The great Landlocked Salmon is scientifically known as Salmo Salar Sebago. Salmo Salar is the scientific name for Atlantic Salmon. Salmo Salar Sebago is named for the Atlantic Salmon found land locked in Sebago Lake.

At one time the, Sebago Lake was quite an out post. It was a thriving wilderness area servicing "gents" from Boston and New York. The trip by rail was made conveniently to Portland, then to Sebago Lake Station. The station is still referred to in the 2007 fishing laws handbook.

When rail visitors would arrive in Portland, a fountain bubbling with fresh Sebago lake water would greet them. Its cool refreshing taste called out to the wild boy resting in every man. Sebago Lake Station was a place where a man could find comfort in luxury surroundings. He could let go, find the little boy in himself and be Thoreau.

Things have changed from then to now. The motor car has taken place of the rail car. Airplanes are for travel not just delivering mail. And, Sebago has become a refuge for cigarette boats not for fisherman. But, the little boy in all men still seeks out a place of refuge. A place were a man can be a little boy again, a boy with his own destiny, a boy seeking out a place to chop wood, fire a gun, hunt and fish.

I satisfy the child in me by fishing for the Salmo Salar Sebago at this time of year. It races to the surface when feeding on its preferred forage, the Rainbow smelt, which is coincidentally another landlocked species. I prefer to fish the Rangeley Lake Region. It calls out to the boy in me.

Several years ago, I had taken my friends on a fall fishing expedition to Rangeley Lake. We based ourselves at the famous Sam-O-Set cabins, not to be confused with the resort. The Sam-O-Set Cabins cater to families with outdoor interest. A marina is present on site, boats and jet skies are available for rental. It is a place where the little boy can roar and the little girl can grow wings and fly.

One evening while tending our lines during a slow troll, the release clip popped on one of our lines. A Salmo Salar Sebago had taken one of the dead sewn on rainbow smelt we were using to troll with. As Richard began to reel the fish in, it broke water seventy five feet behind the boat. It broke water again and again, and on it last run we were able to make a pass on the Salmon with the net.

The pass with the net was in vain. The salmon broke the line, the salmon was free. As three of us looked at each other, sadness filled our faces. Then, the fish jumped out of the water not more than fifteen feet from the side of the boat. It was as if the Salmon was bidding us farewell. I think not!

My eyes were much keener several years ago. And, when the fish jumped, I noticed a fly line in its mouth. It was dark green. We had been fishing a dark green line on top of the water. It was still out and showed no tension. I quickly grabbed it and reeled. I felt tension. I set the hook and another battle ensued. This time it ended with a three and a half pond Salmo Salar Sebago on the end of a Boga Grip. Who needs a net? I can see why Leon Bean loved this lake. It is full of Landlocked Salmon. LL Bean still maintains a compound on Rangeley for its employees.

Now for the recipe!

When we returned to the cabin, we promptly started the oven and set it at three 350*F. I cleaned the fish and Don lay on the couch. But, Richard was the pride of the evening. Richard is a professional cook by trade, schooled in the fine art of culinary delights. He truly was the prize of the trip. And, what he did with this salmon is now a staple for all my fishing trips.

Here is what you need to be ready:

1 - Larger size container of Pesto
1 - Onion of your choice
1 - Small container of olive oil
1 - Head of Romaine Lettuce
1 - Several Tomatoes
1 - Small block of Feta cheese
1 - Package of Far East Rice (flavor of your choice)
1 - 3.5 pound freshly caught salmon provided by you

Here is what you do.

Set the oven at 350F* and make sure it is on. Rub the fish with olive oil then bath it in Pesto inside and out. Place two heavily laden leafs of Romaine covered with Pesto inside of the Salmon with a few onion slices. Save some of the Pesto for a dressing. Now, crumble half of the Feta inside and out and place the Salmon into the oven.

Add enough olive oil to the remaining Pesto to make a salad dressing. Then add a little salt and pepper to the dressing. Cut up the tomato, Onion and Romaine into bite size pieces and toss. Crumble the remaining Feta on to the salad.

Check the rice. Make sure not to over cook it. Sip on your Crown Royal you stashed for this trip. Wait until the salmon is cooked. It will take around Forty-Five Minutes, more or less, but most likely more if you are a good fisherman.

Remove the rice when ready. Remove the Salmon when done. Cover the salad with dressing and shut up and eat. I guarantee you will remember this meal.

Be safe and have fun fishing!

