My Fritz Jerky..

[bkennedy]

Well Fritz..After looking at your jerky and talking a bit with you I tried to make some too! I only made 5 pounds to start with..The one mixture of the 36 hour marinade was about right to cover 5 pounds..You must make a lot for 20 pounds..lol I am in my 7th hour and 3 hours of smoke. Its a little greasy and a little thicker than 3/16" Its top round. A thin piece was about right in 6 hours..the thick might take 8+ hours..lol Im steady at 163 degrees..My home made Grainger controller holds +/- 3 degrees. I am going to try to upload a couple of pictures of what I am doing..

Here is the finished product..8 1/2 hours..a little thick probably..

 

[ba_loko]

Very nice, kennedy......very nice. If you posted info previously about your smoker, please point me to the thread. If you didn't, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[bkennedy]

My smoker is just a cheap 1000 watt electric no name smoker bought at www.sportsmansguide.com for about $139 s few years ago. I bought Ranco 3zp77 electronic controller from W.W.Grainger $66, the contacts good for 8 amps. range 30-220 degrees F, with 6' temp probe. I wired it in series with the 120VAC power cord and it controls +/-3 degrees. I really liked it for making 4 temp steps making sausage..I just crack the door a bit to keep an air flow for the smoke or drying. I leave the smoker control on the highest setting and let the Ranco control the smoker. The smoker came with 4 trays and 4 dowels for hanging sausage..I just use the trays..lol

 

[bkennedy]

Well from one Texan to another..I screwed up this first time and let a butcher talk me into slicing it for me..I have a slicer..I will do it myself next time..He took it to the back and sliced it...I told him about 3/16-1/4" I thought that was about right..He did it by hand.Probaly 1/4-3/8" thick..lol

A big Randalls market ..did not have a slicer...Well this first time I learned a lesson..Your right! Everything is about practice..Took me a year to get my sausage recipes right for me and my family..lol

 

[kookie]

Good looking jerky. Looks like it would taste good.

Kookie

 

[fritz]

Looks good Bill!! I ran into the same problems when I first started making jerky. I had the butcher do the slicing for me once, big mistake, he sliced it too thick for what I ws doing. I'm not sure why it took 8+ hours to dry the meat? Keep in mind the jerky will stiffen up some after it comes off the smoker. The marinade is just a starting point and should be adapted to your taste, more or less hot pepper, soy, garlic etc.. Ken has it right "practice, practice, practice". Getting a recipe just the way you like it is a big part of the fun in cooking.

Anyway...How was the flavor?

 

[bustedluckbarbq]

Good lookin' jerky... gimme a bite a that would ya?

 

[bkennedy]

Well Fritz..I did not know it would stiffen later..It would bend after 6 & 7 hours. It was really greasy so I left it longer. I probably should have pulled it off around 6 1/2 or 7 hours. Next time I will pull it quicker. Pad the grease and let it cool..Then see how stiff it gets. The thinner piece I pulled off at 6 hours had more flavor than the last ones. I like the flavor..Next time I will take a piece off every hour starting at 5 hours and let it cool and taste it...When It gets right..I'll pull it off. I think my final product is good and it will bend about two inches before it starts to break some..That is probably too dry! It certainly is stiff...lol..But the more you chew it the better it gets..I like that cracked black pepper sprinkle after the marinade was over and before I hung it! Well I guess all this sounds familiar to you old Jerky makers..lol Thanks for your input! Has any body ever reheated it after it cooled and needed more drying? I think it also drys out more in the fridge without a lid...I use to dry a piece of my sausage ...to dry sausage that way..

 

[navionjim]

Howdy Kennedy, I've put jerky back in the smoke a day or two latter when it seemed to need it with no problem at all. Your not far from me in "Pasadena where the air is greena"! I'm in Kingwood just up the trail.
Jimbo