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This recipe creates a fresh and light crab salad that makes a great summer starter or, alternatively, a light lunch when served with some salad leaves. We used claw meat, but you can use a mix of white and brown crab meat if you prefer. The fresher the better.
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the crab:
7 oz fresh crabmeat
1 tsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
For the salad:
2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
Sea salt, to taste
1/2 avocado, sliced
For the basil dressing:
1 small bunch fresh basil
4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
To garnish:
1 handful arugula
Preparation
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The act of making jerky, or dehydrating meat, has been a method of preservation since humans first found a need to preserve food. Drying meat provided a way of making it lightweight and transportable; plus, it keeps for months when properly prepared, and can be mixed with other food items when making a meal. Native people often pounded the dried meat and mixed it with dried fruit and animal fat to make a high-energy emergency food.
While the principle behind drying meat hasn’t changed, the means of doing so have. Early people often put strips of meat on wooden racks that were then hung over a fire. In some cases, like in the desert of the Southwest, the dry air and the sun combined to dry the meat without fire. Today, we use commercially available dehydrators or, as I do, the oven. Like anything else involving food, there are some hidden dangers to making jerky—mainly in the form of pathogens such as E. coli or Salmonella. The good news though, is there are ways to reduce these risks.
Clean, Clean, Clean
To reduce the possibility of pathogens, the first and most important step is to clean everything. Wash your hands thoroughly and often, before and during the handling of meat. Make sure your knives, cutting board and anything else that may come into contact with the meat is also thoroughly cleaned. The low heat used to make jerky is not sufficient to kill bacteria. By keeping everything as clean as possible, you reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria from your hands to the meat and vice versa.
The Meat
When it comes to making jerky, any meat will work. For this particular batch, I’m using beef, but I’ve also made jerky using turkey, duck, goose and deer. The leaner the meat, the better the jerky. And though I’ve never done it myself, I know people who have had success making fish jerky.
Meat Preparation
The key to making jerky is the preparation of the meat. First and foremost, trim away as much fat, ligaments and gristle as you can. If you’re using wild game, this shouldn’t be too much of a bother. Beef, on the other hand, depending on the cut of meat, may require a little more attention. This step is very important, especially when it comes to fat, because it can lead to improper drying. Fat doesn’t dry, so it can open the door to bacteria.
Don’t throw away the fat, though! Make sure you put any trimmed fat into a resealable plastic bag and throw it in the freezer. That saved fat has many other uses; it can be rendered and used to make soap, or it can be added to other meat when making sausage.
Once the fat is trimmed away, lay the meat on the cutting board and see how the grain runs. When you cut your strips, you’ll want to cut across the grain. Using a sharp knife, begin slicing the meat into strips between one-eighth and one-quarter-inch thick. The thinner the strips, the more quickly they will dry. To facilitate the cutting process, put the meat in the freezer for a couple hours. This will stiffen the meat and make it easier to cut.
Some people like to marinate the meat prior to drying it, while others do not—it’s all up to you. There are commercially available marinades on the market, but be sure to read the label to find out what’s in them (usually a ton of both salt and sugar). I usually make my own marinades. If you choose to use a marinade, let the meat strips soak for anywhere from an hour to 24 hours in the refrigerator prior to drying.
The Drying Process
Since I don’t own a dehydrator, I use my oven to make my jerky. One of the benefits of using the oven is it can dry more meat at a time. The downside is that it’s not as energy efficient. Don’t lay the meat directly on the racks in your oven, which would create a mess. Instead, line a few flat cookie sheets with parchment paper, and place smaller racks on them. Laying the strips of meat on these racks allows any excess marinade and meat juices to drop onto the cookie sheet, making cleanup much easier.
The ideal drying temperature for jerky is 140-150°F, but my oven (like a lot of your ovens, I’m sure) only goes down to 170°F. Since you’re drying meat,not cooking it, you need these low temperatures and air circulation. A closed oven door doesn’t circulate air, so leave the oven door open a small amount. If your oven door won’t remain open on its own, you can prop it open using a wooden spoon. Depending on the thickness of the meat, it should take between four and six hours to dry. After four hours, test the jerky for doneness. If it bends too easily or is too juicy, it needs more time. If it tears but doesn’t break, then it’s ready for the next step.
Making It Safe
Numerous studies have found that the drying temperatures used to make jerky are not hot enough to kill many of the pathogens that may be present. Jerky can only be considered safe to eat when it has been heated enough to kill any pathogens, and when it’s dry enough to be stored at room temperature without any bacterial growth.
Once the jerky is dry enough, crank the oven up to 275°F. While the oven is heating, move the jerky from the racks (using clean tongs!) to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, not allowing any of the pieces to touch each other. Place the jerky-filled cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes. This will be enough to kill anything. After 10 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature.
Packing and Storage
Properly prepared jerky will last a long time if packaged correctly: about two weeks in a sealed container at room temperature, three to six months in the refrigerator, and up to a year in the freezer.
