Review: Weston Jerky Board and Knife Set
The best way to ensure you get the cleanest and purest form of natural meat protein is to prepare it yourself. Weston has a plethora of products that empower you to do just that with relative convenience. Today I will be reviewing their newest release, the Jerky Board and Knife Set.
Jerky has been and will continue to be a staple in my pack and many others as well for years. There is good reason too since it's high in protein, doesn't require refrigeration, and it's light weight. Sounds perfect for a backwoods excursion, doesn't it? However, when preparing your own jerky maintaining consistent thickness in your slices is easier said than done. Weston's Jerky Board and Knife Set allows allow you to slice your meat repeatedely with consistent results. The importance of having meat of the same thickness comes during the drying process allowing most of the meat to dehydrate in about the same amount of time.
Initial Thoughts
With the Weston Jerky Board and Knife Set you get the jerky board, jerky board insert, a 9" knife, a package of jerky cure, and a package of jerky seasoning. The board itself allows you to slice your meat in two different thicknesses, 1/4" or 3/8". This is nice since it gives you a little flexibility if you have a preference on how thick you like to slice your jerky. In my opinion the 1/4" is great for jerky while the 3/8" is nice to have if you were slicing some round steak during the butchering process or chicken breasts for fajitas.
I am particular about my knives and was a bit skeptical regarding a knife that was sold as a package deal with the slicer. I have to admit I was surprised and pleased with the knife that Weston included with this jerky set. The handle was easy to grip and allowed me to maintain positive control during the slicing process. Also, the blade showed up with a razor edge which it maintained throughout my review. It had a nice balance to it and will be utilized this fall if I am fortunate enough to fill a tag or two.
Slicing Jerky
Slicing these elk steaks into jerky was a cinch with the slicer. It's not an overly involved process but I wanted to detail the steps taken below just to give you an idea of how easy it really was.
Last Steps
I used the seasoning packet included with the set and mixed the appropriate amount with a little water and let the mix set in the fridge overnight (Note: I did not use the jerky cure included in the set. Mainly because what I don't eat within a few days I plan to freeze so I didn't need to use the cure to extend the shelf life).The next morning I threw the slices on my dehydrator and went on about my day. Several hours later I checked and was very excited with what I saw. There before me was some glorious homemade elk jerky! I personally found the seasoned jerky to be excellent and was quite please with the outcome. My wife thought the jerky was a little spicy (but she did like the flavor), so if you don't like pepper then maybe use a little less of the seasoning than recommended.
Final Thoughts
The Jerky Board from Weston performed exactly as advertised and made preparing meat to be turned into jerky a breeze. The knife is just an added bonus and a significant one at that. The best part is the jerky board is not limited to just preparing jerky. As previously noted you can really use it for cutting any meat (and fruits and veggies) where you need to achieve regular and consistent cuts. One thing that Weston does not necessarily advertise as an added benefit is the boards usefulness at cleaning fish.
As you can see in the photos above the knife and board set can be utilized to prepare your summer catch as well. The jerky board kept all the slime and scales while the fillets on the right remained clean and ready for the frying pan. I even used the knife included in the set to fillet the fish where it performed just fine. I was very pleased with the performance and usefulness of the Weston Jerky Board and recommend you take a look at it if you are in the market for making jerky.
