Hey, Tom! I didn't forget about you, I've just now gotten back to the recipe book where I had this all written down:
There is a method for both oven drying and a food dehydrator. You only need one or the other.
GROUND TURKEY JERKY WITH RAISINS
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 pounds lean ground skinless dark meat turky OR a combination of light and dark meat
* 1 loosely packed cup raisins
* 1/4 c water
* 1 1/2 tsp dried, crumbled herbs (combine 2 to 3 herbs or your favorites and blend) Suggested herbs: basil, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram
* 1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin OR dry mustard
* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper OR ancho or anaheim pepper, chile molido, OR ground chipolte
* 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed OR 1 tsp garlic powder
* 2 tbl freeze-dried onion flakes OR 1 tbl onion powder (OPTIONAL)
* 1 tsp finely ground unrefined seasalt OR 2 tbl soy sauce (OPTIONAL)
METHOD:
1. Add raisins and hot water to a food processor or vita-mix. Soak for at least 30 minutes. Process until pulverized, adding additional water 1 tbl at a time only as needed to blend. Mixture may be coarse. Don't make it too wet.
2. Break meat apart in a shallow 1-quart bowl. Add raisin puree and seasonings and mix well with clean, bare hands to evenly distribute seasoning. Form into tablespon-size balls, then flatten to 1/4-3/8 inc thick, or use a jerky press or jerky gun to yield uniform strips, tubes, or discs.
3. OVEN DRYING: preheat oven to 140 F. Line 2 to 4 cookie sheets or roasting pans iwht aluminum foil folded up at the corners to catch drips and top with a roasting rack. Arrange meat without overlapping. Hold ovendoor ajar with a wooden spoon. Dry for 12 - 18 hours or until a test piece is slightly brittle when bent. Turn meat over after first 6 - 8 hours. For crispier jerky, dry until a test piece splinters when bent.
FOOD DEHYDRATOR: Arrange meat without overlapping on as many trays as needed. Dry at 145 F for 12 to 18 hours.
4. Pat off beads of oil with paper towel. Cool and store in sealed jars, cellulose or wax paper bags, or heavy zip-locking freezer bags. Label and date. This will keep for at least 1 to 2 months at room temperature, 3 or more months in the fridge, indefinantly in the freezer.
*** TIP ***
When grinding the raisins, add as little water as possible. Allow a longer drying time than for jerky made without raisin puree because the ground meat will be very moist. I usually start he emat drying after dinner or before going to bed.
------- Variations -------
You can replace the turkey with lean or extra lean groudn beef or bison. You can also replace the ground turkey with ground chicken.