My meat isnt drying, its cooking

No your not.....I have even come home from the grocery store with the wrong item on occasion. It happens to the best of us. We're u able to cancel?

Not gonna bother.

A friend purchased it for me so I could use their Prime shipping. I have friends that camp, Ill pass it onto them and order some tEnderquick.

You don't need to order TenderQuick, check at the local grocery stores or Walmart's. It will be in the spices section, come in a dark blue 2# bag. It will say Morton in big letters and you'll think it is salt, until you read the label. Check it out!

If you like the Hi mountain jerky mix, I buy mine at Cabella's, if you have one around you or check out their online store.

quote:

Originally posted by CJF28:
So, this is what I picked up from Amazon

Instacure:
http://www.amazon.com/Instacur...id=1332275986&sr=8-1

Inferno blend
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ..._o02_s00_i00_details


And I thought this was cool, it looks premeasured on the tenderquick I ordered
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ..._o02_s00_i01_details

Im ready to go, right?

The Inferno Blend and other HiMtn jerky kits are $7.59 each. They often have specials and they have two sampler kits of 5 flavors each for $12.09. If you get into this, their bulk products are a big savings.

I am glad I decided to mention it to u. I know I would have been disappointed if that were me opening the box ready to make jerky and found the wrong item. Prime shipping is a great thing. we have been members for years, I often use it for my friends as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Vicki B:
I am glad I decided to mention it to u. I know I would have been disappointed if that were me opening the box ready to make jerky and found the wrong item. Prime shipping is a great thing. we have been members for years, I often use it for my friends as well.

Theres a group of about 8 of us that use it at work. A husband/wife actually are subscribed, and let the rest of us use it. after last yr, we all said thanks by buying their Prime for them this year.

And I dont mind laughing at myself when I do dumb stuff. We were trying to order it quick, and I just sped thru the listings.

Someone is getting a lame Xmas gift this year. thats all I know.


Cory

LOL....

Well guys, I tried the spicy marinade Posted by Pags, authored by Lionel - there was absolutely no spice (heat flavor) on the jerky after smoking. I am gonna try the spicy and sweet by hi-mtn next. I was really hoping for a spicy bite to the meat, but nothing. Pags, how did yours turn out.

quote:

there was absolutely no spice (heat flavor) on the jerky after smoking

Vicki B, try dusting/sprinkling some of your jerky with just your heat of choice after marinating and just before putting in the smoker. I like to grind some fresh pepper on mine. Compare and see if there's an improvement.

Thanks GratefulB I will try that. Your post got me thinking, I was sent some Texas Rib Candy in my rub/sauce exchange and perhaps if I pat the marinated jerky with a paper towel then brush on the Rib Candy, then smoke, maybe some heat will stay on. Thanks for the idea.

Mine goes into the smoker this morning. Bad timing. I was going to golf but must tend to the jerky. Disapointing there was no heat Vicky, what with all the pepper. I let mine cure for 2 days, and it smells quite spicey. Most of the brine/cure has soaked into the meat, and while I'm inclined to follow your recommendation, I'll throw it in "as is"...based on this morning's observation. The garlic batch smells quite garlicky...hope it tastes as good as it smells. Will report later.

OK. The jerky turned out pretty good. The butcher didn't cut the slices even enough so there were thinner and thicker slices producing inconsistant results. Not my best results but decent.

The "hot and spicey" jerky had some heat. The fire eaters out there would have been disappointed, but for those of us that like some heat would find it acceptable. I did cure it twice as long as Vicki, but based on her feedback I lightly sprinkled the jerky with black pepper, coarse grind, before smoking it.

The garlic jerky turned out pretty good. Sweet with a distinct garlic flavor. I, also, sprinkled the jerky lightly with more garlic before smoking it.

WOOHOO.

Got my Inferno blend today.

