Beef Jerky - QView

[bignick]

I had a craving for some, so I got 2 eye of round roasts from Sam's.  I used the "Jerky Board" and an electric knife to cut the slabs about 1/4" thick.  Then, I sliced those up into strips.  High Mountain cure and seasoning along with an extra sprinkle of red pepper went on and sat in the 'fridge overnight.  I've got the MES loaded down and kissing the meat with hickory smoke right around 190*.  I had too much meat, so I will have to cook in 2 batches.  ***Okay first batch is done, and it is lip smackin stuff!  Got the second batch on now.  Thanks for looking.

 

[Bearcarver]

That looks super Nick!

You went right to 190˚ and stayed there?

How long did that take in your MES 30, and at what point did you pull them?

Darn they look tasty!

Bearcarver

 

[scarbelly]

That is some great looking jerky man - How long did you smoke it

 

[flyfishjeep]

That does look great!  I'm with Bear- give up the details!!!  I've  been wanting to do some jerky...

 

[lugnutz]

I love jerky!!!  and that looks good!!!!

 

[bignick]

Thanks for the compliments!  I wish I could share some with you, it is really good.  It's 7:30 and I'm not hungry for dinner because I've been snacking on this all day!  It is addictive.

I followed the directions that came with the Hi Mountain cure/seasoning.  It recommends 1 1/2-2 hours @ 200* after 28 hour cure.  When I loaded down the smoker, it took a while to get back up to temp, so I was closer to the 2 hour mark, maybe even over.  I didn't do a great job of keeping time, I just monitored it when it was getting close.  Because of hot spots in the MES, certain pieces were done before the others.  I rotated the racks and also pulled the done pieces early when needed.

It was nice to fire up the MES, that poor guy hasn't seen much action since I got my SNP.  I do prefer charcoal these days, but its nice to have the lower temp settings when you need it.  I am tempted to get one of those Amazn deals and get some more use out of the MES.

This is probably the 4th or 5th batch that I've done using the same technique, all with great results.  The electric knife and Jerky Board (found that at Bass Pro) really make it easy to cut.

Enjoy the weekend!

 

[mballi3011]

Man the jerky sure does look great and thanks for the how to and what ifs. It sound like the jerky is easy enough. But what is so great about this jerky board??? It looks like a regular board with a fat groove in it.

 

[bignick]

I'm not sure what a 'fat groove' is, so maybe my amatuer status is showing through.  I was just saying that I don't know of any easier way to get those consistant 1/4" cuts from a roast like that.  I'm sure there are some commercial slicers or some other sophisticated equipment out there that could tackle the job, but for this backyard guy, its okay.

 

[Bearcarver]

Man the jerky sure does look great and thanks for the how to and what ifs. It sound like the jerky is easy enough. But what is so great about this jerky board??? It looks like a regular board with a fat groove in it.

Mark,

That's not a fat groove. The edge of that board is 1/4" higher than the middle (see the right side of the bottom board in the first picture). If you keep your knife flat on the raised edge of the board, it will be slicing the meat to the difference in height of the edge of the board. I don't have one, but if you're going to slice it by hand, these boards can really help.

Again I say great job Nick!

Bear

PS: I'm still wondering what you go by to know when to pull them out.

 

[bignick]

Thanks for helping with the explanation, Bear!

As far as when to pull...it's really just a visual thing, and a bit of personal preference.  The color of the meat will start to change from brown to red and then getting darker red and eventually black if you leave it in that long.  I say try a batch and see what you like the best.  I like the darker red peices, showing slight signs of turning black.

I wish I had a more scientific answer for you!

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks for helping with the explanation, Bear!

As far as when to pull...it's really just a visual thing, and a bit of personal preference.  The color of the meat will start to change from brown to red and then getting darker red and eventually black if you leave it in that long.  I say try a batch and see what you like the best.  I like the darker red peices, showing slight signs of turning black.

I wish I had a more scientific answer for you!

That's alright! That's not such a bad answer!

Some go for bending and almost breaking. 

Yours look so good, I just wanted to hear your method.

Thanks,

Bear

Oh, and I was going to make a board like that, but then I have use of an electric slicer---my son's.