Has anyone sun drying things like beef? I had always wanted to try a Thai
recipe that calls for sun-drying the beef for a day (Neua Daet Diao). Here
in the Central Valley, it can get pretty hot in the summer, often in the
90s, and it's real dry here. You'd think that would be as good a climate as
Thailand for such things, but I'd always imagined I'd end up with moist
strips of beef covered with flies...

I also live in an apartment complex, so I'm kinda worried about the boring
neighbors as well. They might complain that I've got frogs hanging from a
laundry line outside.

Has anyone tried it? Does it work well?

Peter

"Peter Dy" > wrote:
> Has anyone sun drying things like beef? [ . . . ]
>
> Has anyone tried it? Does it work well?
>
Peter, I've been doing this for over 40 years. It works great for making
jerky or other dried meats and veggies. I've only done beef and tomatoes.
There's a bit of DIY. Make 2 frames about 2' x 4' or whatever, out of 3/4"
square wood or whatever. Get enough plastic window screening to make 3
layers, one for the bottom, one for the top of the bottom and one for the
top of the top. Improvise some kind of hinges out of cloth or whatever and
some kind of hasp or use rubber bands on the corners to hold it closed. Put
it outside in the morning, take it in at night so it doesn't get dew on it.
Thin slices work best, one or two days'll do it. Google should give you
some marinade or rub ideas, although I haven't looked. I just shake the
strips of beef in a mixture of garlic powder, s & p in a paper bag. You
could probably use a Teriyaki sauce, too. Once you see how great this
tastes compared to the commercial stuff, you're hooked. ENJOY!

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley
"Giving violent criminals a government guarantee that their intended
victims are defenseless is bad public policy."
- John Ross, "Unintended Consequences"
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read it in English, THANK A VETERAN!

> wrote in message
...
> "Peter Dy" > wrote:
> > Has anyone sun drying things like beef? [ . . . ]
> >
> > Has anyone tried it? Does it work well?
> >
> Peter, I've been doing this for over 40 years. It works great for making
> jerky or other dried meats and veggies. I've only done beef and tomatoes.
> There's a bit of DIY. Make 2 frames about 2' x 4' or whatever, out of 3/4"
> square wood or whatever. Get enough plastic window screening to make 3
> layers, one for the bottom, one for the top of the bottom and one for the
> top of the top. Improvise some kind of hinges out of cloth or whatever and
> some kind of hasp or use rubber bands on the corners to hold it closed.
Put
> it outside in the morning, take it in at night so it doesn't get dew on
it.
> Thin slices work best, one or two days'll do it. Google should give you
> some marinade or rub ideas, although I haven't looked. I just shake the
> strips of beef in a mixture of garlic powder, s & p in a paper bag. You
> could probably use a Teriyaki sauce, too. Once you see how great this
> tastes compared to the commercial stuff, you're hooked. ENJOY!


Thanks, Nick. This frame you make, you set it down somewhere horizontally?
And I guess the plastic window screening is to prevent flies etc from
gathering. That's a great idea. I had always seen pics of fish and squid
hanging with no protection, which is certainly fine, but the plastic
screening sounds a bit more hygenic, if only for my neighbors sake.

Peter

"Peter Dy" > wrote.
>
> Thanks, Nick. This frame you make, you set it down somewhere
horizontally?
> And I guess the plastic window screening is to prevent flies etc from
> gathering. That's a great idea. I had always seen pics of fish and squid
> hanging with no protection, which is certainly fine, but the plastic
> screening sounds a bit more hygenic, if only for my neighbors sake.

A few years ago my mom had moved into an assisted living facility (barely
assisted; really more just apartments for the elderly), and loved the fact
that most of the residents were immigrants like her. One little old Chinese
lady (seemingly recent immigrant, or never acculturated) moved in just after
she did, and at least initially would dry strips of meat (pork?) just
threaded on a length of string which she'd tie up in an out of the way
corner of the external stairs. I'm trying to recall any details ... She'd
tie the string horizontally, like across a corner, and good air circulation
seemed to be more important than sun. I think she may have spent some time
attending it, kind of waving off flies, [maybe when first put out? or maybe
guarding against hungry neighbors:-] but I also don't recall noticing a fly
problem even when she wasn't there. This was a very small scale operation,
just one or two strings a couple of feet long. I don't know if it was a
change in weather or her mortified children, but I stopped seeing the
hanging meat after a while.

<snip>
> One little old Chinese
> lady (seemingly recent immigrant, or never acculturated) moved in just
after
> she did, and at least initially would dry strips of meat (pork?) just
> threaded on a length of string which she'd tie up in an out of the way
> corner of the external stairs.

