SALT FREE Jerky Marinade (Biltong-inspired)

I searched for salt free jerky marinade recipes, and there are not many, and most substituted potassium chloride, and I can't have any kind of salt now. Then BILTONG recipes showed up, some of them used no salt. Biltong is a South American dried beef that is based on toasted ground coriander seed, pepper and vinegar. Some added baking soda to even out the pH. This adds a tiny bit of salt.

I started out to do a baseline control recipe of standard biltong, but once I went off the rails, I kept going, incorporating my favorite jerky spices. Then, out of nowhere, HORSERADISH! Risky move but it was right at home in this preparation.

4 HOUR MARINADE:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda (ok, this contain 2.5g of sodium)

2 tbsp coarse fresh ground pepper

2 tbsp fine ground pepper

2 tbsp coarse ground toasted coriander seeds

2 tsp. pickling spice

1 tbsp onion powder

3 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp pulverized celery seed (I used mortar & pestle)

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp malt vinegar

4 oz. Inglehoffer Extra Hot prepared horseradish

WOW! This is unbelievably savory. I'm already happy.

Following my Thin Beef Jerky recipe HERE. on to the dehydrator to the half dried stage at 135F. Mine broke so I'm using my convection toaster oven at 150F, with the door propped ajar with a chopstick. About 1 hour until jerky is mostly rigid but not dried through

You could season and dry at this stage, but I'm going to lightly smoke.

SMOKE:

Probably gilding the lily even more, but I'm pulling out all my non-salty savory tricks. Need to have salty-LIKE snack. (post-tasting, totally worth the trouble, it for sure adds magic)

This is for a small gas grill, make a packet of foil with wood chips inside, about 2-3 handsful, which should last ~12 minutes for three batches at 4-5 minutes each.

Bring it all back indoors, and dip-rinse a chunk a a time in 1 C malt vinegar, rinsing off most big pickling spice chunks, season and finish drying. Mmm malt vinegar.

TOP SEASONING:

Sprinkle generous pepper and ground coriander seed, dill and ground celery seed, onion powder both sides, and finish drying at lowest heat until quite dry, 1-2 hours, rotating racks every 30 minutes.

It's pretty interesting, everyone will think this is a salty snack. I'm happy! This will get me through the day. Next time, a little less sugar and more vinegar, but thank goodness this works! The smoke really brought a lot to the party, too.