More dog goodies.

More safe dog treats they'll mug you for.

Belle The Bassett is an equal opportunity jerky consumer. Beef or chicken, she loves them both, but both, even domestically produced,  frequently have preservatives such as glycerin. Obviously, part of the reason for this is that these items must have a shelf life of months, vice weeks.

        Making your own, however has several advantages, not the least of which is - it's easy! It's also economical and, best of all, safe for your pet. I make both beef and chicken jerky for my diva, and the procedures are exactly the same, so here goes:

        Shop around for the raw ingredients. I buy boneless skinless breasts because the shape is easiest to slice, which for the chicken is the hardest part. As for the beef, we have a local Winn Dixie which marks down their meat within two days of the "sell by" date.  When they have London Broil marked down, I buy two or three and freeze them; either way, you need to start out with frozen meat.

        Take the meat out of the freezer and let it begin to thaw at room temperature. Optimum texture for slicing is when the top is a little soft to the touch. The rest will still have ice crystals in it,  but can be sliced with a good  SHARP chef's knife. Once you do this, you'll know exactly what I'm describing. It's essentially impossible to get a good 3/16-1/4 inch slice from thawed chicken, and believe me you don't want to try it on an electric slicer with raw chicken!

I use a good nylon cutting board and lay one of the breasts on it, sticking a fork at the extreme edge closest to me  to steady it while slicing from the other side longitudinally. If the thaw is right, it'll slice easily in jerky thickness strips. The edge with the fork might be a little dicey, but if it's thicker, eat it yourself, it's good!

       It's much simpler with the London Broil. Trim off the fat and slice it. It's work , but yields a nice jerky thickness slice. Tip from experience: wear a glove to avoid a blister on the knife hand. The photo showing the oven rack is the "before." The plate shows the finished chicken jerky. 

Both of these have but one ingredient - meat. If your dog is a Vegan, I can't help you!

You'll end up with  strips perhaps 6-7 inches long by 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Place them on a rack on a cookie sheet lined with foil. SPRAY THE RACKS with a non stick!

        Place them in a 200 degree oven for 3 hours. They might need more, but three is a good starting point. They may not be firm at first but, as they cool, will firm up. This a bit softer than regular jerky because it still has a tiny bit of moisture in it, so let it cool in air. I store mine in a plastic bag and refrigerate,  like the biscuits. At two pieces a day for Belle, it's gone in 2 1/2 weeks or so. It won't spoil in the fridge in anywhere near that time as long as they're dry when you bag 'em.