Homemade Apple Sage Pork Jerky: A Sweet & Savory Snack Recipe
There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of crafting your own delicious snacks at home, and this apple sage pork jerky recipe is a true testament to that. Inspired by a wonderfully flavorful breakfast sausage I enjoyed a few weeks ago, this jerky captures a unique blend of sweet and savory notes. The secret lies in the infusion of fresh apple juice and grated apple, perfectly balanced with aromatic sage, creating an irresistible pork jerky that stands out from the crowd. It’s a delightful combination that transforms ordinary pork into an extraordinary treat. Ready to embark on this culinary adventure?
Doesn’t that look incredibly appealing? The vibrant colors and promise of flavor are just the beginning. Let’s dive into the steps to create this exceptionally tasty homemade jerky, ensuring every strip is packed with rich apple and sage goodness.
Choosing and Slicing Your Pork for Perfect Jerky
The foundation of any great jerky begins with the right cut of meat and proper slicing. While I often lean towards pork tenderloin for my homemade pork jerky, I recently experimented with pork loin for a few recipes. My experience showed that pork loin tends to have a bit more interior fat than is ideal for jerky, which affects both its texture and shelf life. For future batches of apple sage pork jerky, I’ll be sticking primarily to pork tenderloin due to its leaner profile.
When you select your pork tenderloin or pork loin, the first crucial step is to meticulously trim away all visible fat. This includes any fat cap and internal pockets of fat. Why is this so important? Fat, unlike muscle, does not dehydrate effectively. It can become rancid over time, significantly shortening your jerky’s shelf life and potentially imparting an off-flavor. Taking the time to remove as much fat as possible now will ensure your finished jerky remains delicious and lasts longer after it’s dried.
Once your meat is thoroughly trimmed of fat, a helpful trick for easier slicing is to place the pork in the freezer for about an hour or two. This partially freezes the meat, firming it up and making it much simpler to achieve uniform slices. I prefer to slice the meat against the grain at approximately ⅛” to ¼” thick. Slicing against the grain breaks up the muscle fibers, resulting in a more tender and easier-to-chew jerky. If you prefer a chewier jerky, you can slice with the grain, but remember it will require more effort to bite through.
As you can see from the image above, even after trimming, pork loin can still show some white interior fat on the sliced strips. This further reinforces my belief that pork tenderloin is often a superior choice for making high-quality, long-lasting pork jerky due to its inherent leanness. Uniform thickness is also key for even drying, so aim for consistency as you slice.
Further Reading: Explore Dozens of Jerky Recipes – Click Here!
Crafting the Flavorful Apple Sage Marinade
The marinade is where the magic truly happens, infusing our pork with the distinctive apple and sage flavors that make this jerky so special. This Apple Sage jerky recipe boasts a wonderful blend of natural and fresh ingredients, including the bright notes of all-natural apple juice and the subtle sweetness of freshly grated apple. Together, these ingredients create a marinade that is both aromatic and deeply flavorful.
To prepare your marinade, simply combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or a large resealable plastic bag. Whisk them together thoroughly until well combined. Once your pork strips are sliced and ready, add them to the marinade, ensuring that every piece is fully submerged and coated. This complete coverage is vital for even flavor distribution throughout the jerky. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours, and for the most intense flavor, aim for closer to 24 hours. During this marinating period, make sure to mix the strips in the bag every 4 hours or so. This simple action helps to ensure that all sides of every strip absorb the marinade evenly, preventing any dry spots or unevenly flavored pieces.
After the marinating time is complete, remove the pork jerky from the refrigerator and transfer it to a colander to drain any excess marinade. It’s important to note that the jerky strips will not absorb all of the liquid, so straining is an efficient way to remove any surplus. Following the straining, lay the jerky strips out on paper towels and pat them dry as thoroughly as possible. The drier the meat is before the dehydration process, the more efficiently it will dry. Don’t worry about patting away the flavor – the marinade’s essence has already penetrated the meat, and the surface ingredients will remain intact, ensuring a ton of delicious flavor in every bite!
The Essential Drying Process for Safe and Delicious Jerky
Drying jerky is an art, but also a science, especially when it comes to food safety. When preparing pork or turkey jerky, I always emphasize the critical step of pre-heating the meat to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), as recommended by the USDA. This step is crucial for killing any potential bacteria and ensuring the jerky is safe for consumption. To do this, pre-heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and arrange the seasoned pork strips on baking sheets.
For best results during the pre-heat, I recommend using a cooling rack placed atop a baking pan. Elevating the jerky slightly above the direct surface of the hot pan helps prevent the meat from “cooking” too much, which can result in a tougher jerky. While this might add a little extra time to the pre-heating phase, it contributes to a better final texture. To accurately monitor the internal temperature, wrap a thin piece of meat around an oven thermometer. Place this in the oven along with the other jerky strips until it reaches 165°F. In my experience, it took approximately 22 minutes for the pork strips to reach this target temperature.
