In my last few Q's, I just couldn't stand watching the fire die out without something on the grill, and I found that this is the perfect time to throw that Jerky on the old smoker. Being that, I have been able to play with spicy jerky a few times now. We are not talking "Flaming Hot Cheetos" or "Spicey Slim Jims" here. We are talking, "go to the Thai food place and ask for 7 stars on the 5 star heating scale".
In case anybody wants a cheat sheet, here is the rundown:
Use Stogies beef jerky marinade -- out of all that I tried, I agree that his tastes the best! When mixing it up, however, hold back about 1/2 cup of the water.
Next, add:
-2 extra tablespoons of Cayanne
-1 tablespoon of Paprika
-1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh ground black pepper (I found that I didn't like the taste of too much white pepper).
-3 tablespoons of (I used Melinda's) ground Habanero flakes. Remember that these are dehydrated, and so you will not get the best flavor out of them if you are only marinating the meat for a few hours.
-3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
-1 bottle (about 5 - 8 oz) of your favorite hot sauce. I generally use "A** in the tub" or "Dat'l Do It Devil Drops". Fair warning, you WILL be able to taste the vinegar if your hot sauce has too much in it (go figure
). Dave's insanity works well, but I don't recommend a whole bottle. Additionally, Daves seems to make it very hot while greatly diminishing the flavor.Before smoking, drain off the jerky, and then add it into a ziplock back. Dump some more red pepper flakes into the bag and mix it up. You can press the pepper flakes into the meat as well--this will help them to hold on to the meat through the cooking/moving stages.
I will sometimes use more hot sauce and habanero flakes depending on the results desired, so try it out and use your best judgement.
The result will be some jerky that will, at worst make your nose run, and at best (depending on your tolerance) make you cry--while still having GREAT flavor.
The added bonus of making this jerky is that it doesn't disappear as fast as the mild!! LOL.
Oh yeah--don't feed the ones that fall on the ground to the dog. Well, maybe to the annoying neighbor dog....
