Couple of Jerky Questions

[mrad]

In the past year I have probably made 15-20lbs of jerky on my  Blazin Grill Works Grid Iron.  Lately I have been reading the forum on making jerky and figured I should get a few things cleared up.

My typical recipe for the past year has been

1/2 cup tender quick

1/4 cup cayene pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

1/4 cup garlic salt

2 cups brown sugar. 

I mix all together then layer the meat while adding a coat of the mixture between each layer. I let it sit 24 hours and then place it on the smoker.

1)  I have been reading where cure is is recommended to stop botulism. Am I okay using tender quick instead?

2)  When I take the seasoned beef out of the fridge after 24 hours, quite a bit of moisture has built up on the meat and in the pan. Should I be towel drying the meat before placing it on the smoker.

3)  My lowest setting is 160. I have been smoking at a higher temp. At 160, how do I know when the jerky is finished?  Do I go by time, or is there some sort of appearance I should be looking for. Meat is about 1/4 thick. 

Thanks in advance.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Not knowing how many pounds of meat you are using I can't really comment on your recipe.

You can use tender quick for jerky. I believe that you need to use 1 tablespoon per pound of whole muscle meat. So your half cup may be a bit heavy handed.

When I do my jerky, I do not dry it off after curing.

Your jerky will be done when you get the texture that you like. For me it takes anywhere from 8 hours to 16 hours depending on how thick, what the humidity level is and what texture I am going for.

This is the recipe that I use

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/233270/thai-jerky

More here in the Jerky section:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/191066/dirtsailors-mega-mother-of-all-cooking-links-index

 

[mrad]

 
Not knowing how many pounds of meat you are using I can't really comment on your recipe.

You can use tender quick for jerky. I believe that you need to use 1.5 teaspoons per pound of whole muscle meat. So your half cup may be a bit heavy handed.

When I do my jerky, I do not dry it off after curing.

Your jerky will be done when you get the texture that you like. For me it takes anywhere from 8 hours to 16 hours depending on how thick, what the humidity level is and what texture I am going for.

This is the recipe that I use

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/233270/thai-jerky

More here in the Jerky section:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/191066/dirtsailors-mega-mother-of-all-cooking-links-index

I have typically been making 5 lb batches.

 

[ab canuck]

When we do our jerky we always go but feel, break it in two and check the centers. We like ours to be on the softer side yet still cooked. It can be a fine line. We also turn our seasonings into a brine when we do ours. We have had better luck that way for our tastes.

 

[myownidaho]

I can't answer the TC question, I don't use it. I don't dry the meat off. I smoke at 160 for three hours then finish in the dehydrator at 160. I don't like bone dry jerky, so I pull it when it bends with a slight cracking. It's all personal preference. I also like a 1/4" cut.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I have typically been making 5 lb batches.

At five pounds a half cup would be a bit high. There are 8 tablespoons per 1/2 half cup.

 

[noboundaries]

I just started making jerky in the last couple months or so.  I've been using my natural gas fired kitchen oven while I perfect my recipe and technique.  I've got a 3.5 lb batch in the oven right now with another 1.5 lb to do later today. 

1.  I use cure #1, not TC in my recipe. 

2.  I don't bother drying off the meat.

3.  I'm still experimenting with the jerky making temperature.   

My oven was designed as a convection oven, but we got it without the convection feature.  Consequently the oven temps vary from rack to rack and from the temp I have dialed in. 

I have made jerky with the oven set at 180F, 190F, 200F, and currently at 205F.  With the oven set at 205F the thermometer in the door and my Maverick hanging below the top rack both register 165-175F as the flame cycles on and off.  That means my shelf temps run about 30-40F below the set temp at these lower temperatures with the oven door cracked open by the meat thermometer.   When I put the remaining 1.5 lbs in the oven early this afternoon, I'm going to bump the oven temp up to 215F, which should give me a shelf temp of 175-185F.   I've read about jerky dried/cooked at too high a temp being crumbly.  I haven't run into that yet. 

I like a slightly softer jerky.  Depending on the thickness of the average cut, I typically let it run for 4 to 6 hours before it reaches the texture I like.