Jerky Newb

PIMPZILLA said:

My sister in law emailed me this jerky recipe and asked if I'd make it for them.  I've never even thought of making jerky, so I wanted to run this by the pros before I attempted.........

5lbs beef bottom round
-sliced across the grain 1/8 inch
1 tsp. habanero powder    Someone likes it HOT
3 Tbls. Tamari
4 Tbls. Brown sugar
1 Tbbls. Garlic powder
1 Tblsp. Onion powder
1 tbls. Lime juice             Adds some acidity/tartness to mellow the heat, I'm guessing.
4 tbls. Canola oil             Not sure what this is for...never heard of using oil in jerky cure mix...
1 tblsp. Curing salt          Pretty vague, Tbls or tsp, and what type? Cure #1, Cure #2 or Morton's Tender Quick? Type and quantity really does matter.

Mix all ingredients together and marinate meat for 24 hours. Smoke in a
smoker at 100 degrees for 2 hours. Finishin oven on rack at 225 and check
every 10 minutes until done. Let cool. Enjoy!!

Click to expand...

225* to finish will dry it WAY too fast. Texture will be far less than desirable for most any recipes I've seen or used. The canola oil may be used to prevent rapid drying on the surface so the interior moisture can escape at the higher finishing temp, but I'm just grasping trying to figure out this recipe and finished temp. The procedure seems to be going to the extremes regarding finishing temp. Jerky drying should be dried at less than 160* for cured meat.

Eric

Eric's comments were good.

IMO, but I wouldnt roll with it... 225 will cook the meat, not dry it. 

I too have never seen/used oil with jerky.

Otherwise it sounds good, I might try it myself!

plj said:

Eric's comments were good.

IMO, but I wouldnt roll with it... 225 will cook the meat, not dry it. 

I too have never seen/used oil with jerky.

Otherwise it sounds good, I might try it myself!

Click to expand...

Ding ding ding! Got a winner here! Although some recipes will suggest bringing temps up for safety reasons I don't see the need if using a cure

Good catch plj.

Jerky needs to be dried out not cooked

I have quite a few jerky recipes and tutorials.Google "SQWIBS Jerky" it's the first hit.

I do want to point out to use the manufacturers suggested quantities for cure I however do not for tenderquick

If you are using a cure you do not have to worry about danger zones.

I have been making Jerky for a longtime and it's only been the last several years I have been using a cure.

I have also made Biltong, and what that is is you hang a piece of meat in a box with a light bulb and let it dry out in about 3-5 days, main ingredient is vinegar. Google "SQWIBS Biltong", its the first hit

to me the amount of salt seams a little bit light but i could be worng i have cook a lot of jerky in my young life ......goose most of the time and if i was doing it i would go with 175 for 2 hours then 225 smoke for only the first hour then the 3rd so only 2 hours of smoke if going with a heavy flavor wood or go for 3 with a light flavor wood like apple thats what i do

Assuming you will use Cure #1...1TBS is too much for 5lb of meat and that amount of liquid! That should be 1tsp Cure #1. If you plan on using Mortons Tender Quick, you need 7.5tsp for 5Lb of meat...JJ

I use 1 tsp. per 5 lbs. of meat.  Also, agree with the others that 225 is way too high, as than your cooking not dehydrating.  225 will get the final product's oil to come out and leave it greasy. 

I would ditch the oil and not go above 160ºF. Like others have said the cure type and amount is very important.

like the others have said...if your going to smoke at a low temp to dry the meat you might want to use a cure. if your using Tender Quick you want to use 1TBS per lb of meat

dougmays said:

like the others have said...if your going to smoke at a low temp to dry the meat you might want to use a cure. if your using Tender Quick you want to use 1TBS per lb of meat

Click to expand...

 Doug, I got this chart from another member regarding TQ for Sausage and Jerky, is it incorrect? I am not looking to argue with you I just want to be giving correct info...JJ

Use 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 level teaspoons) per pound of ground meat and fat. If replacing Morton Tender Quick for cure #1 in a recipe, do not add the salt that the recipe calls for.

