Raw Meat!

This is my nephew Mason holding up a huge slab of raw meat - London Broil to be exact. Gary has been one of THE best jerky makers for many years throughout the land and recently he offered to make it for my brothers if they just bought their own meat. So Danny and Timmy both came by last week with about fifteen pounds a piece! Timmy lucked out and brought his by when Gary was gone, but Danny showed up just in time to learn the tricks of the trade and to share it with his boys.

The first thing you have to do, is put on matching plumbing shirts (they're used to getting lots of nasty spills on them already). Now we're going to season this raw meat, lay it on a rack to dehydrate it ... and then eat it?

Now I've been a jerky eater pert near my whole life (yes, I just said pert near as if to sound like the wise old woman from over the hill that eats a lot of jerky). I've actually paid good money for decent jerky. But now that I've seen it made, it leaves me wondering yet again. Not only have I been a jerky eater pert near my whole life, but I've also always ordered my meat well done. So, I'm wondering ... at what point does jerky even get done at all? We're eating meat that has just been dried? I know the dehydrator puts out a little heat, but I also know it doesn't sizzle. Why do I do this? Why do I watch how things are made and then inevitably have to mark one more thing off of my list of items I will eat? Who thought of this crazy thing called jerky and why is it called jerky? There are lots of things I don't know, but it seems that when I find them out, it leaves me wishing I hadn't asked in the first place.