Once the jerky strips have safely reached 165°F, carefully remove them from the oven. Now, it’s time to transfer them to your preferred drying equipment. For this particular recipe, I utilized my reliable Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator. When arranging the strips on your dehydrator trays (or oven racks, or smoker grates), ensure they are not touching each other. Ample space between the strips allows for maximum airflow, which is crucial for even and efficient drying. This prevents moisture pockets and ensures consistent dehydration throughout the batch.
While a dehydrator offers excellent control, you can absolutely make this delicious apple sage pork jerky using an oven or a smoker as well. Each method has its unique characteristics, but the core principles of safe internal temperature and proper drying remain the same. For comprehensive, step-by-step instructions on how to effectively use a dehydrator, oven, or smoker to create perfect jerky, I highly recommend visiting my detailed How to Make Jerky page. It’s a fantastic resource for all your jerky-making questions.
Knowing When Your Homemade Jerky is Perfectly Done
Determining when your jerky is perfectly dried is a crucial step to achieve that ideal texture and ensure its longevity. Begin testing for doneness around the 3-4 hour mark of the drying process, regardless of whether you’re using a dehydrator, oven, or smoker. The process involves more than just looking at it; it’s about feel and a visual confirmation of its internal structure.
To test, carefully remove a piece of jerky from your drying apparatus and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes to reach room temperature. This cooling period is important because jerky will feel softer when warm and firm up as it cools. Once cooled, bend the jerky strip in half. A properly dried piece of jerky should bend significantly and show signs of cracking along the bend, but it should not snap or break completely in half. Another key indicator is the appearance of white fibers in the meat when you bend or rip a piece in half. These visible fibers are a strong sign that the moisture content has been adequately reduced, leaving behind that characteristic jerky texture.
If your jerky doesn’t exhibit these characteristics – if it feels too pliable, or breaks cleanly without fibrous tearing – it’s not quite finished. Return it to your drying device for another hour and repeat the testing process. Patience is key! Most of the jerky I make typically finishes within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven, and a bit longer, around 6-9 hours, when using a smoker. These times can vary based on meat thickness, humidity, and the specific equipment used, so regular testing is always recommended.
For this specific batch, the apple sage pork jerky reached its perfect point after drying for 5 hours at 145°F (63°C). The resulting jerky was just perfect, offering a delightful chewiness and an explosion of the sweet and savory flavors of apples and sage. I absolutely adore the taste of apples in jerky; it adds such a wonderful dimension!
Storing Your Delicious Apple Sage Pork Jerky
Once your apple sage pork jerky is perfectly dried, proper storage is essential to maintain its freshness, flavor, and extend its shelf life. The primary enemies of jerky are moisture and oxygen. To combat these, always store your finished jerky in airtight containers. Glass jars with tight-fitting lids, vacuum-sealed bags, or heavy-duty resealable plastic bags are all excellent options. For an added layer of preservation and to significantly extend the jerky’s life, especially for longer-term storage, incorporating curing salt into your marinade recipe is highly recommended.
I’ve dedicated an entire page to the best practices for storing jerky, detailing various methods and additional steps you can take to ensure your homemade jerky remains delicious for as long as possible. It’s packed with valuable information to help you get the most out of your hard work. I encourage you to check it out for more in-depth tips and tricks!
Old Pro Tips for the Best Jerky:
- **Fat Removal is Paramount:** Always trim all visible fat from the meat before marinating. This is the single most important step for creating longer-lasting jerky once it’s finished drying, as fat can quickly go rancid.
- **Extend Shelf Life with Curing Agents:** For added safety and an extended shelf life, consider using curing salt or celery juice powder in your marinade. These ingredients help prevent spoilage.
- **Maximize Flavor Through Marination:** For the most intense and deeply infused flavor, marinate your pork strips closer to the 24-hour mark. This gives the meat ample time to absorb all the delicious apple and sage notes.
- **Pork Tenderloin is King:** While pork loin can be used, pork tenderloin remains my favorite and recommended cut of pork for jerky due to its superior leanness and consistent texture.
- **Versatility with Turkey:** Don’t limit yourself to pork! This fantastic apple sage recipe can also be successfully made with turkey, offering a leaner alternative with the same great flavor profile.
For more in-depth directions and alternative approaches on how to dry your jerky, make sure to visit my comprehensive page on Jerky Making Methods.
Apple Sage Pork Jerky
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
Lean Meat
- 1 lb Pork Loin or Tenderloin
Marinade
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)
- 1 tablespoon apple (grated)
- 1 cup apple juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat from the pork and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
- While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼” strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information.
- Add sliced pork to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place strips on cooling rack atop a baking sheet and ‘cook’ in the oven for 22 minutes at 350F or until the internal temperature of the strips reaches 165F. Remove from the oven.
- Continue to dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 5 hours at 145F.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. White fibers will also be seen when the jerky is bent.
Pro Tips
Old Pro Tips:
- Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
- Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
- Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor
- Pork Tenderloin is my favorite cut of pork to use
- This recipe can be made with Turkey as well
Nutrition
Crafting your own Apple Sage Pork Jerky is a rewarding experience, yielding a flavorful and healthy snack that’s perfect for on-the-go adventures, post-workout fuel, or simply a delicious treat. With the right cut of meat, a vibrant marinade, and careful drying, you can enjoy this sweet and savory delight anytime. Happy jerky making!