Jerky Brine?

[Jeff DeWyse]

I am newer to making jerky and have tried several recipes, but none of them have used a brine before. I found a new recipe I want to try and it has a brine and then season approach. The question I have is it calls for flake salt and it seems to be for a very large quantity of meat. Measurements are 1# of the cure, 4# flake salt and 5 gallons of water. It doesn't specify the meat weight and I don't have a way to mix meat with 5 gallons of anything, so can I cut the ingredients back proportionally to the amount of water I am using or is it based off a meat weight and I need that to properly brine the meat? My second question is can I use Kosher salt in place of the flake salt.

 

[SonnyE]

Donno Jeff.
Why not just find an easier recipe? ;)
Since you are brining, I presume you are making whole muscle jerky. (Slices of cow, or other meat)
I'm particular to traditional flavor jerky myself. So I don't usually mess with tooti-frooti stuff. I've tried some, but consider it a waste of meat for me.
That said, Always go for the leanest cuts because fat isn't good in jerky.
Here's links to my two standards, one for whole beef meat, and another for ground beef.
Ground Beef (as lean as can be found) is a dry mix recipe, next to no liquid added. I like to let mine sit in a well mixed ball in the Fridge for 1-4 hours to let all the spices marry the meat.

I've made Jerky most of my life. My first ton was simply Salt and Pepper like I would do to a piece of meat on my dinner plate, then dry it in an oven with just the pilot light for heat.
Now I'm using a dehydrator, Prague #1, and have become far more refined. But I still love basic jerky the best.
One of my deviations is heat. I like 1/2 tsp of Cyan Pepper, and 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika added to give it some heat in the throat after swallowing.
But the fun in making your own is making it with your favorite flavors and seasoned to your preferred taste.
Jerkyholic has the most recipes I've found that are strictly dedicated to Jerky. All kinds of Jerky.