Home Made Creamy Peanut Butter

Ok, normally I save the "results" section for the bottom, but I just can't contain myself on this one!  This peanut butter is Fantastic!  It is easy, delicious, healthy, affordable, and unlike those natural peanut butters you buy at the store, you don't have to stir it* for 15 minutes every time you want to have some!  Now that I know how to make my own natural peanut butter, I will never eat store bought again.

* I don't have to stir mine, but I don't add any extra peanut oil.  I don't know whether adding oil will make it so it separates and has to be stirred.

Ingredients:
1 lb. of roasted, out of the shell peanuts (I recommend low sodium or no salt added out for your first try, then switch later if you want)
Sweetener of choice (optional)
Peanut oil (optional)

The Process:

Pour all your peanuts into a food processor.  A blender might work too, but I haven't tried it.

Believe it or not, Trader Joe's actually had the cheapest peanuts!

The first time you make this, I suggest waiting until the end of the process to add your sweetener (if you want to use any at all).  For your first batch, you will add it in small increments at the end of the process until you reach the desired sweetness, then make a note of how much sweetener you used.  The next time you make peanut butter, add your sweetener at the "balling up" stage so it will incorporate as the peanuts are processed.

I put my food processor on medium speed to start, and just let it go for a few minutes.  It went through a few stages as it worked.  In the first, the peanuts were processed into a flour like state.

Use a spatula to sort of push the peanut flour down off the walls of the processor back down towards the blades.  I do this through the food input chute in the lid of my food processor while it runs, since the worst case scenario would be it catches and eats my spatula.  If you have to take the lid off to do this, Stop The Processor/blender First!  Better to take a couple minutes stopping and starting it to push the food down a few times than to lose a finger!

After a few minutes, your peanuts will start to kinda ball up and look more moist.

If you would like to add a few teaspoons of peanut oil, do so now.  I don't, since I use peanut butter mostly for dipping celery sticks and apple slices, but it will make it more spreadable if you want to use it on bread.  This is also the stage where you should add your sweetener (if you're using it) once you know how much to use.

Turn the speed up to high, give it a few more minutes, and it will become smooth and actually start to look like peanut butter.  It will still need to run a while longer if you want it to be really smooth; it keeps a kinda grainy texture for the first several minutes.  If you are making peanut butter for the first time, start slowly adding your sweetener of choice now.  Add a little, let it blend, then stop it and taste, and continue until your peanut butter has reached the desired consistency and sweetness.

I like mine Extra Creamy, so I ran it for another several minutes after this point.

When you decide it's ready, pour into a container and store it in the fridge.  If it seems a little runny at first don't fret; it should thicken up a bit once it's cooled off in the fridge for a bit.  It should be good for a few weeks in the fridge, or you can store it in the freezer for several months.  The volume decreases somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 in the process.  From a pound of peanuts, I got a perfect pint of finished peanut butter.

YUM!!!

Oh, so how does the cost break down, you ask?  Well, at my local grocery store, a 40 oz. jar of JIF creamy peanut butter is $6.99.  After shopping around, the best priced peanuts (that weren't full of added chemicals) were $3.29 for a 16 oz. bag.  This means that buying peanuts and making peanut butter at home adds an extra 3¢ per ounce, or 48¢ per pound.  Well worth it in my opinion for Delicious, chemical free, no-stir peanut butter!

Pot Roast

Ok, I know I haven't posted in a while, but there's a good reason!  Well, there's a reason, but it's actually kind of mediocre.  Between learning how to make our most commonly used cleaning products for cheaper than I could buy them, pulling from our food stores to cut our grocery budget, and finally getting financial aid in and not being quite so poor, I haven't really been trying new tips and tricks to cut our budget because it hasn't come up.  Oh, and I've been ridiculously busy planning my wedding.  That actually takes up most of my time now.  But, I promise to try to get back on the ball, and to kick start this I'm going to share a recipe for an inexpensive meal that can help stretch a budget.  Yeah, I know, everyone has a pot roast recipe and this isn't exactly a post that will grab a lot of attention.  On the bright side, soon I'll be posting gardening tips I try out and review!