 


tsp= teaspoon; Tbsp= Tablespoon;
C= cup; oz.= ounce

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?736-Curing-Salts

I also found this info here...I use 1.5 teaspoon of Morton[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] Tender Quick[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] to each 1lb of ground or thin sliced meat 1/4". Morton[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] Tender Quick[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] suggests 1 tablespoon per/lb for thin sliced meat 1/2", but their curing process is for a dry cure and for 1 hour which is different than what is outlined here. This is your decision.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ky-using-morton-tender-quick-in-mariande-form
 

hmm...well now you have me questioning myself. i've always gone by the package directions which i believe were 1TBS per 1LB of sliced meat. but now i'm seeing what your saying about 1.5tsp for ground meat, i've never cured ground meat.

and 1tbs for meat that is 1/2" thick, but when i do jerky i usually slice thinner. i guess i need to cut down on my TQ in my recipes.

Chef JimmyJ said:

 Doug, I got this chart from another member regarding TQ for Sausage and Jerky, is it incorrect? I am not looking to argue with you I just want to be giving correct info...JJ

Use 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 level teaspoons) per pound of ground meat and fat. If replacing Morton Tender Quick for cure #1 in a recipe, do not add the salt that the recipe calls for.

 

Amount of Meat/Fat	Amount of Cure
Vol.	Wt.
1 lb.	1.5 tsp	.23 oz.
5 lbs.	7.5 tsp	1.15 oz.
10 lbs.	1/4 C + 1 Tbsp	2.30 oz.
15 lbs.	1/4C + 3.5 Tbsp	3.45 oz.
25 lbs.	3/4 C + 1.5 tsp	5.55 oz.

tsp= teaspoon; Tbsp= Tablespoon;
C= cup; oz.= ounce

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?736-Curing-Salts

I also found this info here...I use 1.5 teaspoon of Morton[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] Tender Quick[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] to each 1lb of ground or thin sliced meat 1/4". Morton[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] Tender Quick[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup] suggests 1 tablespoon per/lb for thin sliced meat 1/2", but their curing process is for a dry cure and for 1 hour which is different than what is outlined here. This is your decision.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ky-using-morton-tender-quick-in-mariande-form
 

Click to expand...

Jimmy that would be my post on Jerky, but as i said before this is not the recommended ratio per Morton.

Morton suggests 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) per pound, I half that, but for fear of giving unsafe advice I always tell folks, when in doubt, go with the manufacturers recommended ratio's.

The chart is correct for Ground meat (for the first 2 I didn't do the math on the others.), Morton suggests 1.5 teaspoons for Ground meat and that is what I use for thinly sliced meats for jerky.

Yeah, guys, I think the main thing to consider with TQ, that many of us may oftentimes overlook, is that the recommended amount per package instructions, is a maximum. If you use the maximum amount, you will have a faster cure (with a higher sodium content in the finished product, unless soaked in cold, fresh water for reversal of the osmosis), while reducing the amount of cure will increase the time required for a fully cured product (and give a reduced-sodium finished product without soaking).

Although I have used 50% of the recommended amount of TQ in certain situations which allow for longer curing time, and I have gone as low as 1/3 to 1/4 the recommended amount of TQ with up to 3" of meat thickness, I do allow for extra curing time, paying close attention to indications that the cure reaction has stopped, and wait longer for added assurance. Would I recommend someone with zero curing experience go about it in this manner? No. You need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of what is taking place in order to have good control over the safety of your cured product.

For my jerky, I routinely use the full-strength cure concentration per lb of meat for a faster wet-cure/marinade, and salt content seems fine, though I have also gone for less TQ on occasion, with more time to cure.

I've never had cured meats that didn't fully cure (grey interior after smoking/drying/cooking), so yes, use of reduced cure amounts and getting a full cure can be accomplished. You just need to know a bit about how it works in order to get safe and proper results. If you have a proven curing recipe from a source you can trust, roll with it. But I would not advise anyone to just toss a recipe and curing procedure together off the top of their head without a good understanding of what curing is about...that would be a recipe for disaster.

For beginners, use the recommended amount of the proper cure type for the desired product, per the package instructions...that's your best starting point, IMHO. Any time you deviate from manufacturer's recommendations or proven curing procedures, you put yourself at risk for failure, or worse, causing someone to become ill, should you fail to detect unsafe (not fully cured, when curing is due) finished product.

Eric

good convo, i'm glad we went over this as a reminder of safety haha! i've been doing jerky for abouta year now and i've been doing 1tbs per lb and so far no problems...but i think i'm going to rethink that and cut down on the amount i use. probably better especially for anyone with hypertension.