Beef Jerky: Ten Pounds, Two Types (with Pics)

[couger78]

I picked up ten pounds of lean top round recently. After chilling them well to near frozen, I sliced the lot into approximately 1/8-1/4" wide strips—depending on how distracted I was during the slicing.

I decided to make two flavors—a basic black pepper jerky (my son's favorite), and teriyaki.

Here are the recipes I followed. You can use regular soy sauce. We're a gluten-free household so the GF soy sauce ($$) is what I used.

Basic Black Pepper Jerky Marinade

for 5lbs meat

8 oz Gluten-free Soy Sauce

2 oz Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbl Fresh coarse-ground black pepper (Tellicherry preferred)

1 Tbl Garlic powder (or 3 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped)

1 tsp Cayenne (optional)

1 tsp (levell) Cure#1

1 tsp Liquid Smoke (I didn't use this as I plan on smoking the beef)

Teriyaki Jerky Marinade

for 5lbs meat

10 oz Gluten-free Soy sauce

4 oz Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbl chopped garlic

2 tsp fresh black pepper

8 oz Dark Brown sugar

2 tsp fresh chopped Ginger

3 finely-chopped Scallions (white & green parts)

2 tsp -1 Tbl Sesame oil (potent, so use to taste)

1 tsp (level) Cure#1

I mixed in the meat in two bowls with the ingredients, and bagged them in zip-loc freezer bags. Squeezed out the excess air and these will both reside in my fridge for the next two days. Then it's off to the smoker with them on Monday.

More to come...

Kevin

jrky_prep_zps5baa5955.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 23, 2013

 

[disco]

Looks good. As someone who has never tried jerky, I would appreciate your advice. I have read that it should be sliced with the grain and against the grain. Which way do you recommend?

 

[couger78]

I have read that it should be sliced with the grain and against the grain. Which way do you recommend?

There's a personal preference involved here.

Some like they're jerky to be more tender and have little given when eaten while others like a chewier, tougher mouth-feel. Much has to do with how the meat is treated AND how it is sliced. If you cut with your knife parallel to the grain, you end up with long muscle fibers that are tough for your teeth to break through (i.e. chewier). Slicing thinly against  the grain, however, delivers very short pieces of muscle fiber that are barely held together (i.e. tender).

Here's my dilemma— in our house, some like the tougher jerky, others like it more tender. So I wind up doing it both ways (with and across the grain). Me? I like it on the more tender side.

Found this image using steak slices, which really helps explain it better— WITH the grain & Cross the grain:

20100305-slicing-beef-hanger-slices.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 23, 2013

Kevin

 

[woodcutter]

Looks like both of those are going to have some flavor !!!

 

[disco]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[couger78]

Okay, onward....

After almost two days of marinade, time to hang the meats pieces for the smoker. Using the tried & true wooden toothpick method, I managed to get all 10 pound onto a single rack. This was my preference (vs multi-rack) in order to get a consistent temp for the duration.

Hanging for the first hour or so with no smoke @ 150°F to dry off the excess moisture before applying smoke.

Jerky_hanging_sml_zps79ef25e4.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 25, 2013

Using a maple/hickory blend of dust, I applied light smoke for the next 3-4 hours.

Here's a shot about 2 hours into the smoke application...

jerky_2hrs_sml_zps1eb17a1b.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 25, 2013

After nearly 5 hours @ 150°F I did a test-pull and the jerky looks & feels just about right...

jerky_5hrs_sml_zpsf8fb197d.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 25, 2013

Good color & texture. Tens pounds of beef yielded just a bit over 5 pounds of jerky. Here's samples side by side...

Jerky_plate_sml_zps548e328c.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 25, 2013

The teriyaki jerky has a touch of garlicky sweetness (almost a tang) & just the right amount of saltiness...

Jerky_teriyaki_sml_zps1c8a94f2.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 25, 2013

The black pepper jerky has a great 'basic' jerky flavor, with a bit of heat provided by the coarse-ground peppercorns...

Jerky_BlkPepper_sml_zpsbe1d6e09.jpg

• couger78
• Mar 25, 2013

Most importantly, all the boys seem to like both types, so I'm a happy jerky-maker! 

Kevin

 

[gotarace]

Jerky looks excellent Kevin...I made five pounds a few weeks ago and it just disappears way to quick. I'm with you..next time it is a ten pound batch!!

 

[DanMcG]

Looks and sound great Kevin, BTW whats the lvl in the ingredient list next to cure #1 mean?

 

[Bearcarver]

Outstanding Jerky, Kevin!!!

Bear

 

[couger78]

Looks and sound great Kevin, BTW whats the lvl in the ingredient list next to cure #1 mean?

Thanks, guys.

lvl = level teaspoon vs heaping. Probably should've just typed it out. Edited for clarity.

sorry for the confusion.

Kevin

 

[smokinhusker]

Looks fantastic!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Really nice looking jerky! Two of our favorite flavors!

 

[humdinger]

Really nice job Cougar! I've done one batch of hi-mountain terriyaki with venison so far. Next time I plan on adding pepper to the mix so thanks for doing this tutorial, because now I know what 2 tbs of pepper looks like on 5 lbs of meat.

 

[baba bones]

sounds great I've been wanting to do sum and thats awatta I'm gonna do this weekend too..yummmmm

 

[chef willie]

Xlnt looking jerky.....pics are great. I'll have to do some up in the smoker.....usually cheat and use the dehydrator

 

[couger78]

Xlnt looking jerky.....pics are great. I'll have to do some up in the smoker.....usually cheat and use the dehydrator

Wille, this is actually my first batch made in this masterbuilt gas smoker. In the past, I've relied on my wife's multi-rack dehydrator and/or my old weber smokey mountain.

I wanted to apply smoke this go-round (hence, no dehydrator), but I didnt want the hassle of the high-maintenance temperature management inherent with using the weber—so the master built was chosen for the job. Worked pretty well too. Kept a fairly consistent temp range (150-160°F) for the 6 hour process.

With the Extra wide, I realized I could probably do 30+ pounds at one time—should the need arise. 

Kevin

 

[jamiemac13]

On the marinade recipes, what could I buy locally to substitute. Morton tender quick? If so how much would I use compared to the cure1?

Thanks!!

 

[woodcutter]

On the marinade recipes, what could I buy locally to substitute. Morton tender quick? If so how much would I use compared to the cure1?

Thanks!!

Morton TQ is salt and cure mixed together and I see Cougar's marinades don't have any salt so it looks like you would have to use cure#1. It is available at places like Cabela's or Bass Pro or on line.

 

[couger78]

On the marinade recipes, what could I buy locally to substitute. Morton tender quick? If so how much would I use compared to the cure1?

Thanks!!

Jamie, here's a good source for comparative information on cures:

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

"Like cure #1, these premix cures (Tender Quick, for example) have been developed as a cure for meat, poultry, game, fish and sausage that require short curing times, and will be fully cooked. They are NOT interchangeable with cure #1; they measure differently. Unlike cure #1, you don't use any additional salt when making sausage..."

I added no additional salt to my marinade as provide an ample amount.

Tender Quick ratios: per pound of whole muscle meat that will be cured in whole form, use 1 TBL of TQ.

For ground meats, use 1.5tsp for each pound.

Kevin

 

[jamiemac13]

Hey dudes,

Thanks for the replies. Guess I'll have to wait a week and get my cure1.