Pot Roast

The Ingredients:
Any kind of roast works, but I like using a shoulder roast.  Try to find         something on sale; I shop the "bargain bin" of marked down meats.
Potatoes (I like using red or new potatoes)
Radishes
Carrots
Celery
Lipton Onion Soup mix (or whatever onion soup dry mix packets you like)

The Process:
Wash all the vegetables.
Cut potatoes in half or quarters.
Chop celery in long pieces that will fit flat in the bottom of your crock pot
Cut roots and stems/leaves off radishes
Peel carrots and chop ends off.  Depending on thickness and length of your carrots, you may want to cut them in half.  I like using the really fat carrots that have turned a little woody in the center that wouldn't have tasted as good raw, because slow cooking them around a roast softens them and they still impart a great flavor.

You can brown your meat first or not, I don't think it really makes much difference.  If you want to brown it, just sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it and cook it for a minute or so on each side in a pan on the stove top on medium to medium high heat.  If you're trying to "fast" cook this roast (in the crock pot on high for 4-6 hours), I suggest taking the time to brown it, but if you're "slow" cooking it (in the crock pot on low for 10-12 hours) I think this is unnecessary.

Place celery in bottom of crock pot.
Place roast on top of celery.
Fill in gap around roast with radishes, potatoes, and carrots.
Mix 1/2 to 3/4 cup water with soup mix and pour over roast and veggies.  If needed, use up to 1/4 cup more water to rinse cup and get last of soup mix seasoning/bits into crock pot.

Cover and cook on Low for 10-12 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.  Your roast is done when you can stick a fork in it and turn it fairly easily and the meat just sort of shreds and yields.

Pull the roast out and let it REST on a cutting board or platter for 10-15 minutes.  This is the Most Important Step!!!  If you cut meat while it is hot, it will loose all of its juices.  If you want a tender and juicy roast, you have to let it cool a little bit so that the proteins can relax.  Here's a great article explaining resting meat.  They talk about steaks, but it really applies to all beef.

After 10-15 minutes, dig in!

Fruit Leather

One of the things we purchased when doing the Amazon.com textbook trade-in was a set of two fruit roll trays for our dehydrator.

I've been trying to figure out snacks to make at home, and fruit leather seemed like a great healthy snack option.  So, after checking the local store ads for what produce was on special, I went out and bought two pounds of strawberries, a pint of blueberries, and a pineapple.  I already had some apples and some lemons on hand.  Fruit leather is pretty easy to make; you can even make it in your oven if you don't have a dehydrator.  So, first I'll outline the process to be used for pretty much any fruit leather, then I'll give you the recipes I used for each of my two batches.


The Process:
Wash your fruit.  Cut the leaves and any bruised, moldy, and/or rotten parts off your strawberries.  Peel, core, and slice your apples.  You can view a great video on how to choose and cut up a pineapple here.  Put your fruit into a blender or food processor, then squeeze 1/2 lemon in with the fruit (use your hand, a cloth, or a strainer to catch any seeds).  Run the blender or food processor until fruit is thoroughly pureed.  Taste and add sweetener as necessary.

If you had some questionable spots on your fruit and/or you want to be extra careful, you may want to consider cooking your fruit for a few minutes to kill any bacteria that may cause harm.  Just put your puree in a pot and set it on your stove top at medium heat, stirring constantly, until it has been bubbling for a few minutes.  You don't have to boil it, you basically just want to pasteurize it.   In theory, when you dehydrate your fruit puree into fruit leather, the lack of moisture should inhibit any mold or bacterial growth.  However, your fruit leather will last longer if you take the extra step to kill any bacteria and mold that may be present at the time you dehydrate your fruit.  If you do cook it, you'll likely get some foam on the surface of your puree in the pot.  You can skim it off and mix it with yogurt as a nice flavoring, or you can just mix it back in once the puree cools.  I just mix it back in.

Once your puree has cooled and before spreading it, lightly grease your trays with vegetable oil (the cooking spray-can makes this really fast and convenient, but using a towel to spread a dollop of oil works too). Spread your fruit puree between 1/4 and 3/8 inch thick onto the sheets.  Dehydrate for 5-6 hours at 135 degrees F, rotating your trays once or twice during the process.

