First jerky attempt

quote:

Originally posted by Padrefan98:
I just bought 3 pds of eye of round steaks that were cut 1/4". I seasoned them using High mountains garlic and pepper and cure. They are doing its thing in a ziplock in the fridge. I will let it set for 24 hrs per instructions.

I plan on doing the smoke tomorrow afternoon for about 2 hours at 200 degrees with 2oz of hickory. Questions for anyone using the smokette to make jerky, or anyone else that has advise.

Is there a need to dump moisture? At what point?

My options inside the smoker are placing the meat on the racks, sprayed with cooking spray. Or, I have bamboo skewers that I could lay on top of the racks and letting the meat hang. The skewers will lay on the racks because they wont reach the rails. What would you do?

When testing your meat for doneness are you testing it for the dryness you are used to in package jerky or will it be moister?

What is the purpose of the cure? I am guessing this makes the meat safe to eat at room temperature.

Thanks for the replies! I have been searching the forums but no luck on these questions. If I happen to find it I will edit and remove the questions.

Padrefan98
I use the cookshack jerky rods, and just let the meat hang. Make sure the whole world below is foiled, because I always get a lot of drippings. I have never dumped moisture, and let mine go about 2 hours and 15 mins. We like the way it turns out with the High Mountain seasoning, and have left it out at room temp for several days (until it's gone) with no problem. The test we use for doneness is the chewing method. Mine has always been done after 2 hrs and 15 mins at 220.

Andy. I primarily use a wet cure so mine takes longer to dry. I use a lower temp, 180-190*, and dump moisture every 45 minutes. Lower temps to promote drying vs cooking the meat. Because I use a wet cure/flavoring agent, my Elite's environment is probably more moist than a dry cure creates.

Did you check out QDogg's Jerky 101 and the GLH Method for jerky making listed as permanent threads at the top of the jerky forum? Both dump moisture. If you don't dump moisture and use a low cook temp, I suspect you'll get the same results but will take a little longer to dry.

Run over to Home Depot and get stainless steel rods, cut to appropriate width, and you can hang 4 of the rods to smoke more jerky. I got my jerky rods from Cookshack, but you'll need yours sooner.

The bamboo skewers will work, but may be a little labor intensive. Wouldn't you have to drop the jerky meat between the slots in the grates?

Cook One- thanks for the response.

Pags- I was thinking about the labor part of it. You're right. It will be a little difficult.
I think I saw a picture of how you set it up. You put the rods on both levels of the rails right? So are you saying 4 rods each level?

4 rods sitting in the top slot. One grate sitting on top of the top slot.

Oh well. A picture is worth a thousand words:


By jpags at 2012-02-20

Ok got it. I will take a picture and show you what mine ended up looking like. I am a little nervous now after seeing your picture. My cuts are a lot smaller and a little thicker.

Thicker is fine. Actually, I like them. Smaller is fine, just more work stringing them.

I wonder if pounding them would help? I would say they are 1/4 inch.

No. Smoke them at 1/4". They're good that way.

Here is how they look going in. I decided at the last minute to dust half of them with Phil's BBq gooba dust. It has a nice little bite to it that I hope makes a little difference.

Be careful, if you get into this, you will find you have friends coming out of the woodwork! And, you will never be able to eat store bought jerky again.
A few notes I've learned along the way:
1. You can make jerky without the cure but you won't feel comfortable sharing it with others for fear of them getting sick. Use the cure.
2. Cabelas has a great manual jerky slicer that I got on sale for $99 with free shipping. If it saves you one set of stitches it will have paid for itself. I also use it to cut flank steak to marinate and grill Vietmaniese style
3. After trying many cuts, Flank steak cut ACROSS the grain is the best.
4. Cut off ALL fat prior to smoking.
5. Smoke at 160 degrees for 5 to 6 hours (higher temps are cooking and dry the meat out too much).
6. When you take the meat out, place on paper towels to get the grease off as it turns white when dry and looks bad.
7. Get dental floss, you will need it!
8. A food sealer ($130 @ Sam's more and probably better elsewhere) is nice for gifting.
Hope this helps.

