Call me simple, I am a newbie to smoking and had two successes so far... I did a batch of jerky with a basic marinade (bourbon) and let it marinate for four hours, then could wait no longer and smoked it...it did come out a bit drier than I had anticipated, however very saltly and pretty damned good for the first time.
Then the next day I tried out one of the HiMountain Jerky cures...let it set overnight and smoked it according to directions...wow, awesome and easy, almost cheating. Less salty, more smoky, fantastic results although both are excellent.
I do have a question though...what cuts of beef are you guys using for your jerky? I call mine the Upper Cruster, because I used flank steaks...not sure what cuts would produce a comparable result with regard to leanness and texture. Thanks again, this is so much fun. Doing a smoked salmon tonight, and baby back ribs tomorrow.