You're most welcome...figured you may want to look into it, as a dryer jerky can be stored at room temps for along time if not in a really humid environment, and that also makes for a great carry item for outdoors any time of the year.
If you're thinking about cured whole muscle jerky sometime in the future, and a drier overall texture, here's one of my more well-documented batches (although I didn't know about changing the drying chamber humidity back then), with links to a recipe which is well-liked here by a few members who've tried it (that I know of) (uses Morton's Tender Quick [TQ as we call it] cure)...about 50% dried weight-loss with is round, so it's nearly perfect for storage @ room-temp, with a very intensified flavor of the meat.
A little sneak preview...3/8" thick slices were used for this batch, so they held up to hanging in the smoker very nicely..bonus is that the thick slices allow you to fit more in the smoker per batch...drying time of course was pretty long for this, but worth it, IMHO:
There are lots of ways to make jerky a bit differently than the next guy does, so finding what you like best, or just trying something new, can give you a lot of insight as well as some great snacking while you try new recipes and methods. Just be sure to follow the basic guidelines for food safety and jerky making...must be cooked if uncured, or dried per proven methods...if cured though, guidelines are far less restrictive and time/temps for drying are not so critical.
Enjoy your jerky!
Eric
EDIT: almost forgot, as this was a long time ago...this is a very different model of
jerky gun than you have, but you may find some useful tips about shooting jerky strips, loading with ground meat, etc, here:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/81528/sighted-in-my-jerky-gun-today
