I had my first fail last week. I did a batch of beef jerky same as always, but I used grilling mats on the racks and laid the jerky flat rather than hanging. It saved a lot of work, but came out way too dry, and cooked way too fast. I’m still puzzled.
So, using the same recipe, this time I hung the strips and it came out great. This is the best batch yet. I am finally getting the rich flavor that I have been seeking. I rinse the strips, pat them down with a paper towel, then lay them out in a glass pan, sprinkling dry rub on each layer. I let them sit at least 24 hours in the refrigerator then put them into zip locks with marinade for another 24 hours. This batch I smoked with apple. I use pepper on half of the batch.
The day prior, I smoked four types of cheese. The last time I smoked cheese was during the winter in 40 degrees and howling wind. The smoke went fine, but I think the cold temperatures prevented the cheese from absorbing the smoke. It was good, but pretty mild.
This time, it was about 62 degrees and the cheese came out as I would have expected. Great! I am using a cold smoker generator thingy I invented.
Any thoughts on the best temperature to use?
The next step was to make up some trail mix! Four kinds of cheese, jerky, and jalapeño pepperoni. I buy the pepperoni at the meat market.
It all came out great. Plenty of snacks to share. Every smoke I learn something new.
So, using the same recipe, this time I hung the strips and it came out great. This is the best batch yet. I am finally getting the rich flavor that I have been seeking. I rinse the strips, pat them down with a paper towel, then lay them out in a glass pan, sprinkling dry rub on each layer. I let them sit at least 24 hours in the refrigerator then put them into zip locks with marinade for another 24 hours. This batch I smoked with apple. I use pepper on half of the batch.
The day prior, I smoked four types of cheese. The last time I smoked cheese was during the winter in 40 degrees and howling wind. The smoke went fine, but I think the cold temperatures prevented the cheese from absorbing the smoke. It was good, but pretty mild.
This time, it was about 62 degrees and the cheese came out as I would have expected. Great! I am using a cold smoker generator thingy I invented.
Any thoughts on the best temperature to use?
The next step was to make up some trail mix! Four kinds of cheese, jerky, and jalapeño pepperoni. I buy the pepperoni at the meat market.
It all came out great. Plenty of snacks to share. Every smoke I learn something new.
