New jerky cannon questions

[hooked on smoke]

I received my LEM jerky cannon Saturday. It came with Backwoods jerky and stick seasoning and cure. I also got a variety pack of Neco jerky and cure.
After reading the instructions for making ground jerky I don't see anywhere if I need to leave the meat for a spell to cure. They make it sound like you just mix and make. I this correct?
Is it the same for sliced meats as well?
I am new to making jerky so any advice and or pointers will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Winterrider]

I always left mine overnight and either stuffed (pepperstcks), and left overnight or stuffed and smoked following day.
same with whole meat

 

[zwiller]

Just took a look at the instructions and you are correct, no rest for ground. They do say to rest for muscle tho. That said, I like breaking my process up and resting overnight works well for me. No harm in an overnight rest. Not sure what you are running but remember to run a drying phase for 1-2hr low before adding smoke.

 

[hooked on smoke]

I will be using my Mes40. I'll probably go with 165 temp. Does that sound about right?
And I'm not sure I will do any smoke the first time around. Would like to see what the seasoning flavors are like. Then I'll go with some smoke next time.
Thanks for the replies and tips.

 

[zwiller]

Yes, 165F should work well. Good luck!

 

[pineywoods]

I grind mix seasonings and cure in then into fridge overnight and then make the jerky with the gun then smoke/dehydrate. Not sure on whether or not you must let the cure work overnight but since we do with sausage which is basically ground meat in my mind I think ground meat for jerky would require the same but don't know that to be the truth or not.
Let's try to get some food safety peeps to tell us
chef jimmyj pops6927

 

[pops6927]

Your "drying phase" of 1-2 hours is more than time to cure the ground meat prior to smoking! But, you can let it rest overnight, no harm done, either. Short term cure #1 reacts immediately to ground meat because the density is so small.

 

[Steve H]

I let the mix rest for a couple of hours first. I found that the LEM jerky mix included with the cannon was a bit on the bland side. 165-170 in the smoker without smoke is fine.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Yep, Pops called it. The ground meat particles are so small that penetration of the cure is nearly instantaneous. An overnight rest is not needed, but giving time for other flavors to meld does not hurt...JJ

 

[daveomak.fs]

Marianski's article on curing meats for sausages....

Curing meat for sausages

Raw meat materials used for sausages were cured first with salt and potassium nitrate or sodium nitrite and then ground, stuffed into casings, smoked and cooked. Whole meats such as loins, butts, hams and bellies were cured whole and then smoked.

www.meatsandsausages.com

 

[Jerkyholic]

Like previously mentioned, you do NOT need to marinate overnight when making ground jerky. Cure #1 is sodium nitrite, not like cure #2 which is nitrite and nitrate and requires longer to cure. That is what is used when making sausage. I do like to let the meat sit for several hours before putting into the jerky gun, it allows it to bind together and sticks together much better after resting. -Will