Pepper Jerky Round 2 (with Q-View)

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ryan y

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jan 15, 2016
44
32
West Virginia
Last go was good for a first try, the extra smokiness was actually pretty good once it rested in the fridge for a few days. Still not what I was looking for: not very spicy, almost no pepper flavor. "Snowpocalypse" ended with us getting about 20" in 48 hrs, decided time to fire up the smoker.

So I tried another, simpler recipe:
For 2 lbs cut around 1/4"
3 cups american lager
2 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Used the same beef shoulder roasts as last time, trimmed up a bit nicer. Used one of my large fillet knifes (too big for fish we catch around here) to slice partially frozen and it went through like butter. Beer was Yuengling, picked up on sale a few days before sell-by date.

I also decided to not dry it before hanging. Just took it out of the marinade and skewered it. Hung it through the racks but the spacing meant that no pieces could be longer than 3". So next time I may retrofit with some paperclips or something.

Forgot to get before picks, but here it is hanging. Was able to get slightly under 4 lbs in by hanging from skewers

Smoker shot

Close up

I warmed the smoker up for about an hr, popped the jerky in and let it dry for 30 mins before putting chips in. Going with straight hickory this time.
 
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Good start!
popcorn.gif


Why did you choose not to pat dry this time?
 
Good start! :popcorn

Why did you choose not to pat dry this time?
Last time it seemed like it lost alot of flavor by drying previously. And I wanted as much pepper as possible to stay on. If it doesn't turn out this time I'll try rolling in paper towels before racking.
 
If you want pepper taste, use white pepper in your brine. Once done brining, add a dry pepper rub to the meat prior to smoking.

You will get very little pepper taste from the brine.
 
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Tried cracking a bunch of black pepper on the last batch but just didn't do much for me. May try white pepper or mixed peppercorns on top next time. Current run has another 45 mins on smoker (total of about 6:30) and if I'm not impressed I'll keep mixing it up until I am. This is the tastiest trial and error ever.
 
Really look into using white pepper in your brine/marinade. It will give you more if the pepper kick than the other peppers.

Do you have a vacuum packer? If so use that during your brine.

If not look into getting a vacuum tumbler. The vacuum really pulls the flavors into the meat.

Todd at AmazeN has some tumblers on sale for a great price.


Smoke away!!!
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone, definitely a learning experience. I dont have a vacpacker yet but would like to pick up one soon, and will definitely incorprate white pepper in the next batch. I may try something like a regular marinade and a dry "brine" in various peppers before popping into smoker.

After 6 1/2 hrs in the smoker (4 small pans of chips) and 2 hrs in the oven. Un-skewered and ready to check for doneness. Only the smaller pieces were done to my liking. Back in the oven to check every hr or so now.

Not sure what the whiteish hue on it is. Salt is all I can think of. Sampled a piece and it was near perfect. A little tough but not overly so, nice and smoky, and spot-on in the spice department. And just salty enough to go well with a cold brew.
 
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If you want pepper taste, use white pepper in your brine. Once done brining, add a dry pepper rub to the meat prior to smoking.

You will get very little pepper taste from the brine.
Maybe it's just me, but you say If I want pepper taste, use white pepper in the brine, but then you say I'll get very little pepper taste from the brine. I get it, but it may be  confusing to someone new.
 
I can say that in the last batch I didn't get alot of heat from the brine. That's why I increased the ratios in this one, and specifically added the pepper flakes and extra cayenne. There was quite a bit of pepper that stuck to the jerky throughout the smoke. I'll repeat this recipe but grind additional pepper on it before smoking.

Another thing I would like to incorporate into my brine at some point is a habanero or jalapeno pepper mash. I had some awhile back made with ghost pepper mash and it was amazing.

Edit: just realized I forgot to include how long I marinaded, around 60 hrs. I brought a sandwich bag full with me to work and ate half of it on the way there. If you like strong flavors: smoke, spice, and salt (almost no sweet) in your jerky this is a pretty good recipe to try.
 
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You want to get your pepper to stick to the jerky. Its a little time consuming but take a 1" brush dip it in corn syrup and brush a thin coat on to each piece. I usually take a piece of wax paper lay in in a pan and sprinkle pepper all over it, then place the pieces sticky side down on to the pepper covered paper, do the same for the other side if you want.  Corn syrup will give a little bit of sweetness to the taste so use light syrup to avoid this.
 
You want to get your pepper to stick to the jerky. Its a little time consuming but take a 1" brush dip it in corn syrup and brush a thin coat on to each piece. I usually take a piece of wax paper lay in in a pan and sprinkle pepper all over it, then place the pieces sticky side down on to the pepper covered paper, do the same for the other side if you want.  Corn syrup will give a little bit of sweetness to the taste so use light syrup to avoid this.

Thanks for that tip jerky nut. Just ate the last of this batch earlier today so may have to try it out on the next one. If I do I'll have to decrease the pepper in the brine a bit. This stuff was plenty spicy.
 
I just mix the black pepper right in and never had a problem. Oh, but I use ground meat. No problem getting plenty of whatever seasoning in there. You're gonna chew it anyway.
Nothing wrong with ground meat jerky! I'm going to be getting a chest freezer soon and when I do we can get really good deals around here on bulk lean ground beef so I can stock up. Just gotta figure out a way to smoke the ground sticks, and dig out my jerky gun.
 
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