1-2lbsBlue chanterelles or other mushroomspulled apart into individual leaves or clusters
1 ½cupssoy sauce
1 ½cupsworchesterchire
½cupwater
½cupmaple syrup
1Tablespoonhot sauceor more to taste
2Tablespoonsfinely chopped fresh garlic
1Tablespoonfinely chopped fresh ginger
1Tablespoononion powder
1Tablespoonsmoked paprika
Instructions
Combine the liquid and dry ingredients for the marinade and puree in a blender, then strain.
Working in batches if needed, blanch the blue chanterelles for 5 minutes in boiling water to cover, then drain well. Strain the cooking water to remove impurities, cool and reserve for another purpose, like making soup.
If you’re the kind of person that forgets about things in the fridge, season the mushroom cooking liquid with a good pinch of salt to taste to extend the shelf life.
Combine the blanched mushrooms with the marinade and soak for 24 hours, then drain well in a colander, patting dry with paper towels if needed.
Dry the mushrooms at around 100 F, or until completely dried, but still pliable, this should take about 5-6 hours, but dehydrators can vary a bit.
Taste them a few times during the process if it's your first time to get a sense of how the texture changes.
Notes
Scaling the recipe
This recipe will cure about 2 lbs of mushrooms at a time, and can be re-used for multiple batches. It’s very important not to dry the mushrooms at too high of a temperature, which can make them brittle, blood-drawing splinters, as opposed to pliable, chewy jerky.
Over-drying
Over-drying can ruin mushroom jerky. If the mushrooms become brittle, you dried them at too hot of a temperature.