Joint Jerky vs Hamburger Jerky and the winner is...

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disco

Epic Pitmaster
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Oct 31, 2012
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Canadian Rockies
I traveled to a big American city to see our local hockey team play. There was a Cabelas there and they had a variety jerky mix on sale so I picked it up.

I have made jerky from lean ground beef and from inside or outside round. I always suspected that I like the round better than the ground beef but wasn't sure if it was because of the seasoning or individual smoke. So, I decided to do 1/2 of the Cabelas original jerky spice as ground beef and 1/2 as sliced round so I could see which I liked better.

I started with the ground beef. I bought extra lean ground beef and and mixed half the cure and spices by weight with 1/4 cup of water. I mixed it very thoroughly by hand.


I put 1/4 of the beef on a sheet of wax paper, covered it with another sheet of wax paper and rolled it to 1/4 inch thick. I removed the top sheet and cut the beef to serving size. I put the tray from my dehydrator on the beef and turned it over. I removed the second sheet of wax paper.


I put it in my dehydrator at its highest setting for an hour. Then I put the jerky in my Bradley smoker for an hour set at 180 F with hickory pucks. I don't like a lot of smoke in my jerky so I took it out of the smoker and finished the drying in my dehydrator.


While the ground beef was drying, I sliced the round steak. I had put it in the freezer for 2 hours to make it easier to cut. I cut it to about 1/8 inch thick. I added 1/4 cup water and the remaining cure and seasoning. I mixed well and put it in the fridge overnight.


The next day, I gave it 1 hour in the dehydrator. I put it in the Bradley at 180 F for an hour with hickory pucks running. Then, back in the dehydrator to finish drying.


The Verdict

First I will comment on the Cabelas mix as it is the first time I've used it. It gives a nice basic jerky with not too much salt. It is not the best jerky I have ever had but it is very good and is so easy to use I will likely try it again.

The hamburger jerky had a good texture and a nice chew. I do like the slightly thicker jerky pieces.

The beef round slices had a great chew. I like to have to chew my jerky. 

The taste of both was similar but the slices make a better jerky in my opinion. However, the extra lean ground beef is considerably cheaper. 

So, the slices are better but I will occasionally make the hamburger jerky because I a cheap old guy.

Disco
 
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It all looks great. How thick was your round steak?

I have made burger jerky but not whole meat jerky.
 
It all looks great. How thick was your round steak?

I have made burger jerky but not whole meat jerky.
It was a bottom round roast that was about 4 inches in diameter but was rolled and tied. I untied it and it was about 3 by 5 inches. I cut that in two for easy slicing.
 
Very nice thread Disco ! I like the comparison of the whole muscle vs the burger... I'm with you, I like the whole muscle jerky better, but burger jerky is sometimes a nice change up !
 
Very nice thread Disco ! I like the comparison of the whole muscle vs the burger... I'm with you, I like the whole muscle jerky better, but burger jerky is sometimes a nice change up !
Thanks, Justin. I know what you mean. There is just something primal about really having to chew your food. I guess I'm just not that evolved!

Disco
 
 
Disco, I also agree with you , they are both good. The slices are better !
Thanks, CM. I have been given several pounds of moose and will be making some jerky out of it soon. I've never done it before so fingers crossed.

Disco
 
Looks good Disco! We made both types of jerky last weekend too. I used pre-sliced round that they had in the store was about 3/8" thick. The ground was 93/7 so pretty lean. Good stuff!
 
Looks good Disco! We made both types of jerky last weekend too. I used pre-sliced round that they had in the store was about 3/8" thick. The ground was 93/7 so pretty lean. Good stuff!
Thanks, Case. It is important that you don't run out of jerky as it is one of the basic food groups.

Disco
 
 
Disco, I also agree with you , they are both good. The slices are better !
Thanks, CM. I have been given several pounds of moose and will be making some jerky out of it soon. I've never done it before so fingers crossed.

Disco

Disco, moose is terrible.. Makes real bad jerky ! If I were you, I'd package up all that nasty moose meat & send it to some redneck in SE Idaho... :biggrin:

Just sayin ! :icon_lol:

:beercheer:
 
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Disco, moose is terrible.. Makes real bad jerky ! If I were you, I'd package up all that nasty moose meat & send it to some redneck in SE Idaho...
biggrin.gif


Just sayin !
icon_lol.gif


beercheer.gif
I always knew I could count on you Brew. However, I couldn't possibly impose like that. Disco
 
Disco, moose is terrible.. Makes real bad jerky ! If I were you, I'd package up all that nasty moose meat
I always knew I could count on you Brew. However, I couldn't possibly impose like that. Disco

Haha, glad ya get my dry ol sense of humor ! I sure do hope to see a thread on your moose jerky & hope ya enjoy it very much !

:beercheer:
 
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