I have a home made recipe for beef jerky and I would like to know if I have enough salt in it to cure the meat ? I have been told that if you put a raw egg in the brine and it floats then you have enough salt in it for a cure ? It this true ? The reason I ask is this recipe calls for
1/2 cup of soy sauce and 1/2 cup of Worcestershire
sauce. This mixture alone will float a raw egg in the shell so dose this have enough salt for a cure using just soy and worcestershire To be on the safe side I have also added one table spoon of tender Quick to the mixture to be sure. This
mixture is to cure 3lbs of beef . What are everyone feeling on this I would like to smoke this at 150d for 1 1/2 hours to give it a smoked flavor then move the meat to a drier set at 155d to finish What are every ones feeling on this
thanks Boz

Old time jerky is sometimes preserved by just drying period. Tender Quick following the directions will provide all the security you should need even without the soy sauce. That is why Morton's makes it the way they do.

Do a search of the CS forum for jerky for more information. I currently use Kevi's recipe with personal changes and no added salt. I use a CS 105 (150) with jerky rods. Could probably start with 20 pounds at a time, but as of yet I haven't made that big a batch (15 lbs so far). Hold door open 1 inch 2 hrs, with CS set at 180 with smoke, Close door for 2 hrs, holding temperature at 180. Then move CS to 140 for 2hrs. This gives me what I am looking for, and others agree. Yield is about 42 % of gross meat weight, using special trim.

Jerry

thanks for the info