Bear,
A little advice before I do this please.
First off I have a cookshack, they seem to be a more humid smoker than other types, I was wondering if the low starting point was for drying mainly? My smoker will smoke well at lower temps, I just use chips instead of chunks, So I could start with them and progress to chunks. Curious also about why the slow build up in temps, possibly to keep it from cooking to fast and drying out internally? My reasoning for the gradual rise in temps used to be because it was the only way to keep my MES 30 smoking---making the element come on more often. Now that I have my AMNS, I would probably put it at 130˚ for an hour or 2 without smoke. Then put smoke on it at about 140˚ or 150˚ for a whole lot of hours (to get a lot of light smoke on it without making it finish too fast). Then after maybe a total of 10 hours or so, I'd raise the temp to about 180˚ until it got about 155˚ to 160˚ internal.
I am thinking of picking up a couple of eyes this week as they are on sale $2.59 lb at the local store where i buy most of my meat. That's a really good price for Eye Rounds.
If I follow your suggestion and cut into 3" long pieces would I still put each one in it's own bag or could I put say 2 in with no issues, since the meat is smaller size is 10 days still needed in the fridge, and my fridge runs cooler kicks on at 38 off at 31. Don't cut 3" long, cut 3" thick. Then when you slice the finished product, slice across grain. Then use the thickness calculating formula (below). I keep a bottle of water in my fridge, with a ET-73 meat probe in it. When the air in the fridge runs from 32˚ to 41˚, the water in the bottle is at 37˚/38˚. If it drops below 37˚, or goes above 38˚, I adjust the dial.
I am asking because I tried this one time before with less than great results, it was done then with a whole sirloin tip that was brined for about 2 weeks before smoking, I don't remember what happened, but I think I took it to to high of a temp maybe, but it was not what I had wanted. I would not go above 190˚ on this stuff. However, it wouldn't hurt to go another 10 hours. The store bought stuff is a lot more dry than this is, the way I do it.
thanks for any help.
dave
Calculate curing time:
After slicing it in half:
Measure thickest point.
How many half inches are there in that number?
Then add 2 days to that.
That will be the minimum curing time.
I like to add 2 or 3 days to that, especially since it is all meat, and no fat.
Example:
2" thick---------four (1/2")
4 plus 2 = 6 days minimum.
I would give it 8 or 9 days.
2 1/2" thick would be one day longer.
3" thick would be 2 days longer.
Also I always put one piece in one bag. That way one piece will not get more than it was supposed to, and the other one less.
And I measure exactly the right amount of TQ for each separate piece. Or See below "On Edit".
Hope this helps,
Bear
On Edit: Dave there is another way of cutting an eye roast for this dried beef, instead of turning each one into 2 pieces, and using a bag for each half---You could butterfly them, keeping them each in one piece.
Example: The eye rounds I get are usually about 4" thick, by 5 inches wide, by 8" long.
So cut right down the middle of the piece, leaving 2" on each side of your knife, but stop about 2" before you get to the other side.
Now spread that out (butterfly). Now you should have a piece about 2" thick, by about 9" wide, by 8" long.
Then you can put that one piece in one bag, and not have to inject to cure it, because it is now only 2" thick.
Just make sure you keep it flat in the bag, and keep the bag flat when it is in the fridge, so the curing juices don't run all to one side.