I guess Chinese pork jerky

> I'm trying to recall any details ... She'd
> tie the string horizontally, like across a corner, and good air
circulation
> seemed to be more important than sun.

Dries faster with both sun + wind. Too much sun & it'll be very dry & tough,
my old neighbours ran a jerky business when i was a kid, they kept the
recipe a secret but i managed to learn a few things.

> I think she may have spent some time
> attending it, kind of waving off flies, [maybe when first put out? or
maybe
> guarding against hungry neighbors:-] but I also don't recall noticing a
fly
> problem even when she wasn't there. This was a very small scale
operation,
> just one or two strings a couple of feet long. I don't know if it was a
> change in weather or her mortified children, but I stopped seeing the
> hanging meat after a while.

Probably had a secret shipment of pork jerky sent from her old country. LOL.

DC.

"Peter Dy" > wrote:
> [ . . . ]
> Thanks, Nick. This frame you make, you set it down somewhere
> horizontally? And I guess the plastic window screening is to prevent
> flies etc from gathering.[]

Hi Pedrito,

Yes. Horizontal, elevated enough so air can move under it, too.

You noted the spaced double layer of screen on the bottom? Flies can walk
on the bottom of the bottom one, but they're still an inch away from the
meat resting on top of the middle one. Drives them crazy! Same with the
screen on the top frame. The flies walk on it but are still an inch away
from the meat. Heh heh heh! I've never seen any fly poop on the top,
either, but I don't really know what it looks like. ;~/

Wash the screens after use to get rid of any food residue. Don't soak them
or the frames may warp.

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley
"Giving violent criminals a government guarantee that their intended
victims are defenseless is bad public policy."
- John Ross, "Unintended Consequences"
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read it in English, THANK A VETERAN!

<snip>
> Peter, I've been doing this for over 40 years. It works great for making
> jerky or other dried meats and veggies. I've only done beef and tomatoes.
> There's a bit of DIY. Make 2 frames about 2' x 4' or whatever, out of 3/4"
> square wood or whatever. Get enough plastic window screening to make 3
> layers, one for the bottom, one for the top of the bottom and one for the
> top of the top. Improvise some kind of hinges out of cloth or whatever and
> some kind of hasp or use rubber bands on the corners to hold it closed.
Put
> it outside in the morning, take it in at night so it doesn't get dew on
it.
> Thin slices work best, one or two days'll do it. Google should give you
> some marinade or rub ideas, although I haven't looked. I just shake the
> strips of beef in a mixture of garlic powder, s & p in a paper bag. You
> could probably use a Teriyaki sauce, too. Once you see how great this
> tastes compared to the commercial stuff, you're hooked. ENJOY!

Ingenious contraption Nick, in Asia we just sssslap... the lot down on a
concrete floored courtyard & get a kid to keep running around fanning the
flies off. That was in the good old days, these days it's all high tech &
very clean. The meat is marinated & placed into what looks like a
'pressurised' dryer machine & dried. It is then either hand sliced or
machine sliced before it is cooked over hot coals. That's Chinese jerky, the
ones that are very popular during Chinese new year etc.

BTW.. when i read your beef drying technique + comment on flies, it kind of
reminded me of what we use to do with a particular fish bait. There's this
Asian fresh water fish called snakehead, it's like a Asian version of a pike
& it's a real predator & tough as nails. As a kid we've tried 101 ways to
try & catch one of these snakeheads until we finally cracked it, we'd thread
a slice of beef on a fish hook & leave it out to dry rock hard & stank. We'd
then use it for fishing snakeheads, it works like magic, in fact any bottom
feeders like eels or any carnivorous fish will go for it. The dried beef
clings on to the hook & any small nibblers won't dislodge it from your hook
& the smell, of boy the smell will bring them in. LOL. don't really know why
i'm telling you this but if you're into fishing, you've just picked up a
very good tip.

DC.

"DC." > wrote:
> [ . . . ]
> Ingenious contraption Nick,[ . . . ]these days it's all high tech &
> very clean.

And hardly what could be called 'hi-tech'!


> []as a kid we've tried 101 ways to try & catch one of these snakeheads
> until we finally cracked it, we'd thread a slice of beef on a fish hook &
> leave it out to dry rock hard & stank. We'd then use it for fishing
> snakeheads,[]

We used ta do the same fishing for crabs and eels in Tarrytown, NY. Spooky
the way those cut up eels would slither aroung in the fry pan while they
were cookin'!

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley
"Giving violent criminals a government guarantee that their intended
victims are defenseless is bad public policy."
- John Ross, "Unintended Consequences"
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read it in English, THANK A VETERAN!