Although I have hunted game for a good part of my life, I am a fisherman first. This means that the annual stocking of the freezer with fresh venison, moose and caribou meat, is not a regular event. But, I do like jerky. And, if the wilds of my mind or the depths of the forest will not provide, then making Beef Jerky will do just fine. The best part is you don't need a smoker to make great Beef Jerky.

I'm a self taught outdoors man. No family secrets have been passed down to me. This self initiated learning is both good and bad. On one side, I have to work harder to obtain information. On the other side, I have developed an ability that allows me to see opportunity where others see frustration. Mrs. Shaw makes an ideal matriarch of meat-a-yonder. She has provided for me endlessly.

Unlike most Beff Jerky makers, I do not own a dehydrator. I use my oven to make Beef Jerky. Most of the old timers did the same. People buy smokers for technique more than for convenience. Most of us just do not realize that we can make Beef Jerky in our oven. Any oven or gas grill will do just fine. The problem in using a grill is keeping the temperature between 130*F and 140*F. When using an electric oven, making Beef Jerky is made easy because it does that work for you. I love using my electric oven as a smoker. Like I said before, you could use your outdoor grill, but keeping the temperature in the 130*F range is much more difficult. The 130*F to 140*F range is the sweet spot. The Beef Jerky is not too dry, not too moist, after an eight to ten hour smoking.

What about the flavor. If you are a purist, this Beef Jerky technique will not work for you. But, if you are the average guy flipping through the Cabelas' Wish Book, then this is just fine. Let's face it, most of the flavor from smoked meats comes from the marinade it is soaked in before smoking. Even Cabela’s pushes additional seasonings and marinades for smoked meat.

Let's get to the task at hand.

Here is what you need:
4-5 lbs of lean meat (select grade if you can find it)
16-24 ounces of sauce
Toothpicks
Tin foil
1 onion
2 ounces of minced garlic
Your favorite seasoning (i.e. ground rosemary)

If you are going to make Beef Jerky, you are going to have to find a good supply of lean beef. By lean, I mean a lean cut of beef. Your best bet is to buy round. Something like an eye of the round roast or top round for London broil. I find these to be low enough in fat to provide adequate shelf life. I like shooting for several days unrefrigerated shelf life. This way you can put it in the truck for a healthy snack or take it on a weekend trip to share with friends. My friends and I have friendly Beef Jerky competitions on occasion.

Now, here is the conundrum. Usually, the longer the shelf life, the higher the salt content. For those of us with a blood pressure problem, this can be an absolutely bad thing. So, I freeze the jerky and take it out as needed. I'll explain more later. I have found that by keeping the beef as lean as possible it helps to extend the shelf life without adding too much salt. (use select grade beef if possible. It is cheaper than choice grade beef and leaner to boot)

So, we have discussed the smoker, we have discussed the meat, what about the flavor? What's your flavor? Think about the best food you have ever had and try to replicate the flavor. I like Asian cuisine, and I go to the local Asian market to stalk up on treats (sauces) before I start my jerky process. What's your flavor?

Do you like the barbecued pork at Jim's house every summer? Ask him what he uses to flavor it. Do you like a burnt ribs or burnt onions? Burn a bunch of onions and incorporate them into your seasoning/marinade. I know some of you are expecting me to say use liquid smoke, but I have never found a brand that does not taste like crap. What ever your seasoning is, you want everyone around the house complimenting the aroma. If your jerky sauce smells good, your jerky will taste good!

Now for the fun part.

Take the meat. That lean mean meat you found at Shaw's or Stop and Shop. Cut every piece of visible fat and gristle off. You don't want your jerky to be a Slim Jim. You want it to melt in your mouth, chewy but palatable. Hey, some people have dentures you know!

Slice the meat into strips. Try to keep all product less than one half of an inch thick. If you buy an eye of the round roast, see if the butcher will slice it to 3/8" or better yet 1/4" steaks. The thinner it is, the easier it is the dehydrate (smoke). Cut them into manageable strips. Not just manageable for the process, but manageable for the mouth that you intend to put it in.

Mine are longer and more prominent strips. Maybe yours should be smaller little tidbits. You're in control. Make them the way you like. They will be a reflection of who you are, a reflection of your personality; but just remember, they will shrink!

Once the meat is cut up, mix in the smoking/marinade sauce. Some people use a seasoned rub on their jerky. I find it too dry. I use a sauce. Barbecue sauce works well with a few additives. What do you have in the fridge? Spice it up with something you absolutely like. Add a little Tabasco. Add a little crushed garlic. Taste it. If it sucks, start over again. You will perfect it. Once you have reached perfection, it is time to add the raw meat.

