I don’t know why I hadn’t tried this combination of flavors for my jerky before now, but this is the bomb. I love capers. I love capers on the trail. When I need a salty, tangy taste they are perfect. So I thought, why not in my jerky?
#groundturkey #capers #lemonjuice #driedonion #poultryseasoning #seasalt #blackpepper #garlicpowder
Jerky from ground turkey is one of those super easy snacks, but you do need time to make it. Simply blend all the ingredients by pulsing in your food processor (or by hand if you want to work on that upper body strength) until everything is well incorporated. Just be sure to wash you hands well and often during preparation.
Next, spread it out on jelly roll trays in your dehydrator to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Of course, everyone’s dehydrator will have its own set of directions so check those first. And if you have a jerky gun (kind of like that tool that came with Playdoh when you were a kid and squirted it out in all those different shapes), you can use that.
Use the meat setting, at least 145 degrees.* When it dries enough to be able to pick the meat up (about 10 hours), flip it over and get the other side drying. In another 5-6 hours, cut it into slices and continue to dry. You want to see it totally dry inside (no white parts).
Enjoy this on your next hike, trail work party or road trip. I know I have been!
For more information on dehydrating safely, check out my Dehydrating 101 page and for more day hiking food ideas, visit my Day Hiking Paleo page.
*Most dehydrators dry meat at 145-155 degrees. However, current food safety recommendations call for meat to reach an internal temperature of 160 and ground meat to 165 degrees for 10 minutes in order to kill foodborne pathogens that may remain in the meat. After drying the meat (particularly ground meat), preheat your oven to 275 degrees, place on a baking sheet and flash heat for 10 minutes to bring the internal temperature of the meat to 165 degrees. You will find different information on the internet, the USDA says to do this step first and the National Center For Home Food Preservation says after is fine. This one does say to not use ground poultry for jerky so there is that. Backcountry Paleo wrote up a whole post on safety steps for jerky here. Recommendations continue to change over time and personally I do not worry about this step as I purchase quality meats and still do things like eat raw eggs in mayonnaise or cookie dough or enjoy a nice steak medium rare. I include this information here so you can make the decision that is best for you. Kind of like that warning at the bottom of restaurant menus: “Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness”.
Lemon Capered Turkey Jerky
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Autoimmune Protocol, Gluten Free, Nightshade Free, Nut free, Paleo, Soy free
Servings: 12 pieces
Ingredients
- 20 ounces ground turkey
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper omit for AIP
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together well in the food processor.
- Spread out evenly on a jelly roll tray in your dehydrator. If you have a jerky gun, use to make sticks onto the tray. Drying time will depend on thickness, you want about 1/4 inch.
- Using the meat setting (145-155 degrees) dry 10 hours or until you can lift up the jerky and flip over. Let dry another 5-6 hours or until the jerky is dry through.
- After drying the meat, preheat your oven to 275 degrees, place on a baking sheet and flash heat for ten minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Will keep longer if kept in the fridge or freezer until consumed.
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