When it comes to packaging, there’s no perfect container, but here are some basic rules to keep in mind:
I’ve found over the years that resealable plastic bags work the best for me. For long-term storage, vacuum packing is the best. Of course, jerky doesn’t generally remain in my home long enough to warrant that.
Conclusion
Early people discovered that by drying meat, it could be saved and stored for fairly long periods of time. This also made it possible to transport food from one place to another, thus cutting back on the need to hunt constantly. In the modern world, it’s easy to just throw meat into the freezer and take it out as you need it, but what happens if the power goes out? By making your own jerky, you’ll be able to rest easy, knowing you always have a reliable meat supply on hand.
References
The post How to Make Your Own Jerky appeared first on Paleo Magazine.
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Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 TBSP coconut oil
12 baby onions, peeled but kept whole
1/2 medium red pepper, cut into large chunks
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into large chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Sea salt, to taste
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 (14 oz) can vegetable stock
1 large zucchini, cut into large chunks
1/2 small head savoy cabbage, cored and sliced lengthways
2 TBSP coconut cream
2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
1 lime, cut into wedges, for garnish
The Method
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Serves 1
Ingredients
1 TBSP butter, ghee, or olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup fresh arugula or spinach leaves
1 egg, poached or fried
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
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The nutritionists and professors responsible for designing dietary guidelines for the public are not fond of saturated fat. They have long argued that it is healthier to limit consumption of cheese, butter, ghee, bacon, sausages, and other foods high in saturated fatty-acids. A large body of scientific evidence concurs.
One problem with such a general recommendation, however, is that coconuts have been included in the same category as the aforementioned foods. Coconuts are indeed rich in saturated fat; however, their fatty-acid profile differs markedly from those of high-fat dairy foods and processed, fatty meats. Whereas the latter foods are high in long-chain saturated fatty-acids, coconuts contain primarily lauric acid, a short-chain fatty acid. Moreover, unlike animal-source foods, coconuts are rich in fiber. This helps explain the different metabolic and physiological impacts of coconut consumption compared to those of high-fat animal-product consumption.
The Devil Is in the Details
In recent decades, a number of researchers have examined the effects of saturated-fat intake on blood-lipid profile and general health. The key takeaway from these studies and meta-analyses is, in general, an argument against high saturated-fat consumption. This is not favorable news to Atkins devotees and other low-carbers who rely on butter as a primary source of energy; however, it is arguably the truth. It’s also the reason why public-health authorities are hesitant to change their stance on saturated fat.
That said, saturated fat is a natural part of a healthy diet. It’s impossible to completely avoid it, unless one exclusively eats low-fat plant foods. Moreover, not all saturated fatty acids are equally detrimental to our blood-lipid profile and general health.
Simply scanning over the abstracts or conclusions of the studies on saturated fat may obscure such a point. In order to catch this important detail, we must take a closer look at the science, as well as consider the roles that different fatty-acids play in nature and in the human diet.
Differential Effects on Cholesterol Levels
In 2003, a comprehensive meta-analysis found that the ratio of total-to-HDL cholesterol decreased when saturated fatty acids were replaced by cis unsaturated fatty acids.
This doesn’t automatically impugn saturated fatty-acids as “bad”; however, it should cause us to think twice before incorporating a lot of saturated fats into our diets, given that the ratio of total-to-HDL cholesterol is a well-established marker of cardiovascular-disease risk.
What’s particularly interesting about this meta-analysis is that it didn’t lump all saturated fatty acids together. The researchers took the time to investigate how different types of saturated fatty acids affect our cholesterol levels. They found that lauric acid greatly increases total cholesterol; however, much of its effect was shown to be on HDL cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol. Lauric acid was actually found to have the most favorable effect on total-to-HDL cholesterol ratios of all fatty acids, both saturated and unsaturated.
This meta-analysis had several limitations and some of its results conflicted with those of other studies; however, it’s still interesting and relevant, particularly considering that the coconut is the darling of the evolutionary-health community. Its results, in combination with other studies linking the consumption of coconut products with several positive health outcomes, clearly indicate that lauric acid has some uniquely beneficial properties.
The Unique Properties of Lauric Acid
Medium-chain fatty acids are digested and metabolized in a more direct manner than long-chain fatty acids. They don’t require the usual degradation or re-esterification processes, absorb rapidly into the body, and may be less obesogenic and inflammatory than long-chain saturated fatty acids. Moreover, these particular fatty acids may exert uniquely favorable effects upon helpful gut microbial populations .
Whereas long-chain saturated fatty acids appear to be neutral (and in some instances even encouraging) toward certain types of proinflammatory gut bacteria, short- and medium-chain fatty acids, including lauric acid, appear to inhibit the growth of several problematic gut bugs.Indeed, long-chain saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid, the dominant fatty acid found in cheese, butter, and fatty livestock meats, have been linked with dysbiosis, intestinal-barrier impairment, and metabolic endotoxemia; certain shorter-chain fatty acids have been found to protect against these conditions.
