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I usually turn 8 lbs of beef into about 3.5 lbs of jerky. So far I've only used my oven because my smoker will only hold about half that much. Just made a batch yesterday as a matter of fact.
If you use the proper amount of cure #1 (1 tsp per weight of 5 lbs of beef and cure together), you'll be safe.
My cure recipe started with Alton Brown's recipe, but has changed quite a bit. I found it too salty and bland. The liquid smoke added nothing to the flavor.
Here's my recipe for 4 lbs of beef.
1. 1 cup Teriyaki sauce.
2. 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
3. 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce.
4. 2 tsp black pepper.
5. 2 tsp onion powder.
6. 2 tsp garlic powder.
7. 1 tsp cure #1 (Prague Powder).
I'll put the meat and cure in a 1 gallon Ziplock bag, squeeze out all the air, then put that in another Ziplock bag. I'll cure in the refrigerator overnight up to two days, squeezing the meat in the bags every 6-8 hours just to ensure the cure reaches all the meat.
In my oven I set the temp at 205F, and crack the oven door open with a meat thermometer. The rack temps are right at 180F. Using half bakers sheets with cooling racks in them, I put two racks of meat in the oven, one on the top rack as close to the top as I can get, and one on the rack just below it.
I set the timer for 3 hours. At that point I take the racks out of the oven, turn the meat over, then put the racks back in the oven on the opposite shelf where they were before. Set the timer for 1.5 hours, remove, cool, cut into pieces with meat shears, put in plastic bags, and store in the refrigerator for added safety.
I usually double the recipe and make 8 lbs of beef. Lasts me about two months.
