Im confused

[OldFartFarmer]

ive been doing searches, and reading here, so don't beat me up too roughly,
the more i read the more i get confused,

this is for a charcoal smoker (not dehydrator trays or oven)

1- what temps are you starting out with and finishing with on your jerky ?

2- pink cure#1 --1tsp per 5 pounds of meat ? then i read 1tsp per 5 pounds of meat and water?- (im assuming water means anything liquid?)
hence my confusion,
with a wet mix do i weigh the bowl of wet add the weight of meat and then add cure?
or
do i cut up 5 pounds of meat, add 1tsp of cure into my bowl and add wet and dry ingredients ?

3- do i use my apple chips to smoke first or smoke last?

sorry for being a pest,
im just trying to wrap my head around this without killing myself or my friends

thanks
John

 

[daveomak]

Morning.. Ppm nitrite is based on weight... so, 1 tsp cure#1 per 5 pounds of stuff gives you ~156 Ppm... The "stuff" could be all meat, meat and water etc... It's the Ppm that's important.... If you are making sausage, as an example, and add water to make the mix easier to squeeze through the stuffer, you do not need to add the weight of the water... It is assumed the water will evaporate and not "rinse out" any added ingredients...
EDIT.... The weight of the water is used when doing a brine cure... equilibrium cure... There are so many variables when curing, it's hard to remember them all when posting rules...

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

What Dave said!

Another Dave.

 

[OldFartFarmer]

so when i mix all my liquid and dry "stuff" in the bowl to make my teriyaki jerky
I weigh all the stuff and then weigh the meat, add the two,
then figure out how much cure to put in my mix
before it goes into the fridge for 2 days

right?

 

[daveomak]

Yep.... That's the correct method...

 

[GaryHibbert]

When I make jerky, I start out at 100 degrees for 1 hour (no smoke) to start the meat drying. Then I start the smoke rolling and keep it going until the jerky is done. I bump the temp up 10 degrees every hour, with the final temp being 160 for 1 hour. I do this whether I'm making beef or pork jerky. This method I originally got from Bearcarver's Step by Steps, and it makes great jerky.
Gary

 

[OldFartFarmer]

THANK YOU ALL very very much
im now unconfunded
just got back from the store with 5 pounds of BEEF, and charcoal,

cheers
John

 

[OldFartFarmer]

• Holly 2015
• you gave me this recipe that im going to use,
• but in it you say 1/4 tsp per pound of meat,
• so now i get two different responses on meat + ingrediants= cure
• or meat= cure like your doing it,
• does it really matter in the long run??
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 1 eye of round trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut into strips. I prefer them to be no thicker than 1/4 inch and no wider than 1 inch.
• 1 bottle of Soy Vey Veri Teriyaki sauce

• 1/4 tsp cure #1 per pound of meat.

1. After the meat is trimmed of fat cut it in 1/2 and weight the meat.
2. Cut the meats into strips
3. Strain the Veri Terayaki into a non-reactive bowl large enough to hold it and the meats + some work space
4. Now measure out the cure to go with the weight of the meat.
5. Mix cure and marinade together with a whisk until thoroughly incorporated
6. Take a handful of meat strips and drop them in the liquid and mix them around until thoroughly coated in marinade. Repeat until all meat strips are mixed into the marinade.
7. Make sure meats are covered with marinade (you might have to put a plate on top ot keep the meats submerged and place in refrigerator
   
8. Let marinate 12 to 24 hours then dehydrate mixing the meats at least once 1/2 way through the marinating process
9. After the meats are done curing/marinating dump them into a colander over the sink to drain off excess liquid. You can also pat the meats with paper towels to help get rid of excess liquid.
10. Load the smoker/dehydrator with the meats and heat them at 160 degrees for 2 hours
11. After 2 hours back the heat down to 120/130 degrees and let it there until the meat are dried to you satisfaction. 8 to 12 hours depending on the appliance, amount of air flow and how wet the meats were when you loaded them.
12. Once 80 or 90% of the meats are dried to your liking pull from the appliance and let them get to room temperature. Then put them in a paper bag and fold the top over for 24 hours to let the meats equalize. Since all the meats will not be uniform some will over dry other will be a bit moist. Resting in a bag solves this and makes them all the same.

