Jerky and smoke?

rmd1969

I'm only doing my second batch of jerky (curing now) but from what I've read in the jerky forum, the wood helps to dry out the jerky. In his second posting titled "GLH Method" in the Jerky Forum, GLH feels a lot of smoke helps to dry the jerky. He should know since he's done a lot of jerky and seems to have had a lot of success with it.

Hope this helps.

Pags

I've done quite a bit of jerky and always used wood/smoke. The HM Hickory is my favorite & I've always smoked with hickory wood.

If you give it a shot without wood please report your results.

Personally, with as little wood as the CS uses it's difficult for me to call it a "waste."

Move this down this down to the Jerky forum & you may get more opinions. Ok Smokin' do that Voo Doo you do!

I hope Smokin' moves this to the jerky forum so i can get more info.i still don't know if the flavor of the wood would change the whole flavor scheme of the cure. instance.Original,cajun,garlic&pepper etc.Hope allthis makes sense?

It's a smoker isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by rmd1969:
...i still don't know if the flavor of the wood would change the whole flavor scheme of the cure. instance.Original,cajun,garlic&pepper etc.Hope allthis makes sense?

Unless your senses are REAL keen, I'm not sure you'd pick up the difference between the woods and the spices in the cure. Jerky cures tend to overwhelm (on purpose) and the smoke is an added layer of flavor.

The only answer is for your taste buds to tell you. try two batches, each with the same cure, but different woods. Don't tell people what you did different and see.

In the end it will be your taste buds deciding if too much is too much.

My second batch of jerky turned out, well like jerky. The consistency was right on, however, I didn't get a lot of smoke flavor nor much flavor out of the High Mountain sweet & spicy cure and seasoning. Don't get me wrong. The family is going through it like candy. I would just like a little more smoke and season flavor.

I used the GLH method exactly with hickory but with jerky rods. I think I created my own smoke problem since I used one new 2 oz and two used 2 oz pieces of wood (first batch had great smoke flavor). I'll try all new wood next time and load up.

Both my batches of jerky needed stronger flavor from the seasoning. I followed the High Mountain recipe exactly, but how do I get a stronger seasoned, teriyaki, spiced or barbecue flavoring? I was thinking of marinading the "eye" in teriyaki or some marinade, however, it seems counter productive cause I'm adding moisture just to turn around and remove it in the smoker.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Anyone have a good seasoning recipe?

Pags

Pags -- Many times you have to break the "rules." I for get what HM recommends time-wise for marinade/cure. If I remember correctly its a minimum of 28 hours. I usually do mine at least 36 hours and have gone as long as 72.

The more details the better when describing a problem. How long did you marinade?

Don't take this the wrong way but why would you use wood a second time? If I used wood in a smoke & it didn't fire up, "it's history." I would much rather use something new & fresh in hopes that I would turn out the best smoke ever. Don't think you can duplicate half-burned wood.

Wheelz--

I cured both sweet/spicey and mandorin/teriyaki for 72 hours. Longer like you suggested, and that seems like plenty of time. Doesn't it? Still would like a stronger flavor. The butcher told me to cure the meat for a week until it turns dark. Didn't do it that long because noone in the forum recommended that length of time.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the wood. Duh! If it didn't fire up, why use it again. Seems logical. I, in essence, used only 2 oz of wood, and the result was a light smoke flavor. Sometimes someone else has to point out the obvious.

Thanks for your help. I'm still interested in doing some of my own seasoning. Got a good recipe you like and are willing to share?

Pags

Here's a Teriyaki recipe we use a lot:

Teriykai Marinade
1 cup soy sauce (Kikkomen's recommended)
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 tsp crushed or ground ginger root
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp pepper

Combine and mix ingredients.

Should do 3 or 4 lbs of meat.

You can add pepper flakes if you want it hotter or maple syrup if you want it sweeter.

Next time I make it I will be adding a little TenderQuick for curing to make the jerky last longer. (hopefully)

Qnorth--

Sounds interesting. Thank you. How long do you marinade?

Pags

I usually marinade overnight... or at least 8 hours.

Please use caution in storing if you are not using TQ or some kind of cure. Too easy for the little nasties to set in.

Thank you Wheelz. Good advise. I even keep my cured jerky in plastic bags in the refrigerator, and then five pounds(precooked) last only 4 or 5 days. Actually, adding TenderQuick to Qnorth's recipe makes sense.

SECRET! Freeze the cut meat so they are individually frozen apart from all other pieces. THEN throw in ziplock bag with marinade. Frezing pushes water out. When it thaws, it replaces what it lost with marinade. It allows a better penitration than any other method. Works GREAT with teriaki chicken. Jamey