INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg. of pork (others are possible);
• 1 l. of water;
• 5 tbsp. of salt;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar.

For the brine

• 2 pcs. bay leaves;
• 5 peas of allspice;
• 1 pc. carnation.

For the rubdown

• red ground pepper;
• black pepper;
• allspice peas;
• bay leaf;
• coriander;
• paprika;
• caraway;
• rosemary.

METHOD

1. First, you need to prepare a brine in which the meat will marinate. To do this, pour salt into the water at the rate of 5 tbsp. per 1 liter of water and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. The meat placed in the brine should float freely in the liquid, so adjust the amount of water yourself. Add sugar, bay leaf, allspice peas, cloves to the water, bring to a boil and boil for 3—5 minutes. Let the brine stand and cool to room temperature. Take out the spices and discard.
2. Clean the meat from the veins and films, wash thoroughly and let the water drain. It is better to take fresh meat, interspersed with fat, for example, pork neck. Dried meat in this case will be moderately juicy and tasty. Frozen meat should first be thawed to room temperature and then marinated. It is advisable to choose an oblong piece of the correct rectangular shape, not very thick, otherwise the meat may not marinate well.
3. Place the meat in an enamel bowl, pour in the cooled brine so that it covers the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 1—3 days, depending on how salty you want your jerky to be. The longer the meat stays in the marinade, the saltier it will turn out. Turn the meat in brine 1—2 times a day. After this time, take the meat out and dry it with a paper towel. Then put on a cutting board under oppression for about 1 hour, so that the rest of the brine comes out of the meat.
4. Prepare the spice mix for the jerky. When choosing spices, be guided by your taste. Red ground pepper is a good preservative, so there should be plenty of it. It is better to use freshly ground spices - they will make jerky more flavorful. Grind in a mortar until smooth black and allspice, coriander, paprika, cumin. Grind the bay leaf and rosemary with your hands and also rub in a mortar. Combine all the spices, add red ground pepper, salt and mix.
5. Thoroughly rub the meat with spices on all sides. Then wrap it in a clean natural fabric or parchment and tie it with a thread. Send the meat to the refrigerator to dry-roll for about 1 week. After this period, take out the meat, roll it in fresh spices, wrap it again in a clean cloth and hang it in a ventilated place (in the kitchen, on the veranda) for 2 weeks. The most difficult thing is not to eat jerky ahead of time. When serving jerky on the table, it is important to cut it correctly. The slices should be thin, almost transparent, so that they melt more easily in your mouth.