I'm a first time jerky maker hoping to make some awesome jerky this weekend. I bought about 4.5 lbs. EOR and have all the ingredients for a marinade as well as TQ. My equipment is a MES 30 analog.
Eye of Round is a nice cut for Jerky.
I've been reading these forums all afternoon and am more confused than ever. So...from what I understand 1/4" is a reasonable thickness and EOR is an acceptable choice of beef. Correct so far?
Yep, you're not as confused as you think you are, just unsure...does that sound better?
1/4" is thick, but I have gone to 3/8" thick for Pepper-Steak Jerky. Thicker slices take longer to dry, and can be smoked longer, if you wish, without the smoke becoming overpowering.
Marinade...I've found some recipes I think sound good and thought I'd vary my own with one (or more) of those as a starting point. It will be soy based and might also contain some worcestershire sauce.
BOth soy and worsty contain a fair amount of salt, and when using TQ, it could become VERY salty. I use TQ only with spices and water. You may want to try some simple spice blending instead of the high-salt liquid base. Check my sig line for pepper-steak jerky (I may have posted it in the Wiki as well...don't recall). You can tweek it to suit your liking, and I use all my jerky recipes with TQ. Rave reviews from family, neighbors, friends and all around town. KISS method seems to be best for jerky...just let the beef and smoke do most of the talking. Jerky is an intensified beef flavor, due to the drying of the meat, so it really doesn't need a lot of anything added to taste great.
One of the things I'm most confused about is cure. I bought Morton's TQ. Do I need to just add that to the marinade or replace some (or all) of the salt in my recipe with it. How much do I need?
No added salt when using TQ.
How long do I need to marinade my beef? I've read anything from 2 hours to several days.
Using TQ per instructions, add 1 level Tbsp per pound of trimmed and sliced meat, then, I add 3-4oz water/lb with spices and mix well, then add to meat and toss well to cover all surfaces. Thin sliced (1/8") can cure in as little as 6-8 hours. For 1/4" to 3/8", I cure for 24 hours, minimum...I like to go 36 or more, just to be sure. Also, I like to re-toss the bowl or squish the bag of curing meat around, and turn over the bag every 8-12 hours to redistribute the seasoning and cure mix.
Then...as for smoking. I'm planning to lay it out on the racks (as opposed to hanging it). Do I lay it directly on the racks? Should they be oiled or anything? 150' seems to be considered safe and effective. For 6 hours? And it looks like I only want to introduce smoke for the first couple hours. Am I on track?
How you go about supporting the slices for smoking and drying doesn't really matter...on the grate or hung...I've done both, and each method has it's own merits. On the grate is easy, hanging allows for more capacity.
I've never oiled my grates for jerky. The lower temps shouldn't cause issues with sticking, at I've never experienced it. If you're getting a decent amount of smoke (I recommend hickory, or hickory/cherry mix), 30-40 minutes is plenty. The slices have a lot of surface area, so it doesn't take much smoke to get pretty strong flavor. With cured jerky meat, you can smoke cold (as cold as you can get, or under 100*), then bump temps to 100* or so for the first few hours. Bump again to 130-140* for another hour or so, then finish in the 150-160* range. Oh, no water in the pan during jerky making for me...you don't want added humidity, as a novice jerky maker...there are times I've wanted to slowly reduce the humidity, but that's another story.
If you smoke or dry at too high of temps early on, you can get a tough skin formed on the jerky from drying too quickly, which inhibits the interior drying process, and can cause uneven drying. Some experience a crumbly texture...this is over-dried. When you see a dramatic color change (should have a deep mahogany color, you should start doing texture checks (bend, pinch/squeeze). If it feels leathery, your close. When a piece can be folded, but not creased, without breaking, it's about ready. Lay on paper towels and cover with same to finish air drying at room temp a few hours.
Most smokers will have hot-spots on the grate...avoid these if you know where they are, if possible. Don't sweat it if you have to cover these areas with meat, as you can rotate later on during drying, and just shuffle a few pieces here and there to compensate for this so those pieces don't dry too quickly.
Don't store chilled unless frozen. You can refrigerate opened bags for a week or so, but there really is no need to. Just keep the bag closed, away from sunlight/heat and moisture/humidity. If you remove a package from the freezer, let it warm to room temp before opening, otherwise you will introduce moisture in the form of condensed water vapor collecting on the jerky from the air.
Depending on the smoker, ventilation of the chamber and how much meat you are drying, it can take 12 hours or more. Be patient and you will be rewarded with a great treat.
As you can see I'm pretty much in the dark here. Anyone who could comment and let me know whether I'm heading for trouble or for decent jerky would be much appreciated.
Deb
...and let the light shine on...jerky is not that hard to do, it may seem complicated, but you really can just follow a few basics and do fine. For cured jerky meat (using TQ or other cure, not just marinated), you have a lot of flexibility for smoking and drying temps, hence why I only use cured meat for my jerky.
If I further confused you, or you need additional info on methods, etc, please do let me know. There are plenty of others here doing jerky as well, so fire away.
Just remember to enjoy it while it lasts....we have to ration it out around here...it disappears in a hurry!!!
I see you've gotten some other responses now as well...man, I type slow!!! LOL!!!
Eric