And my tinder-quick

Made one batch of the inferno. Went according to the instructions. Letting it sit now in the fridge for 48 hours. See if I can figure this out

Cory

How thick did u cut your.meat? The cure does 1/4 inch in 24 hours. If the meat is just at 1/4 inch, I would go for 24 hours, a tad more wouldnt hurt either. I have gone much longer because I couldnt get to it (closer to 48) but the meat seemed to lose flavor. If u need to go long because u cant get to it that works, but I wiuld suggest doing the recommended time first so.u get a starting point/flavor to compare for later smokes with the same pdt. Sorry, I am on my phone and I cant always type great.I am dying to know how hot it actually comes out because.I was to chiclen to order it a while back. Have all the others though.

after 2 hours at 200 degrees like the packaging said, my inferno batch is done.

it has a little heat to it. But not much. But then again, im also the guy that eats Ghost pepper salsa, so i may have burned most of my taste buds off already.

I put the meat straight into a ziplock from the smoker. I read somewhere the condensation from the meat will help inrich the flavor. Will it help keep cooking alittle more also?

The meat did have the red coloring that was mentioned above. But the meat still seemed "soft" ? and easy to chew off? if that makes sense? It wasnt had to bite into like real tough jerky.

Ill have some more in the morning.

Also today, I got my pink salt "instacure #1". And Blairs Private reserve hot sauce. Supposedly over 1,000,000 on the scolville unit scale for hutness. My stomach has been upset all day, after just two drops on a tortilla chip.

Cory

I smoke @160 until dry but bendable. The meat will soften and the flavor improve sealed in the fridge overnight. Mine takes 6 hours.

I've never gotten my jerky to be difficult to bite through like you find in some commercial product. Tough but chewable.

Wow. One million on the Scovall Scale. That's hotter than pepper spray. I knew a couple sauces were out there that achieved widow making lethal ingestion. I just never knew anyone who tried them...or had the desire.

Ouch!!!!!! That's all I have to say.

I let my jerky cool hanging in the smoker as part of the process. Afterwards I put it into the baggies. I have never tried using the condensation. Even when room temp and going into the bag, the next day the flavor is enhanced and the appearance is moister looking and more shiny. If u used a cure in the jerky u don't need to refrigerate it. I keep mine in baggies on the counter and it easily lasts over a week with no problem. I do however keep a paper towel on the bottom of the bag just to absorb any extra grease. I need to buy some of that inferno blend!!!

If your jerky is going in a week, you probably don't need a cure. The fridge is "over caution". Thx for reminding me...think I'll grab a couple pieces.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
I can't answer cure 1 for you, but I too use a wet cure for my jerky. Here it is for reference:

5 lbs sliced meat
1 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of onion powder
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of black pepper
2 tablesppons of Morton® Tender Quick®
1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper

+



=

Next batch tonight.

MUwahahahahaha


Cory

quick question though,

Instead of TenderQuick, can I use the Instacure #1 pink salt and get the desired results

cory

Yes, for the curing part, but look up the amounts of sugar and salt in tenderquick online somewhere there has to be an ingredients list. You will need to add back the sugar and salt to the recipe in the amt of tenderquick it called fo. Remember instacure 1 is just the cure. Dont forget 1 tsp to 5 pounds meat. That death stuff looks scarry, better wear gloves and eye protection

quote:

Originally posted by Vicki B:
Yes, for the curing part, but look up the amounts of sugar and salt in tenderquick online somewhere there has to be an ingredients list. You will need to add back the sugar and salt to the recipe in the amt of tenderquick it called fo. Remember instacure 1 is just the cure. Dont forget 1 tsp to 5 pounds meat. That death stuff looks scarry, better wear gloves and eye protection

I was actually going to copy Pags recipe just above your post. and sub in the instacure for the tenderquick. Other than that switch, i just followed it exactly.

Pags, what do you smoke it at, and for how long?

thanks Guys/Gals

Cory

180* for 5-6 hrs. Keep an eye on it. Don't let it get too dry or cooked. At close to 4 hrs, eat a test piece at each moisture dump.

quote:

Originally posted by CJF28:
I was actually going to copy Pags recipe just above your post. and sub in the instacure for the tenderquick. Other than that switch, i just followed it exactly.

