Homemade Turkey Jerky Treats For Dogs

So look what I made  yesterday..... the ultimate dog treat!  Now you can make it too with this recipe!

My Katie is addicted to Blue Wilderness Turkey Jerky. She has been hooked on these treats since she was a puppy. 

I mean really addicted.... to the point where she gets terribly depressed when I run out of it.  I mean to the point where she has learned to open all the drawers where I keep it and when I am out of it, she will go open every single drawer and put her head down in it searching for it. 

And I run out of it a lot because it is terribly expensive....I mean really expensive at $10 a bag for only 8 little pieces. Of course I buy it anyway and justify my purchase by telling myself she is worth it and there is nothing I won't do for her. Then I bring it home and open it and immediately question how can they charge so much for so little? Outrageous.

Recently, when Katie was diagnosed with heart disease, her doctors said if I want to prolong her life, we had to get her on the right medications and immediately get her on a healthier low salt diet....very low salt. She could have only about 100 mg of salt per day. 

So, I set out to create a diet for her using little or no salt. But what about those jerky treats?  I called Blue Wilderness and asked them how much salt they put in their turkey jerky treats. The answer was astonishing. Each 1 ounce piece of their turkey jerky has over 350 mg of salt!  But why?  Dogs do not need that much salt in their diet.  Because salt is a mold inhibitor and all manufacturers use it. Loads of it....unhealthy loads of it!  If only I knew then what I know now.

That was bad news and like all the other foods and treats out there it became near impossible to find anything healthy. How could I take it away from her....especially now, when she is sick?  How could I not take it away when I am trying to prolong her life?  

Go to plan B: make my own. I read the ingredients on the bag of Blue Wilderness. I am pretty good at creating my own recipes so I set out on this adventure to make Katie a copycat recipe of Blue Wilderness Turkey Jerky minus the salt.

 

No more paying $10 a bag for 8 chips. This big pile of healthy turkey jerky ended up costing me about $6 for and I got over 50 pieces from one pack of turkey tenderloins! 

The Verdict:

I actually pinched a small piece off one of the ones that looked close to being done and gave it to Katie. She went nuts! Cooper came running and he loved it too.

So I let the jerky continue to bake on very low heat until they got dry and crispy. Katie was so excited she actually stood in front of the oven door and looked through the glass while they were baking. When I called her she wouldn't come....now that's a definite first. And when I opened the oven door to check on them one last time, she had her head almost in the oven checking with me. I had to push her back! Finally, after 8 hours of drying them in the oven on low heat they were done. And they came out perfect. Cooper and Katie have been snacking on them most of the evening and I finally had to cut them off.

What a healthy snack for your dogs....get the salt out of your fur baby's diet. We are killing our dogs with all the salt they put in commercial foods. Treat them to some real turkey jerky you made yourself!   So here is how I made these healthy treats.  Make some for your fur baby for the perfect Thanksgiving treat!  I promise they will love them! 

Homemade Turkey Jerky Treats 

2 lbs. turkey tenderloins, fillets or boneless skinless turkey breast

1/2 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Place a rack over the baking sheet that has also been sprayed with non-stick spray.  I use my cooling rack that I cool cookies on. You want to keep your turkey off the bottom of the pan so air can circulate beneath it.

Remove any visible fat off of the turkey. Using a sharp knife, slice partially frozen meat into very even, long, thin slices, about an 1/8th to ¼ inch thick slices. Slice the meat with the grain and that will make it chewier and less tough. Try to make all slices the same size and thickness.

Arrange your strips on your rack, making sure they are not touching and that air can circulate all around them.  Brush each strip lightly with molasses and place them in the oven. Half way through the cooking time, flip the strips over and brush again lightly with more molasses. I brushed mine a few more times during the cooking process.

These turkey strips will take anywhere from 6 to 8 hours to fully dry depending on your oven and how thinly you cut the turkey strips. Start checking it once every hour after about 4 hours to see if it has dried completely. If the meat bends and seems spongy then it is not dried enough. Always opt for longer cooking times rather than under cooking the jerky strips.

You can also cut a strip open if you’re not sure to examine the inside. You should see no moisture at all, and it should be the same color throughout. If it’s not finished, put it back in for another hour. Once it gets close, check every half hour.  Once completely dry, cool them and cut them with scissors and serve!

NOTE:  Because these jerky treats contain no chemical preservatives, you’ll need to store them in the refrigerator or freezer. If you put them in brown paper bags and put them in the refrigerator they will stay dryer and can be stored for up to 3 weeks.  You can freeze them for 8 months in the freezer.

NOTE:  Baking times will vary due to difference in ovens, temperatures and meat size. Your jerky treats should be firm and dry, not at all soft or spongy. It is safer to go a little extra dry and firm than for the meat to be underdone.