As the New Year begins and we look forward to more of the same, keep in mind the fact that mountain men never lie.

Halfway up a very high ridge, cold-swept with winter’s fury, I sat with “No Grimace”, both of us looking fer meat.  I offered him a choice of pemmican or plain jerky and he chose jerky.  Said sumpin bout pemmican bein too sweet.  As he chewed he asked where I got such good jerk.  Beins I’m proud of an old-time way of makin it, I was glad he asked.

Started way back in bout ’77 when I was out goofin in the back country.  Not doin anything in perticlar, I found an old waybill sign carved in a billion year-old cedar tree.  It was sort of an odd squiggle, a animal of some sort and an arrow pointing to my right.  So I goes to my right and sure nuff I find a large area where meat was sun dried at least a billion year afore.

Carved on the rock cliff near by and starting quite high were all kinds of wiggly lookin lines, arrows, animals, vessels like pots, people gatherin stuff, fire and smoke and other scratchins.

Since the day was early, I found a nice sittin spot not far from all this scribblin and started to study it.  Twernt too long I had the thing decoded.  Here is what it said:

“Wondering what to do with all that meat now that you have it?  Let’s make jerky!  Start by cutting all the meat into strips, the longer the better.  But don’t toss the little pieces to the dogs as they are great while watching T.V.

Put all the strip meat in a large container.  In a separate bowl combine soy sauce, (12 oz. for 10-15 lbs. meat), Worcestershire sauce (15 oz. for 10-15 lbs meat), ¼ cup salt and tobacco sauce (if you like it), do that at your disgression.  Mix it up so the salt is dissolved and pour it over the meat.  Add enough water to cover the meat and then mix the meat and fluid all up like a tossed salad.

Let it sit for 24 hours, then dry it slowly either in the sun, a dehydrator or your cabin oven.  Turn it once during the drying process.  When it looks done it probably is, so go ahead and eat”!

It was pert near dark by the time I got all that figured out, so I scuffled back to my cabin to try out the recipe.  Ya know, I ain’t  never been able to find that rock cliff since then neither.

Bears Butt

Jan-Feb 1989