 12+ hour smokes.

 

Do you have a Rural King near you? If so check them out for their smokers they are having some great sales right now since were getting closed to the end of the grilling season (I smoke year round), they also carry Lumberjack Pellets I prefer the Competition Blend which is a blend of Maple, Hickory, and Cherry which gives you the smoke ring and a nice mixture of sweet tones. I'm the same way when it comes to value on what I'm buying I also research the heck out of them. Traeger invented Pellet Smokers, they used to be the best, when they moved their manufacturing plants they quality went down. Around the time I was looking for one they fixed the issues and at least their bigger pit's were back to the quality they used to be. Spitts & Pitts is a very good brand, so is Fast Eddy's, Red Tec is good and a little more on the affordable side of the pellet smokers.

 

Wow!  Thank you!  

 

I have a lot of work to do, but you moved me from thinking about smokers to looking at pellet smokers.  I agree the season for deals is imminent.  No nearby RKs in New Hampshire, but a lot of places sell a lot of smokers.  What do you think of this list of 'inexpensive' pellet smokers?

 

https://furiousgrill.com/best-pellet-smokers-reviews/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
laddhorn

laddhorn

Posted
Posted

Happy August! 

 

We have decided to look into the parental controls for internet.  I don't know yet if I want to go ahead and just replace my current router, or do a plug in device.  I would rather avoid the total software route and I would like to avoid reoccurring charges. 

 

Anyone use any of these?  I've considered Circle, but don't know if the charges are for everything or just outside of the home.  I don't know what I will "lose" going the free route.

Another option is Router Limits and Gryphon. 

 

I don't know if I want to go ahead and replace my router just yet, but I may if the price of the device is close enough to a new router purchase, then an upgrade may be in my future.  I would like to go with a mesh system, which leads me to the Orbi, which contains Circle.

 

I've seen the First Gen Circle device discounted to $40, but I don't know what I would lose getting something around 3 years old.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kanyon71

Kanyon71

Posted
Posted

Wow! Thank you!

 

I have a lot of work to do, but you moved me from thinking about smokers to looking at pellet smokers. I agree the season for deals is imminent. No nearby RKs in New Hampshire, but a lot of places sell a lot of smokers. What do you think of this list of 'inexpensive' pellet smokers?

 

https://furiousgrill.com/best-pellet-smokers-reviews/

So of those the Camp Chef and the Pit Boss get pretty decent reviews and can normally be had very reasonable. I don’t know how prices on you locals are but check out Rural King I think they may ship and they have some killer closeout pricing during the right times of the year. Now the Traeger one is their lower end model and what I can say about that is if you get a good one you’ll love it if you get one where the POD controller is flakey you can get some WILD temp swings. Now for that review and the leaking smoke not a big deal get a noex gasket on Amazon for like $15!and problem solved. You can also replace the controller for that’s about another hundred or so. Look at all 3 online and let me know what you like and I’ll give you some more in-depth feedback on it.

Way out of my league, but have y'all heard of pressure smokers?

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jLGkKQEbMA0

I have and I’m not sure I believe the hype. I just don’t think you get the nuanced flavor profile you get with a long smoke. Still would be cool to mess with none the less. :)
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
len_mullen

len_mullen

Posted
Posted

August is when I start thinking about Black Friday -- usually towards the end of the month.  I start catching up in here, working on my haikus, making lists, and consuming reviews and 'best prices'.  This thread is completely social and not related to BF for me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
budgetsRsexy

budgetsRsexy

Posted
Posted
Just booked my vacation flights (11/2 through 11/19) so I’m definitely going to miss out on a lot of the BF action on here. I’m going to be depending on everyone’s great threads and comments to bring me back up to speed while on the plane and when I return state side.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gator Pam

Gator Pam

Posted
Posted

I spent the weekend checking off the last Artist on my concert bucket list. I finally got to see Shaun Cassidy live. [emoji7][emoji445] It was a 42 year wait but it was a blast.

Was it strictly music? Or were there any stories about The Hardy Boys, Twin Peaks, or other projects he's done?
Link to comment
Share on other sites
magickallight

magickallight

Posted
Posted

Congratulations!  I don't love that you need an android or IOS device to configure it (web interface?), but I am happy with the DVR.  To get the Pluto channels to show up in your EPG, simply install the Pluto app on your stick.  Have fun!

 

Just download Pluto - I think I will have FUN with it! Thank you so much! :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...