Fruit Leather Recipe #1:
1 lb strawberries
1/2 pint blueberries
2 1/2 apples
Juice from 1/2 lemon


Fruit Leather Recipe #2:
1 lb strawberries
1/2 pint blueberries
about 1/3 pineapple (after trimming)
1 apple


The Results:
Both of these made Great fruit leather!  I used Granny Smith apples because it's what I had, and I noticed that I had to use a fair amount of sweetener in recipe #1.  In recipe #2, because I used less of the tart apple and because my pineapple was So sweet, I decided not to use any sweetener at all.  Because I am using round trays, I just cut my fruit leather into 8 wedge shaped slices per tray, and because the bottoms are slightly lubricated with the oil I can stack them and stick them in a ziplock bag.  One wedge makes a nice light sweet treat with a meal, and they're healthy enough that even if you indulge in a second one it's pretty much guilt-free!

Making Yogurt - Part 1

Yogurt isn't terribly expensive, but I like the organic kind with no added preservatives, flavorings  sweeteners, thickeners, etc. Not only does this mean that the yogurt I like is more expensive than regular yogurt, it also requires a special trip to a grocery store halfway across the city because none of the stores near me carry it.  So when I read that you can make your own using just milk and a little yogurt as a starter, I got really excited.  Especially when I found  this  article explaining how to do it with a heating pad.  It's a little time consuming, but not at all difficult.  It is a bit of an involved process, so for this post I'll let you just read through the instructions in the link, and then come check out my findings/results.

First Attempt Results:
So the first time around, I followed the instructions (almost) to a T. The result was a soupy, almost completely liquid "yogurt" even after chilling it for 12 hours.  It tasted very mild and smelled like yogurt, but it was the consistency of heavy cream.  Thankfully, I read somewhere else that you can carefully re-heat your yogurt to 110 degrees and let it hang out at that temp for a few more hours to thicken it more, which can also make your yogurt more tangy, which I don't mind a bit.  I decided to give this a try.


Salvage Attempt Results:
So, I poured my yogurt back into the container I used for incubation, and swaddled it back up in the heating pad and covered it with a heavy towel, checking the thermometer every 30-45 minutes to see when it reached 110 degrees and adjusting the heat setting as needed to keep it there.

I started reheating the yogurt at about noon, and it was 3:30 pm before the temp in the center of the yogurt reached 110 degrees.  I let it sit swaddled in the heating pad and a towel at 110 degrees until around 9 pm.  Then, as advised by another website, I moved the yogurt straight to the fridge and let it set overnight before stirring.  The results were pretty disappointing; the yogurt may have thickened ever so slightly, but it's hard to tell.  So, this failed experiment learning experience will be salvaged by using the liquid "yogurt" as a milk substitute for my next couple of batches of biscuits.  I'll try again once I've used up what I've made so far.

Rendering Lard

So I had read somewhere online that many butcher shops will give away fat scraps.  Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case in my area.  Nevertheless, there are always ways to acquire that which we need.  It occurred to me that I always have a lot of grease leftover when I fry bacon, and that grease is nothing but unfiltered lard.  So, when I fried a 1 lb. pack of bacon last night I decided to strain the grease and attempt to render lard.  The process turned out to be much simpler than I imagined and I got 1/2 cup of lard from it!

First off, I will say that this is a project that probably is best undertaken at least 1 lb. of bacon at a time.  I always fry the whole batch in one go, and refrigerate the cooked slices.  This makes it much easier in the mornings to grab what we need, heat it in the microwave, and go.  Because only 1/2 cup of lard was rendered from the entire pound of bacon, I think it probably wouldn't be worth doing lesser quantities at a time.

The set-up:
I used my Pyrex measuring cup to catch the bacon grease because I wanted a container that I could use to measure and that had a spout.  Bacon grease (AKA liquid lard) takes a while to solidify, so have no fear about it solidifying before you finish and pour everything into your storage container.  Over my measuring cup I put a mesh strainer.  I wanted a more finely filtered product, but I didn't have any cheese cloth.  RM to the rescue!  He had a couple cotton under-shirts that he had accidentally bought in the wrong style months ago and had been meaning to wear but never actually had.  So he donated one to the project efforts.  From this I cut a square large enough to fill the basket of the mesh strainer.  Then I picked a container, an old jelly jar (washed, of course) and lid.

