1. Hebrew National is sold by Costco up here in Canada, is there a Costco you could check in your area?
2. There are two ways to do your own beef jerky. you can either use your oven, which can be messy, but is very inexpensive, or use a food dehydrator. Walmart carries the Amercan Harvest line, effective and not to pricy ($40 US, thereabouts?)
There are many recipes available from
http://groups.google.com (search for Beef Jerky) But the basics are to buy some lean beef, have your butcher slice it thinly, or do it yourself, marinade the meet for 24-48 hours, and then dry for 4-12 hours (depending on local humidity and method of drying: dehydrators are fasterr than ovens)
Most marinade recipes call for freshly ground pepper, which my WG&TW finds too strong, so here is the marinde she likes best:
For 3 lbs of meat, blend together
1/2 cup light soya sauce
2 tsbp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp chinese 5 spice powder
Dip each piece of meat into the marinade, coating well. Place in a shallow container (eg 1 1/2 qt rubbermaid rectangle) Refirgerate for 12-48 hours, stirring occasionaly. Dehydrate until dry but pliable. Enjoy!
Note 1. If slicing the meat yourself, freeze it slightly first, until ice crystals form.
Note 2. If drying in your oven, line the bottom with aluminum foil to aid in the clean up.
Hope that helps!
Kipling