Should work fine for the amount of liquid that is in that recipe. Keep good notes on the length of time in the brine for future reference.

Sounds like you like hot jerky, so right before you put the jerky on to smoke use a small dusting of cayenne pepper,not too much thou!

Or throw some of the Blair's Reserve right into the brine. I'd test it first on 5 separate pieces.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
Or throw some of the Blair's Reserve right into the brine. I'd test it first on 5 separate pieces.

thats my next idea. The sauce itself is VERY cayenne-y

it says not to use it as a hot sauce, its for "ingredient" only

I can see why.

Yes, if u ever want to feel you tongue or lips again, or like the first couple of layers of skin cells, I'd only use it as an ingreident.....i

so Pags,

after using your recipe for my jerky, its pretty gritty with the salt on it. do i rinse it off? or put it straight into the smoker that way?

Don't rinse it, but I'm surprised the salt didn't dissolve. It'll smoke fine the way it is. Rinsing will wash off some of the flavoring. Are you sure the grit isn't the pepper?

it may be the pepper. i was more aware of just the grittiness of it more than what it actually was. I wont be able to smoke it until tomorrow night, so it will have about 36-40 in the brine.

thanks. Ill let you know how it turns out

Cory

Cory,
Check out Devil's Kiss Jerky Seasoning @ Butcher-Packer. It says it's "for the adventerous". $5.99 makes 25 pounds. They also have HiMtn for $6.75.

thanks. Ill have to order that next.

I tried pags recipe and it turned otu better than anything else I had done on my own. The only thing I would say was it was really salty. That may be my fault for doing 2 teaspoons of instacure to 5 lbs of meat. but I wanted to match Pags as much as possible, and he used 2:5 with tenderquick. so I dont know.

I know it went quick at my work, my wifes work, and apparently even my daughter snuck some to school for her friends.

I guess the chef just ends up being the pickiest.

Thanks for the help guys. Thanks for the recipe Pags.

Cory

DO NOT try to cross exchange the pink salt for tender quick, follow the instructions closely for the products. They are to different animals, TQ has sugars in it, but pink salt will only have salt and nitrites in it.

Personally, I'd not cure with the pink salt more than 24 hrs, that may have came in as a factor on the salty taste and sure would a hammy taste.

Glad to hear it is getting better thou!

Cory, its getting better if everyone is stealing it . As I mentioned bove, u do need to adjust for sugar and salt when using Instacure. The 1 or 2 tsp of cure that u used (1 next time as u said) shouldnt make it too salty, but if there is already a lot of salt in the recipe u might have to adjust that. U also need to adjust for more sugar since instacure has none.

we are always our worst critics..My daught.er takes jerky for her frienda as well. and all my older sons friends eat it when they r here.

Glad you enjoyed it Cory. As you do more, you'll make adjustments that work for you and try new recipes that you'll like, even changing them slightly to suit your taste. The missing inventory is a good sign.

So, I have 3 batches marinating now, using Pags recipe. Changed a little, due to not having some things.

5 lbs sliced meat
1 cup of soy sauce
1-1/2 cup of brown sugar (didnt want to mess with honey)
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic (out of garlic powder)
2 tablespoons of onion powder
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon instacure (dont have tenderquick)
1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper

Didnt want to fight squeezing out the honey. so I replaced it with more brown sugar.

I subbed out the tenderquick for instacure. and as I learned last time, i needed to add more sweet to offset the straight salt from instacure.

I ran out of Garlic Powder, so I subbed in minced garlic instead.

so, 3 batches

1 like above
1 like above, but with 1/3 teaspoon of blairs Reserved hot sauce
1 like above, but with a cup of teriyaki added in.

Gonna smoke the Hot jerky tonight. Let you know, if I figure out what Im doing wrong.

Cory

Sounds like fun. Let us know how it turned out.