SC - Re: Sweet jerky recipe

[Philip & Susan Troy]

John Henschen wrote:
> 
> Now, I don't know much about making jerky... but... I thought all the salt
> in jerky was to kill the wee-beasties in the meats, which was what preserved
> the. Now... adding sugar, and it seems _only_ sugar to this recipe would
> encourage bad things to happen. Wouldn't it? Drying it would help, I
> suppose, but having been sick too many times from eating bad food, I don't
> think you could pay me to eat it. Sure, it sounds tasty, but is it safe?

Jerkies are invariably cured with at least some sugar all over the Far
East. You can buy commercial versions of jerkies of beef, pork, chicken,
turtle, and, believe it or not, squid. And, oddly enough, it's good,
too.

Sugar works the same way as salt does in high concentrations. It causes
plasmolysis in microorganisms: they undergo massive osmosis of their
bodily plasma, effectively exploding. Also, it produces a more tender
product than salt used alone.

I refer unbelievers to sugar-cured ham and bacon, which are made with
mixtures of sugar and salt in their cures.

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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