Help with making Jerky...

[nickbailey]

My Centro/Masterbuilt Digital Electric Smoker just arrived today and I need to take it's smoking virginity correctly hah. So I figured what better way to do that than making some jerky.

All I need though is a decent step by step recipe for jerky, I've heard the best meat for it is flank steak, is that right? And if I were let it go for like 3 days, what would I set the temperature at for something liek that?

Either way, I could use some help here and would love to have any information at all.

 

[deejaydebi]

Nick -

This might help although I don't usually do Jerky in the smoker:

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Jerky.htm

 

[kueh]

Some of the old rules about making jerky don't really apply anymore. The bit about using lean meat was the fat goes rancid over time. Who here has jerky sitting around for more than a couple days after it comes out of the cooker? From what I've heard, jerky has a hard time making it back to the kitchen.

Salt is not a big requirement anymore, but should be treated more as a taste ingredient. Experiment with herbs and spices you prefer.

Though too much fat may make your product taste greasy, I think there's not need to be too chosey. The Indians used to make pemmican which is basically jerky mixed with animal fat.

An electric smoker should be great for jerky since it can maintain lower temparatures than most conventional ovens or other smokers. If you don't want the smoke in your jerky, don't add wood.

 

[illini]

No one that I know of has been able to produce smoke in the MES at the low temperatures...Some have tried using saw-dust and even that will not produce any smoke....If you are after a smoke flavored Jerky you will have to cold smoke it first...check some of smoked's threads on how he does it....otherwise use a little liquid smoke or do without....the lowest temp setting is 100* on the controller

Just my 2cts

 

[nickbailey]

Yeah some said do it at about 150 for 24 horus and soem said do it at lower for longer. I'd liek to have smoke flavour, but really, it's not a huge problem if there isn't. Really what I need is a good solid timeline for cookign it, how long at what temp is what I really need to know.

 

[t-bone tim]

Nick ,I have the same smoker as you and have made some great jerky setting the temp @ 143...meat cut at approx 1/4 inch ....smoke for approx 6-7 hrs ...turns out well for me...I use hi mountain cure thus far...and your best bet for meat would be either inside or outside round or eye of the sirloin tip...just my .02 worth,Tim :)

 

[nickbailey]

Wow 6-7 hours? That's pretty short, thanks for the info though, I might jsut try it that way. Could put em on before work and come back to get some great jerky haha.

 

[nickbailey]

Ok, I gave it a whirl, I ended up doing it for abotu 13 hours(They're still going actually) at about 130, they're still a little somewhat juicy, so I kept putting them back in, perhaps the meat I chose was too fatty, i'm not sure.

 

[deejaydebi]

I think Jerky's just easier in a dehydrator unless your doing a whole lot !

 

[nickbailey]

I kinda figured out that they weren't really juicy they were jsut sort of greasy on the top, so I figure I jsut need some elaner meat and i'd be good.

 

[moltenone]

use round steak it works real well for me,plus you may want to find a marinade or make your own up.
a basic one would be 3/4 cup of kikoman soy sauce 1/4 cup liquid smoke
place meat in a zip lock bag,pour in the juice seal and leave it out of the fridge for 2 hours on the counter and flip and kneed the bag every 20 minutes or so,then refrigerate over night,in the morning drain the meat into a collander and smoke or dry it.


good luck


Mark

 

[nickbailey]

Oh I had a mariande, spose I forgot to mention that hah. I'm pretty sure my problem was jsut the cut of meat I chose, but hey, it was still tasty.

 

[deejaydebi]

NIck -

You can dab at them with paper towels to sop up the fat that renders out. I tried hamburger jerky a while back and that's how I got it off the meat they were pretty good.

Kuel -

I made 15 pounds of jerky about 2 months ago and still have about 2 pounds left. Doesn't go as fast with the kids gone!

 

[shellbellc]

I've done it in the dehydrator and the smoker...Hands down 10x better in the smoker.

 

[nickbailey]

Yeah I did end up pattign them dry, there would still be some clusters of fat in some pieces, wich just did not taste good. But I liked every other aspect of what I did with it. Just need a leaner cut, problem is, most cuts from the grocery store are not fairly lean cuts.