The process:
It couldn't have been easier!  As I fried bacon, grease accumulated in the frying pan.  Occasionally I poured the grease through the cotton and mesh strainer into the measuring cup, then resumed frying.  I did cook the bacon at a slightly lower heat than usual, ensuring I wouldn't accidentally burn the grease.  This added a little to the cooking time, but it wasn't a big difference, and my bacon slices didn't wrinkle up as much.  Once all the bacon was cooked and the grease filtered, I took note of the quantity, poured the still-liquid lard into the jelly jar, then secured another square of cloth over the top of the jar with a rubber band.  I let the jar sit on the counter and cool a while, then once I saw the lard was solidifying (after maybe 30 minutes) I removed the cloth, put on the lid, and stuck it in the fridge for future use.  That's it!

Results:
I've never actually seen or used lard before, so I can't say for 100% sure that it was exactly as it was supposed to be.  However, it fit all the descriptions I'd ever heard: white, creamy, soft, and no visible impurities.  I used it in my biscuits and it worked great!  So, all in all, I'd say it was a success!

Bonus!
I was able to clean the undershirt rag so that I can re-use it.  I put a drop of dish detergent in a bowl, filled it with water, then dropped the rag in.  I agitated the water a little then let it soak overnight.  The next morning I agitated it a bit more, than rinsed out the rag thoroughly.  It was good as new! I put it in the kitchen drawer with my hand towels so that I can use it again next time I render lard.


Update 1/24/13:
I recently baked a ham, and after it cooked I collected the fat, heated it in a pan, and used the same process above to render the lard.  I got almost a cup and a half of lard from it!  I will now be attempting to render the lard and tallow from all fat-rich meats.

Update 2/14/2013:
So I've found sometimes that when the tallow sets, there is a layer of brown gelatinous goo underneath.  As far as I (and Google) can tell, this stuff is pretty much worthless, and should just be thrown out.  The only thing it might be good for is if you have any meat eating pets who might enjoy it poured over their food.  If you find you have some of this brown goo, just make sure that your tallow is cleaned of it before you store it.

Teriyaki Chicken

So I tried a recipe for low-carb teriyaki chicken last night, and I like it for several reasons.  The first being that it tastes Amazing!  I also really like it because it is very simple, healthy, and you can re-use the sauce multiple times.  So here it is:

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed (for stronger flavor, score chicken)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used a yellow onion)
1 medium clove garlic, minced (I used an large clove, because we love garlic)
2 Tablespoons granulated Splenda (or sweetener of your choice)
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Place chicken in an 8x8 baking dish.
Mix all other ingredients, then pour over chicken.
Let marinate in refrigerator for one hour.
Place baking dish in cold oven, set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake 20 minutes, turn chicken, cook 10-15 minutes more, or until done.  Baste frequently.

Results:
This chicken has a great flavor, although it was a bit strong.  RM ate his on a bed of white rice.  White rice isn't low glycemic, so I had mine plain with a side salad.  I did try a bite with the rice, and RM and I agree that the rice balances out the chicken.  Next time I might make some quinoa to go with it.  I scored the chicken, but next time I think I won't, or maybe I'll only score 2 breasts since RM really liked the stronger flavor.

As I said, the sauce can be re-used.  I was a bit surprised at how much sauce was left.  Just stick it in a Tupperware container and throw it in the freezer.  Because it cooked in the dish with the chicken, you shouldn't have any concern over salmonella.  Next time you want to cook teriyaki chicken, just pull your sauce out of the freezer in the morning and let it thaw.  I estimate there's enough to get 3-4 uses out of one batch.
 

                                                                  

I feel like I've been focusing a bit much on cooking lately.  We've just ordered the ingredients to make laundry detergent at home (can you believe it was cheaper on Amazon than at Wal Mart?) and I'll be posting the process and results in a few days time.

Dried Apples

Our local grocery store had an amazing sale on apples, so I bought 13 pounds.  We don't have a peeler/corer, so I was concerned that it would be a time consuming and labor intensive project.  In fact, after the first batch (my dehydrator only holds about 3 pounds of apples at a time) RM and I had a system worked out.  We have one of those apple slicing deals that you push down around the core and it cores and slices, rather like this one:

The downside to this style apple slicer is that you have to peel apples before you dehydrate them, and the slices it makes are too thick.  Additionally, before you dehydrate apples, you need to soak them in a lemon juice solution or sprinkle them with some sort of preserver such as Fruit Fresh.  So RM and I set up an assembly line of sorts; he peeled then sliced the apples with the slicer, then I cut the slices in half or thirds, then put them into the bowl of our lemon solution.  When the bowl got full, I arranged the slices on the dehydrator racks, then started slicing and soaking again.  We tried two different apples, and two different soaking mixes.  The apples needed to dehydrate 20-30 hours at 135 degrees, depending on whether we wanted chewy or crispy apples.

