jerky

[whittlinsam]

Have some beef and some ground beef marinating to smoke tomorrow.    I am using an MES 30.    I don't know what to do about the water pan.   I know if I put water in the pan, the meat will not dry as well.    If I leave the pan out, the heat will fluctuate quite a bit.    I thought about lining the pan with foil but am afraid grease will accumulate in the pan and burn.   I intend to keep temperatures low and it may not be a problem.    Would appreciate any thoughts.

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Sam! Just want you to know I moved this thread to "Making Jerky", I think you will get more exposure to the topic than you would in "Roll Call".

A lot of people, myself included, don't use water in the pan, we fill it with play sand, you can get it at any hardware store. It really helps to maintain a more consistent temp. You can cover it with foil to keep the drippings out of the sand or even use a disposable foil pan with a little water set on top of the sand pan to catch the drippings.

 

[whittlinsam]

Will give that some thought.    Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[smokinhusker]

Hey there! Just saw this and you've probably already done your jerky but here's some info for next time. I have MES 40 and I've probably made over 100 lbs jerky. I covered my pan with heavy duty foil, no water or sand. Works out well. 

 

[whittlinsam]

Thanks for the response.    I appreciate the info.

I did some ground beef and some round steak.    I did put water in the pan, didn't seem to make much difference.    I do think I will make some changes before I try again.    I think I will cut the meat into strips after it comes off the smoker, it should be easier to deal with.    And I want to invest in a couple frogmats.     They look like they could help much.    And I think I will try sirloin tip steak, you can buy it sliced approximately 1/4 " thick in the stores.    It is as lean as the round steak and needs less trimming.

I also want to experiment with the seasonings.    I tried Back Yard Original seasoning packet from Bass Pro, really don't care for it.    I think I will come up with my own recipe after doing some research.