Well-known for possessing antimicrobial properties, lauric acid is helpful for inhibiting the growth of some problematic skin and gut microbes. Coconut products such as monolaurin, a substance formed from combining glycerol and lauric acid from coconut oil, have long been used to treat a variety of bodily infections, with varying degrees of success.
Coconut-heavy Diets in Traditional Cultures
Coconuts’ abundant lauric acid (about 50% of the total fat in coconut oil) and paucity of long-chain saturated fatty acids help explain why traditional, coconut-loving cultures such as the Kitavans enjoy such superb health. They don’t suffer from cardiovascular disease or other disorders that have been associated with an unfavorable lipid profile.
Notably, though, the Kitavans don’t eat spoonfuls of coconut oil every day; rather, they eat primarily unprocessed (or minimally processed) coconut products. Coconut oil has a very different nutritional composition from coconut meat: no fiber, yet concentrated fat and calories. This doesn’t mean that it can’t be a part of a healthy diet; however, we might think twice before starting to add it to everything we eat.
This is particularly true for people who have “weak stomachs.” Coconut oil is packed with fatty, antimicrobial substances (e.g., lauric acid); hence, it could induce some gastrointestinal upset if consumed in large quantities. It’s unlikely to induce acute diarrhea, but it could cause some looseness of the bowels by altering gut microbiota.
The degree to which coconut products agree with our biology may partly depend on our genetic heritage. People whose ancestors habitually consumed coconuts may perhaps find them more agreeable than people whose fairly recent ancestors lived in non-tropical climes. Coconuts were probably available in some parts of Africa where early humans lived; however, much climatic change (and resultant dietary adaptation) has occurred since Homo sapiens sapiens migrated out of Africa some 50,000-100,000 years ago.
Key Takeaways
The fatty-acid composition of coconuts differs markedly from that of high-fat dairy products and very fatty meats, the two primary sources of saturated fat in the typical western diet. Coconuts are uniquely high in lauric acid, a short-chain saturated fatty acid that confers much more favorable effects on our blood-lipid profiles than those of longer-chain saturated fatty acids like palmitic acid. This helps explain why coconut-reliant, traditional peoples such as the Kitavans are very healthy despite eating a diet fairly high in saturated fat.
References:
3Hooper L, Martin N, Abdelhamid A, Davey Smith G. “Reduction in Saturated Fat Intake for Cardiovascular Disease.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev 6 (10 Jun 2015): CD011737.
4 Lee JY, Sohn KH, Rhee SH, Hwang D. “Saturated Fatty Acids, But Not Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Induce the Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 Mediated Through Toll-Like Receptor 4.” J Biol Chem 276.20 (18 May 2001): 16683-9.
5 Lindeberg S, Ahren B, Nilsson A, Cordain L, Nilsson-Ehle P, Vessby B. “Determinants of Serum Triglycerides and High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Traditional Trobriand Islanders: The Kitava Study.” Scand J Clin Lab Invest 63.3 (2003): 175-80.
6 Lindeberg S, Berntorp E, Nilsson-Ehle P. Terent A, Vessby B. “Age Relations of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Traditional Melanesian Society: The Kitava Study.” Am J Clin Nutr 66.4 (Oct 1997): 845-52.
7 Lindeberg S, Nilsson-Ehle P, Terent A, Vessby B, Schersten B. “Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Melanesian Population Apparently Free from Stroke and Ischaemic Heart Disease: The Kitava Study.” J Intern Med 236.3 (Sep 1994): 331-40.
8 McCarty MF, DiNicolantonio JJ. “Lauric Acid-Rich Medium-Chain Triglycerides Can Substitute for Other Oils in Cooking Applications and May Have Limited Pathogenicity.” Open Heart 3.2 (27 July 2016): e000467.
9 Mensink RP, Zock PL, Kester AD, Katan MB. “Effects of Dietary Fatty Acids and Carbohydrates on the Ratio of Serum Total to HDL Cholesterol and on Serum Lipids and Apolipoproteins: A Meta-Analysis of 60 Controlled Trials.” Am J Clin Nutr 77.5 (May 2003): 1146-55.
10 Nakatsuji T, Kao MC, Fang JY, Zouboulis CC, Zhang L, Gallo RL, Huang CM. “Antimicrobial Property of Lauric Acid Against Propionibacterium Acnes: Its Therapeutic Potential for Inflammatory Acne Vulgaris.” J Invest Dermatol 129.10 (Oct 2009): 2480-88.
11 Shilling M, Matt L, Rubin E, Visitacion MP, Haller NA, Grey SF, Woolverton CJ. “Antimicrobial Effects of Virgin Coconut Oil and Its Medium-Chain Fatty Acids on Clostridium Difficile.” J Med Food 16.12 (Dec 2013): 1079-85.
12 Te Morenga L, Montez JM. “Health Effects of Saturated and Trans-Fatty Acid Intake in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”PLoS One 12.11 (Nov 2017): e0186672.
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