how you know you're me, part the whateverth:

[camwyn]

At a company-sponsored lunch for about eight or nine people from the office, the subject of jerky comes up, and as you are discussing the specific spice mix used in the last batch of jerky you made and brought to the office, the company president asks you, "So... could you make your jerky after the apocalypse, or is it dependent on your equipment to do it?"

And after a bit of thought you answer that since what you need is a low-temperature fire and air circulation, as long as you had your ingredients, sure, you could do it.

Comments

[ymfaery]

..so it kind of sounds like you could do this with a tepee that has enough holes for good air circulation? I wonder if that's how the various Native American tribes did it.

[camwyn]

It's probably pretty close. South Africa's version of jerky, biltong, is basically made by soaking meat in the appropriate solution and then hanging it up to dry in a box with air blowing through it. The box is mostly there to keep bugs away. Not so different, really.

[tibicina]

Why would anyone think you couldn't do jerky without modern equipment? (The modern equipment makes it easier, certainly, but it's not like this isn't /literally/ an ancient technique.)

[camwyn]

I think he meant did I, personally, know how to do it sans dehydrator. Given that I've made pork belly into bacon with a good brining and a Saturday over a very smoky set of coals I feel safe in thinking I can produce jerky that way.