> wrote in message
...
> "DC." > wrote:

[...]
> We used ta do the same fishing for crabs and eels in Tarrytown, NY. Spooky
> the way those cut up eels would slither aroung in the fry pan while they
> were cookin'!


I didn't know Americans ate eel. Are you from an immigrant family?

I watched a French movie recently were they ate lamprey. First time I had
heard of people eating that. Lake Eire used to have tons of lampreys, but I
never ate it growing up; I doubt anyone in Cleveland did.

Peter

"Peter Dy" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
> > "DC." > wrote:
>
> [...]
> > We used ta do the same fishing for crabs and eels in Tarrytown, NY.
> > Spooky the way those cut up eels would slither aroung in the fry pan
> > while they were cookin'!
>
> I didn't know Americans ate eel. Are you from an immigrant family?
>
Paternal side: grandfather - Sicilian, grandmother - Hungarian, both
1890's.

Maternal side: grandfather - mixed back to Chretian Dejo, 1594,
grandmother - Swedish 1890's.

You can call me Heinz (57 varieties). ;~D

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley
"Giving violent criminals a government guarantee that their intended
victims are defenseless is bad public policy."
- John Ross, "Unintended Consequences"
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read it in English, THANK A VETERAN!

"Peter Dy" > wrote in message
. com...
>
> > wrote in message
> ...
> > "DC." > wrote:
>
> [...]
> > We used ta do the same fishing for crabs and eels in Tarrytown, NY.
Spooky
> > the way those cut up eels would slither aroung in the fry pan while they
> > were cookin'!
>
>
> I didn't know Americans ate eel. Are you from an immigrant family?
>
> I watched a French movie recently were they ate lamprey. First time I had
> heard of people eating that. Lake Eire used to have tons of lampreys, but
I
> never ate it growing up; I doubt anyone in Cleveland did.
>
> Peter

Peter
My parents were German and they didn't pass up any thing I brought home.
Stripers, trout, bass, sunnies, eel, catfish, flounders, carp etc.
"Course some things like sea robins, a fish we called bergol, cans, latex
eels didn't come home.
John

"Peter Dy" > wrote in message
. com...
> I didn't know Americans ate eel. Are you from an immigrant family?
>
> I watched a French movie recently were they ate lamprey. First time I had
> heard of people eating that. Lake Eire used to have tons of lampreys, but
I
> never ate it growing up; I doubt anyone in Cleveland did.

We used to fish Eel in the river back home when I was a kid in Sweden.

Usually smoked them. but occasionally had it fried or boiled too.
And indeed they are hard to kill, keeps slithering in the pot if you boil
them.
--

-----
Patrik 'Putte' Henriksson

> wrote in message
>
> We used ta do the same fishing for crabs and eels in Tarrytown, NY. Spooky


Hey Nick
I didn't know you were from Tarrytown. I was born in Brooklyn but grew up in
New Rochelle. We're about the same age I think and I've fished the Hudson
around Tarrytown too. We may have met.
John

"John Droge" > wrote:
> []
> Hey Nick
> I didn't know you were from Tarrytown. I was born in Brooklyn but grew up
> in New Rochelle. We're about the same age I think and I've fished the
> Hudson around Tarrytown too. We may have met.
>
Bronx. Family from Pleasantville, Thornwood, Hawthorn. Grandfather had a
36' 'Dodge Watercar' in Tarrytown. Used ta go down there in the mid to late
40's. I was around 12 or so. Skated at the Mt. Vernon Roller in the 50's.

OB Ate at a Chinese Restaurant *once* when I was a kid. Jerome Ave., I
think. We rarely ate out.

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley
"Giving violent criminals a government guarantee that their intended
victims are defenseless is bad public policy."
- John Ross, "Unintended Consequences"
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read it in English, THANK A VETERAN!

DC -

Snakehead fish have invaded the USA -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004May14.html

I know, there was a thread about it here quite a while ago. It's a tough
looking fish & because it's a bottom feeder, some of them aren't that great
to eat (tough meaty flesh & sometimes smelling a bit fishy). The only reason
for having them is for fresh water sports fishing i guess. As a kid, I
remember seeing a local pond/swamp being filled up by a bulldozer & as the
water level dried up, the snakeheads just crawled up & 'snaked' its way to
the next watering hole. If you ever need to get rid of them, buy a box of
fishhooks, thread a piece of beef into each hook, dry in sun until rock hard
& stinky, tie each hook to a 2m length of fish line & tie the other end to a
stake. Head down to your snakehead infested pond & look for shady corners in
the pond & simply put the stake into the ground, throw in your hook & leave.
I suggest do it first thing in the morning & come back in the evening,
chances are you'll get most of them & even an eel or 2 (that's if you have
fresh water eels in the States). Pick them up & head down to your Thai or
Chinese restaurant, they'll buy it off you because they know how to cook
them. That includes the eel. LOL.