Take your meat from the fridge. I assume you refrigerated it while working on the sauce. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Want something really good. Grind up some rosemary in a coffee grinder and rub that on. Hmmmm! I can't wait until it is ready. This article is getting harder and harder to write. My mouth is beginning to salivate. Enough! Back to business at hand!

Okay, you have seasoned the meat; your sauce is ready, mix the two together in a big bowl. Mix them well. Your pieces will want to stick together before they are fully covered with sauce. It is very important that they are all covered with marinade sauce and allowed to sit over night. The flavor penetrates the meat this way.

So you have done your prep (mixed the meat), smelled the roses (the sauce), it is now time to sleep on it. Kick back, have a brew and think of the good to come!

GOOD MORNING! My how time flies!

It is time to get dirty, roll up your sleeves and get down into the mud, the mud of making jerky.

Take your bowl out of the fridge and open your oven door. You might want to cover the door and bottom of the oven with tin foil or a towel. The hanging process can get messy and it will make the clean up easier. Now, take some tooth picks out and start picking through your meat. My oven is configured to take two levels of jerky. Most will. I hang the longer pieces from the top rack and shorter pieces from the bottom rack.

When stacking the top rack, remove the bottom rack. The sauce will drip at times and cover things up. I even got some on my elbow at this stage. Don't ask me how, but I did. Place the toothpick around 1/4" from the top of the meat. Sometimes the pick will get stuck in the meat after the smoking process is done. You have to throw out the top edge. Usually the toothpicks come out if the meat hasn't been over smoked.

I wiggle my toothpicks to break through the meat. I then try to get the toothpick positioned from the bottom side of the rack. Less messy this way! It does not always works. Developed your own technique. Hey...you are the one cleaning up.... not me! Oh, I spray the racks with PAM to aid in clean up. Now start loading and loading and loading and loading and....I never said it was going to be easy. Now, you know way they get five bucks a bag for this XQ%#.

While I'm loading the top I rack with meat, I'm also sorting. I place the small pieces to one side and save them for the bottom rack. This way I have enough space to smoke two levels. Get the picture?

Once this hanging process is done, most of the hard work is done. You can clean the dishes, mop the floor and change cloths if you were particularly messy. The next think to do is start the oven. Don't forget to remove the tin foil at this stage. It may be covering the bottom element. Place the dial at 130* if it will go that low. If not, place it on its lowest setting. My digital control would not allow me to go lower than 170*, but I like to smoke at just a little lower than 140*F if given the chance.

Now, prop the oven door open. This will let the moister that is in the meat run free. It will also let the oven run slightly cooler. I propped my door with a wooden spoon. Not such a good idea, use metal spoon if you can. But don't prop the door open too much. If you do, make sure to raise the temperature accordingly. Raise it ten degrees for each inch of opening. I prop mine open one half inch. It does not take much to let the moister out. Now watch how the meat starts shrinking. This is what is critical to the smoking process. You must rid the meat of its moister. Dry meat equals good jerky with a longer shelf life.

Now the time has come to let the meat smoke for eight to ten hours. Keep you eye on it! The actual temperature in your oven can be higher or lower than the temperature set on the dial. If you are unsure, place a meat thermometer on one of the racks to gauge the progress and adjust the temperature accordingly. Make sure your jerky is hard, but not so hard that it will crack a tooth. You want the jerky to rehydrate in your mouth. There are two benefits to this. You get to savor the flavor and it's too hard to eat all the jerky in one sitting. If you have done this process right, you will be tempted to eat it all in one sitting.

So, here you are, you are watching the temperature and the jerky. You want it to be done. Don't rush it! Good things take time! (at least that is what my wife says) If you are patient enough, and careful enough, the rewards will be worth it. By careful, I mean try to make sure the inside of your oven is in the 130*F to 140*F range. By patient! Do not rush the process. You are looking for the dryness that makes you say this is smacking. You'll know it when you attain it.

Once you have reached the proper doneness, turn the oven off and let the jerky rest. Give it an hour or two to come down to room temperature. What's the rush? You can sneak a few at this point. Just be careful. It may be all gone before you can put it away. You see what I mean? This stuff can be addicting. Who needs Oxycontin? You have beef jerky.

Now sit back, empty the Jerk, and place it in a storage container in your fridge. If you let it cool down to room temp before attempting this, it will not sweat in the container. But leave the lid cracked a little just in case.

Have fun chewing! And make sure to share some with friends.

The extended version of this article includes the Jerks freezing tips. If you are going to freeze this stuff, it is a must read. But let's get real; you're going to eat it in one or two sittings. All that matters is how strong your teeth are.

Happy hunting and have fun fishing!

Continue reading "Fisherman's Beef Jerky"