The first lemon solution we made was simple, consisting of one part lemon juice to three parts water.  I added some EZ Sweets (a liquid artificial sweetener) out of concern that the lemon would make the apples a bit sour.  You could opt not to use any sweetener, or dissolve a little sugar into your mix, to taste. We simple allowed the slices to soak as the bowl was filling, a few minutes, and that seemed sufficient time to keep the apples from browning.

The next solution we made I decided to try adding some spices, in the hopes that we might make something reminiscent of apple pie.  To 1/4 cup lemon juice and 3/4 cups water, I added 1/4 teaspoon each of ground clove and ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and vanilla extract, and 5 drops of EZ Sweets (roughly the equivalent of 5 packets of Splenda, but unfortunately I don't know how that translates to sugar).

The two apple types I used were Red Delicious and Red Gala apples.

Results:
Though they were more difficult to peel because of their shape, the Red Delicious apples were definitely tastier.  I liked the spiced mix, but in moderation.  For a regular snack RM and I agree that the more simple, plain lemon juice and water mix is better.

Biscuits

RM's grandmother taught me how to make biscuits a few months ago, but I've only recently started making them myself.  Previously, if we wanted biscuits, we just went to the store and bought one of those cans of biscuits that you whack on the corner of the counter top to open, and voila!, biscuits.  Unfortunately, buying biscuits isn't exactly cost effective, and the results when compared to home-made are sub-par.  Additionally, they aren't very healthy.

I've always been aware of the "cost of convenience", and I generally take it into consideration when shopping for whatever it is we need.  Recently, however, with our finances being squeezed, it seems more worth my time to save those few extra pennies.  I have lots of time, especially with school being out for winter break.  So why not trade time for money?

Part of the stated goal of this blog is to chronicle our efforts at saving money while maintaining our mental and physical well-being.  And as mentioned above, store-bought biscuits aren't terribly healthy.  For that matter, biscuits in general aren't very healthy.  They are mainly made from flour and fat (with some fats being healthier than others).  The only thing healthy in them is the milk, and that assumes you aren't lactose intolerant and/or on one of those Paleo diets. In our house, RM prefers to count calories, while I eat low glycemic*.  This presents the occasional problem, especially when it comes to starchy foods we both love, but I shouldn't eat, such as biscuits.  So I decided to experiment with different biscuit recipes to see if I couldn't find something that is cost effective, healthier, and tasty.  Though I still have to spend a little extra on some of the ingredients, I've found a recipe that at least passes the tasty and healthy tests with flying colors, and is a little cheaper than buying pre-made.  I'll be continuing to work on ways to make it even more cost effective and posting updates as I figure out what works and what doesn't.

Original Biscuit Recipe:
2 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup Crisco
3/4 cup Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 430 F.
Sift flour, then mix flour and Crisco by hand until texture of cornmeal.
Pour in milk, mix until combined.
Tip mix out of bowl onto a floured counter top or other work surface.
Knead 10 times, then roll or press to about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut biscuits out and place on pan.
Bake 5-10 minutes, until golden brown on top.

To get a consistent size biscuit, after I cut the top off of a can of green beans to use, I saved the can and washed it.  If I put a little butter or oil on the inside I find it makes an excellent biscuit cutter.
                                                                                   

Lower Glycemic Biscuit Recipe:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup Carbquik low-carb baking mix
1/3 cup Crisco
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Mix vinegar and evaporated milk.
Preheat oven to 430 F.
Sift flour and Carbquick, than mix flour blend with Crisco until texture of cornmeal.
Stir milk mix, then pour and mix until just combined.

Tip mix out of bowl onto a floured counter top or other work surface.
Knead 10 times, then roll or press to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Cut biscuits out and place on pan.
Bake 5-10 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Mixing the evaporated milk with vinegar creates a buttermilk substitute that has twice the amount of calcium as buttermilk, but otherwise is similar in nutritional values.  I didn't have buttermilk, but I had several cans of evaporated milk, so I decided to give it a try and see how it worked, and have made it this way since, however buttermilk is more economical per serving.  These biscuits don't rise as much, so I make them a little thicker but smaller in circumference than for the original recipe.