DC.



"werewolf" > wrote in message
om...
> DC -
>
> Snakehead fish have invaded the USA -
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004May14.html

DC. wrote:

> If you ever need to get rid of them, buy a box of
> fishhooks, thread a piece of beef into each hook, dry in sun until rock hard
> & stinky, tie each hook to a 2m length of fish line & tie the other end to a
> stake. Head down to your snakehead infested pond & look for shady corners in
> the pond & simply put the stake into the ground, throw in your hook & leave.
> I suggest do it first thing in the morning & come back in the evening,
> chances are you'll get most of them & even an eel or 2 (that's if you have
> fresh water eels in the States). Pick them up & head down to your Thai or
> Chinese restaurant, they'll buy it off you because they know how to cook
> them. That includes the eel. LOL.

What other fish can you catch with the dried beef hook method?

--
Dan

Salut/Hi Peter Dy,

le/on Sat, 15 May 2004 05:18:38 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

>Has anyone sun drying things like beef? I had always wanted to try a Thai
>recipe that calls for sun-drying the beef for a day (Neua Daet Diao).

I did that, Peter, but only by drying in an ultra cool (40C) oven over
night.

>in the Central Valley, it can get pretty hot in the summer, often in the
>90s, and it's real dry here.

Perfect.

>I also live in an apartment complex, so I'm kinda worried about the boring
>neighbors as well. They might complain that I've got frogs hanging from a
>laundry line outside.

Laundry line? You mean you're allowed a laundry line? Many of my friends in
the US tell me the neighbours complain over one of those. "I don't want to
look at your underwear", being the typical comment.

I'd say, "go for it", then come back and let us know how you get on. And
don't worry TOO much about germs, the salting is designed to prevent them
being able to live.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

"Ian Hoare" > wrote in message
...
> Salut/Hi Peter Dy,
>
> le/on Sat, 15 May 2004 05:18:38 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
[...]
> >in the Central Valley, it can get pretty hot in the summer, often in the
> >90s, and it's real dry here.
>
> Perfect.


Cool. Actually, I should have said it usually hits the 90s and sometimes
reaches the 100s in the summer. If sun-drying won't work here, I don't know
where it would.


> >I also live in an apartment complex, so I'm kinda worried about the
boring
> >neighbors as well. They might complain that I've got frogs hanging from
a
> >laundry line outside.
>
> Laundry line? You mean you're allowed a laundry line? Many of my friends
in
> the US tell me the neighbours complain over one of those. "I don't want to
> look at your underwear", being the typical comment.


Hehe. Yeah, I imagine that's true in some places. But my mother has always
hung out the clothes to dry. And my apartment complex has poles where one
can attach clothes lines, so there's no universal disapproval of it here in
the States. Or maybe I just haven't lived in more Puritan or bible-based
parts of this country.


> I'd say, "go for it", then come back and let us know how you get on. And
> don't worry TOO much about germs, the salting is designed to prevent them
> being able to live.


You're right about the germs. I had just never read much about people
sun-drying here, so I was wondering why not.

And now I remember that I'm boycotting American beef, so sun-drying that
will be on hold for now. Maybe frogs... My brother just got back from
Paris where he was invited to a BBQ featuring wonderful French beef
(Charolais?). Me, when I head down to Mexico is when I'll finally able to
eat great-tasting beef once again...

Peter

"Peter Dy" > wrote ...
> "Ian Hoare" > wrote ...
> > Laundry line? You mean you're allowed a laundry line? Many of my friends
> in
> > the US tell me the neighbours complain over one of those. "I don't want
to
> > look at your underwear", being the typical comment.
>
> Hehe. Yeah, I imagine that's true in some places. But my mother has
always
> hung out the clothes to dry. And my apartment complex has poles where one
> can attach clothes lines, so there's no universal disapproval of it here
in
> the States. Or maybe I just haven't lived in more Puritan or bible-based
> parts of this country.

I've got one of those poles right about the fence line separating my back
yard from the neighbors'. Of course I live in a neighborhood of triple
deckers (3-family house, one apartment per floor), and have no idea how I'd
get a line on those tempting pulleys.
I think the objections/prohibitions are more a class thing ... that's what
poor folk, especially immigrants, do, and we don't want this
neighborhood/complex/etc to look like we can't afford driers. There was an
amusing week or two in the Doonesbury comic strip a few months ago about one
character (Zonker?) trying to sun dry clothes.