As few more thoughts:
1.My yeild is 2:1 (10 pounds of meat = 5 pounds jerky).
2.I mix my seasoning and cure with water and then coat the meat in a large bowl prior to Ziploc in fridge for 24 hours. I get more even coating and deeper penetration this way with trade off being longer dry time.
3.If you like it long and stringy, cut with the grain.
4.In my FEC100 I use two full pan grates ($6 at local supply)/shelf and lay the meat flat. The grates fit in the dishwasher speeding cleanup.

Thanks Joe. That is very helpful and I will follow your advice on my next attempt. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

This batch turned out pretty good. I ended up at 4 and 1/4 hours. The 1/4 came when I had to run to pick up the boy from baseball practice and the coach wouldn't shut up.

The taste is jerky and the texture is a little dry. I am very pleased with my first attempt and now I just need to perfect it. I used eye of round and started at 190 and dumped moisture 3 times. I used 4 oz of hickory and one oz of cherry. I thought the smoke was dead on, though I think the cherry really darkened it too much.

PadreFan, I use the rods like Pags does, thats how he got me started. I never usually need the grate because the just under 5lbs of london broil usually fit on the four rods placed in the highest slot position. How did yours turn out? I think I am gonna try dusting before drying as well, need to try some rub from the exchange

I use QDoggs method of cooking the jerky listed in the top of this section.

It turned out really good. Everyone likes it. I am just interested in perfecting it. I think I will try different cuts. The flank steak looks the best in the pictures I have seen.

If I had read the post right above, I would have know it came out good, sorry. The last batch I made with Stogies Jerky Recipe (on here somewhere) came out very dark, no one minded it one bit. Everyone loved it, but I need to dry/cook that marinade a little less next time than I normally do the Hi-Mtn varieties. I am betting the soy and steak sauce helped make mine dark. I didn't know that Cherry wood can impart a different color.

I don't know if it matters, but here are the reasons I buy the london broil:

Very easy to cut by hand (until my slicer arrives) especially if it is partially frozen.
The difference between this and the larger cuts (some kind of roast) is that this is the top part of the same roast but trimmed, thats what butcher told me, and the diff. in price is worth not having to trim so much for me at least.
The slice sizes after cutting are perfect for the 025 to hang in the highest spot and don't hit the top of the heating unit.

Oh and the biggest difference, much cheaper than the flank steak (at least it used to be until I started buying flank at RD).

Flank is usually pretty thin, at least at one end. How easy is it to get 1/4 slices on the bias from a flank??

I wonder if the flank have a better taste than the london? Maybe someone will chime in and let us know on those last two questions.

Padre. You're smoking at a lower temp so the dryness was from just a bit too long in the oven. Could well have been that extra 15 minutes.

I've never gotten that red color in my jerky, it's always been dark. Believe that's been from my wet cure and flavor procedure. I keep getting requests from Chicago. Tastes very well.

I've now used eye of round, london broil, flank steak and top sirloin (only when on sale and cheaper than london broil). My best tasting jerky came from the top sirloin, but I can't honestly tell you if it was the meat or hitting the process perfectly.

One thing to consider...I have a very nice meat slicer, but I have my butcher slice it 3/8" thick with the grain about 6-7" on the wide bias so he doesn't have to make as many slices. I get home and cut the 3/8" meat slices into strips. It's easy with that big honking Forschner. Cut about 4 or 5 slices at a time. Goes very quickly and I don't have to clean the meat slicer. Least amount of fat trimming with the eye of round.

I just ate a piece and I decided it isn't too dry. Too dry it would be brittle and break off. It actually pulls apart quite nice with the little connective white tissues clinging to the pieces as you pull them apart. The chew factor is there much like store bought. The flavor is good. I am going to call this a homerun, with credit to all of the forums advice. I can't wait to try some different cuts. Oh and the small bag I brought has quickly disappeared once I shared one piece with a coworker. "Jon's got jerky!" he yelled, didn't help.

My jerky tastes and feels better after a night or two. Kinda like spaghetti. And the almonds.

Oh yea, the jerky always tastes better the days following. Also seems to moisten up making even slightly over dry better.

Trying out the new photobucket account. Here's some jerky I made Sunday.

more

That looks great Joe. Did you follow the technique you mentioned above? That looks like it would come out nice and chewy, but not dry at all. What flavorings did you use???