 

[daveomak]

The recipe Holly gave you is correct.... Heat the meat to 160 while it is still wet to kill pathogens that are not affected by cure... then turn it down to dry it out....

 

[OldFartFarmer]

thank you, now i get it,,,took long enough but i get it now

 

[SonnyE]

I use a dehydrator, much easier all the way around.
If I want smoked, I do that beforehand. Then do my curing, and drying.

 

[OldFartFarmer]

I don't have a dehydrator, my BBQ is charcoal (22inch webber) and i have an outdoor fireplace
with the old swinging hook-rod, for my cast iron pots
I cook outside a lot, nice and slow, I like the work/fussing around that goes into it,
when we loose power, and we do, my neighbors all come around with there beer/and offerings, and we do a neighborhood feast
this new cheap-smoker is just the ticket for me,

 

[OldFartFarmer]

sonnyE i like yr disclaimer

 

[daveomak]

FWIW, through lab testing, it has been found, in slowly dried meats the pathogens can enter a "suspended animation" type state because they are SLOWLY dehydrated... Then a high temperature, that would normally kill them, DOES NOT kill them... They get reactivated in a warm moist environment like your gut when you consume them and you get what ever it is they do to you.... Smart little buggers... survival of the microbe... should be a movie....

 

[daveomak]

FWIW, here's an FSIS explanation about jerky....

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/porta...at-preparation/jerky-and-food-safety/ct_index

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Thanks for the link dave.

 

[SonnyE]

sonnyE i like yr disclaimer

;)
Some people are so thin skinned you can see they have no guts at all.
So I had to clarify...

If you ever think you might, I use a Presto Dehydro I was given for Christmas last year in our Family lottery. (We draw names and shop for two.)
Makes some amazingly good Jerky. It's a set it, and forget it operation. My little dog makes sure I know when it is done.
I run the dehydro in the garage because the fan noise is annoying. But he can smell the Jerky workin, then he comes and gets me and leads me to the garage door and woofs at it. He knows when it is done, and wants some fresh warm jerky.

If you think you might like more recipes to try, I recommend JerkyHolics web site.
Beef is too expensive, and I'm not supposed to eat it. So I use Pork Loin.
Cheap, and it makes great jerky.
I use the recipes, but substitute Pork Loin as the meat. ;)

I set my Dehydro at 165° (It hits 173°), for 4 hours usually. I use to make shoe leather jerky. But anymore I keeps some of the moisture in for a more pliable shoe leather.
And I tend to make mine a tad hotter. More pepper, or add some red pepper flakes to the marinade. Slaps the tongue, and leaves a nice after-burn in the throat.
Hitting the 165° mark kills any germs, and finishes off the Prague Powder (Optional, but I use it)

So tell me, how do you market the Farts you farm?

 

[OldFartFarmer]

thanks Dave, so if i start at 160-170 and ramp down ill kill the little buggers?
and no more breeding in anyones gut?

love the farts in a can sonnyE
my G?F's little mutt did a drag ass in front of the smoker this morning,
and picked up a piece of charcoal, made a nice line on the paving blocks,,
we were bent over crying/laughing

 

[SonnyE]

I have a sense of humor, much to somes dismay...

 

[pa42phigh]

I’m like farmer the more I read the more confused I get.. why would you count the liquids in jerky but not sausage? Doesn’t it evaporates from both?

Morning.. Ppm nitrite is based on weight... so, 1 tsp cure#1 per 5 pounds of stuff gives you ~156 Ppm... The "stuff" could be all meat, meat and water etc... It's the Ppm that's important.... If you are making sausage, as an example, and add water to make the mix easier to squeeze through the stuffer, you do not need to add the weight of the water... It is assumed the water will evaporate and not "rinse out" any added ingredients...
EDIT.... The weight of the water is used when doing a brine cure... equilibrium cure... There are so many variables when curing, it's hard to remember them all when posting rules...