Results:
Though they don't rise quite as well as the original recipe, they are still light and fluffy enough, and they have a great flavor.  Many people may be willing to exchange flavor for healthiness, and some even swear that their low-fat or low-sugar versions taste exactly the same.  I have much higher standards, and if something isn't delicious, it isn't worth eating.  I love these biscuits.  They may taste a little different, and not quite be up to the same standard and Grandma's biscuits (and honestly, what recipe ever is?), they are still delicious.

                                                                                   

Both of these recipes also freeze well.  Grease or place parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Cut out biscuits and place on cookie sheet so they aren't touching.  Place in freezer for 2 hours, then transfer from cookie sheet to resealable plastic bag.  When you want to bake them just place them, still frozen, onto a cookie sheet and bake at 425 F. for 14-18 minutes, until golden brown on top.

To make this recipe more economical, lard can be used in place of the Crisco.  I've never rendered lard, but it is my understanding that it is relatively simple, and that the fat scraps for it can be acquired for free from many butchers.  There have been many studies that indicate that lard is actually healthier than Crisco, because the body breaks it down more easily, derives more energy from it, and it has no potentially poisonous chemicals.  I'll make a new post when I render lard to describe the process and my results, and will update this one when I try making biscuits substituting lard for the Crisco, and also using real buttermilk instead of the evaporated milk and vinegar.

*For those who don't know, the glycemic index is a scale used to determine how a person's body responds to various foods by monitoring the insulin reaction of the body to the food.  The lower glycemic a food, the lower and slower the insulin reaction is.  Eating low glycemic is a necessity for diabetics, and just a good. healthful way to eat for non-diabetics.  I belong to the latter category.

Update 1/5/13:
So I made biscuits with lard, and they turned out great!  I didn't have quite enough lard (I was shy by 2 tablespoons) so I substituted in softened butter.  The biscuits had a great texture and flavor!  I'll definitely be using home-rendered lard again!

Jerky

So I was preparing a London Broil today to marinate yesterday, and I realized it was too large to fit in the container I had to marinate it in.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized how unlikely it would be for RM and I to eat the whole roast before it went bad.  At first I thought I should cut the meat in half and re-freeze the half I wouldn't use, but then it occurred to me that we don't really have much along the lines of snacks in the house, and I decided to make jerky for that purpose.  I haven't made jerky in years, and the last time I made it I used venison. So I browsed the internet for a recipe and sort of mixed several recipes together to come up with this one:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke (hickory)
1 tablespoon Splenda brown sugar*
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika

*you can use two tablespoons of regular brown sugar in place of one tablespoon of Splenda brown sugar

Instructions:

Cut meat into thin strips (this is easier if it's partly frozen).  Mix ingredients, then pour marinade over meat in a bowl or Ziploc type bag, and let marinate covered in refrigerator for 8-16 hours (shorter for milder flavor, longer for stronger flavor)

Place meat strips between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until 1/8 inch thin.

Arrange meat strips on a dehydrator tray and set dehydrator at 155 degrees F.  Turn meat strips after an hour.  Let dehydrate for 4-8 hours, until jerky breaks when bent in half.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use your oven.  Here's how:
Place meat on skewers.  Place baking sheets on lower rack to catch any drips (oven racks should be far enough apart that meat strips hanging on top rack don't touch baking sheets).  Arrange skewers on top rack so meat strips dangle between the metal rack bars.  Set oven to 175F, crack oven door, check meat every hour or so until done.




Results:

The flavor is excellent.  RM loves it, and I really like it but it is a little strong for my taste.  I marinated mine for 16 hours, but next time I think I will only marinate them for 10 or 12.  Otherwise this recipe is great, and I will definitely be using it again.  I'm so grateful to my (soon to be) father-in-law for giving us his old dehydrator, since it is easier and faster than the oven method and very versatile!  We'll be dehydrating apples in the next couple days.  I've never done that before so I'm really looking forward to it!

Update 1/2/13: I made the jerky again with the same recipe, but using only 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and I marinated it for only 8 hours.  The flavor is still great, but you taste the flavor first, and then the heat hits.  I find this to be much preferable.