Ive used Eye of Round once. But I mainly stick with London Broil.


I think Safeway is a national grocery store, right? They have London for $5.50 a pound. I wait until its on sale for buy a pound, get a pound free, essentially making it $2.75 a pound.

Then I load up.

This last sale, I bought 40 pounds worth.

$240 worth of meat
$120 paid for all meat
$80 for jerky sold (Boss likes the Ghost Pepper I make so he ships it to his son in Florida. My jerky is going coast to coast )
so, I only put out $40 for the jerky.

And of that 40 pounds, I would say, I got to keep 26 lbs of it?

I get a yield of about 2:1 ratio.

I find I have alot of fun making it. and the family and friends have alot of fun eating it.


Cory

That looks awesome Joe. So you wound up paying $40/26 = $1.54/lb for your stuff. That's awesome.

I was at the grocery store waiting in line yesterday and was struck by a package of jerky I saw for $2.95. Very small so I checked out the weight...believe it or not 1.2 oz. That's $39.33/lb. And it didn't even look as good as yours.

joe
what shelf's do you put the grates on and do you rotate them. also why only 2 grates

Vicki,
I use the process outlined above. I use High Mountain Original and Inferno blend 7:1

Seasoned1,
I can fit 9 shelves in my FEC100 (5 shelves and 2 rib racks). I can fit 2 pounds/shelf laid flat.
I do not rotate or "dump moisture".
6 hours at 160 set it and forget it.
Time differs for different meats and I do wet cure the meat.

Seasoned1,
I use two full pan grates/shelf. 18 grates for a full load. I spray with PAM for no stick and easy clean up.

joe
i have the 4 shelf setup and have been considering changing to the nine shelf. I assume it simply requires removing the existing and replacing with the nine. also forgive my ignorance but what is a two pan grates/shelf?

Seasoned1,
Cookshack has a 7 rack shelf system. If you use two rib racks (you cut out the center support on the front) you can eek out 9 shelves. A fullpan is what is on the bottom to collect grease. They make SS racks that fit in the fullpans(check out your local buffet). I bought mine at a local restaurant supply for $6. They are great for fish, nuts, and jerky. They are cheaper than Frog Mats and fit nicely in a residential dishwasher. They measure 18"X10".

Great pics Joe. I've got to get back into it one day, everyone at work is hitting me up for it. Inferno is the most popular. Ive been using wafer think Bugolgi Sliced Knuckle, which has some interdispersed fat. I like it cause it's thin, but you guys with your jerky slicers have me thinking. We'll see. I'm headed overseas for a year and won't be able to smoke. I'll have to get all you guys to send me some jerky and we'll have a jerky contest among the Solders and post it here. I'd be neat.

Chaplin Bill,
Let me know when and where and I'm in! Thank you for your service!
Joe

I'm not a real good jerky maker, but I sure the heck want in on this contest Chaplain Bill! Please post the details when you get overseas and I don't really care if I win this contest as long as I beat Pags...LOL!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cal:
I'm not a real good jerky maker, but I sure the heck want in on this contest Chaplain Bill! Please post the details when you get overseas and I don't really care if I win this contest as long as I beat Pags...LOL!

Why wait 'til then?

quote:

Originally posted by cal:
I'm not a real good jerky maker, but I sure the heck want in on this contest Chaplain Bill! Please post the details when you get overseas and I don't really care if I win this contest as long as I beat Pags...LOL!

I am more than happy to send a bunch over to our troops. A little blind taste testing/contest would be great as well.

I am in!

Folks, I'll let you know when i get in the sandbox (oversees) and get settled. I think it would be best to do it from there. I think folks on the forum would like to do something for our Deployed Soldiers and shipping would be APO which would be similar to stateside shipping. I'll set something up, only problem, I can't compete, as my FEC will be staying at home. I'll have to get my son to make some and send it.

Cal, man, those are some uniform slices. How do you do it? What type of cure?

Not to mention, shipping overseas is now made easier with the Postal Serices flat rate Priority mail boxes.

Would love to send some jerky over as apprectiation for taking care of us over here.

Cory

Im willing to send some jerky for the troops. Jer