Q-MATZ Beef Jerky Test With Q-View!!

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gotarace

Limited Mod
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
1,081
25
northern wisconsin
It has been a while since I made any jerky and Todd from Amazen products was kind enough to ask me to help test his new product Q-Matz. So what a great way to kill two birds with one stone. In previous jerky smokes I have experienced unreal sticking of my jerky on Bradley non-stick baskets. I bought the baskets hoping to make smoking jerky easier but that certainly wasn't the case...the cured jerky seamed to weld to the baskets in the drying-smoking process.  Lets hope for better results with the Q-Matz...

I went to the local super market to pick-up some beef for the jerky and found these 2 sirloin tip roasts on sale for 3.49 a lb. The combined  weight of the roast was 6.8 lbs. but after trimming and waste i figured i would end up with 5 lbs. of jerky meat. Here is my two victims 


I was used Lem hickory flavored jerky mix with cure.. so i mixed the season and cure to let the spices meld while i sliced the beef on my slicer.


After the meat was sliced and trimmed of any fat and gristle it was mixed in the curing bowl. Then put in the fridge for a 24 hour rest. I mixed the meat three times over the 24 hour period to make sure every piece was evenly covered and cured. A quick note on slicing the meat...freeze it until it is firm before slicing...it makes the slicing process much easier on a inexpensive slicer like i own. I really need to upgrade to a 10 inch deli slicer.

After the 24 hour rest the jerky made it's way to the Q-matz for smoking...Todd sent enough material to cover two of my racks in the MES 40. The Matz came in a  large piece and it was real easy to cut with a sharp pair of scissors. With enough Q-Matz material for 2 racks i made a quick call that two racks of jerky would be smoked and the rest would be put in the dehydrator without smoke..This would give me two flavors of jerky...i also decided to make the smoked jerky black pepper jerky. I topped it with course ground black pepper before the smoke. Here is one rack loaded with pepper jerky.


After the two racks were filled the balance of the jerky hit the dehydrator. Nothing special here just a quick photo of the regular jerky drying


I preheated my MES 40 to 150 degrees and put the jerky in the smoker. I wanted to give the jerky five hours of smoke and finish the drying process in the dehydrator. The jerky hits the smoker...


I loaded my AMNPS with two rows of hickory dust ... got it lit...and ready to roll. I started with the dust in the first series 6x8 AMAZEN and still love it today for shorter smokes. If you AMNPS owners haven't tried dust in your smoke generators.. give it a try...you won't be disappointed!!! 


Here is the jerky in the thin blue...i pulled the chip loading tube out about a inch on the MES to increase air flow in the smoker. This will help with the drying of the jerky.


After five hours of smoke the Jerky was brought in to finish drying in the dehydrator. This is where i will find out how the Q-Matz performed...the moment of truth.


It looks to me like the jerky is well stuck to the Q-Matz when i brought it in to finish... so i give it a tug to remove it from the Matz. TO MY SURPRISE THE JERKY LIFTED RIGHT OFF!!! I was totally AMAZED how easily the jerky lifted from the matz!!! Very little to zero stuck on jerky and i have to say right then and there i was sold on these Q-Matz. Todd expect a order to cover the rest of my racks soon!!

Here is a photo after the jerky was removed and look how cleanly the jerky released from the Matz. 


I racked up the jerky to finish in the dehydrator and decided to see how hard it would be to clean the Matz. In a earlier thread by S2K9K he smoked some wings on the new Matz and said cleanup was a breeze...it was my turn to find out. I hit the Matz with hot water from the sink sprayer to get them wet and scrubbed them briefly  with a dish cloth with a few drops of soap on it. I stopped after a few passes and to my amazement it was cleaned. Flipped it over repeat and I was done...I can tell you one thing this will make the dishwasher {AKA my wife} real happy when we cleanup from a messy BBQ.  Here is a photo of the cleaned Q-Matz...still looks like new!!


I can say i'm very impressed with he quality of these Matz...Todd has a real winner here. They preformed flawlessly in my jerky test and i can wait to try these with fish...nuts...veggies...cheese etc on my smoker. They will be a awesome tool in my smoking arsenal...nothing will fall through the rack again on my smokers. 

Well i let the jerky finish drying and removed the pieces as they finished.

Here is the non smoked dehydrated... not my favorite but the wife loved it.


Now the bell of the ball in my eye the pepper smoked jerky...what a difference in color and taste the smoking made....


Been handing out samples to my buds and they all like the smoked pepper jerky better...i have to agree. The pepper and smoke put it over the top. With the ease  of smoking jerky on the Q-Matz I'm looking forward to making more jerky soon. 

Thanks for taking the time to read my Q-view and my test of the Q-Matz. I gotta run... i have a beer to drink and some jerky to eat.

Len
 
Hello Friends,

I am new to all of this Smoking, excellent forum!

I just bought the MES 40 and after reading this great post, I will like to know if you have to finish the jerky always with the dehydrator or you can also finish the whole process in th MES 40?

Thanks,
 
Hello Friends,

I am new to all of this Smoking, excellent forum!

I just bought the MES 40 and after reading this great post, I will like to know if you have to finish the jerky always with the dehydrator or you can also finish the whole process in th MES 40?

Thanks,
Hi Abalazo...no you can finish the jerky in your Mes if you want to. I have found 5 hours of smoke fits my tastes. The jerky also drys quicker in the dehydrator...plus the jerky is finishing in the house making it easier to keep a eye on. You want your jerky to still bend when you pull it from your drying chamber. If it cracks it is too dry so pieces come off at different times as they get done. 

I see this is your first post..please head to roll call and tell us about yourself. That way we can give you a proper welcome!!! That being said welcome to Smoking Meat Forums!!! Were glad you found us!!!
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I, too, just got Todds Q MATZ last week and decided on jerky. I also combined smoker / dehydrater for the first time. Started with 3 different flavors of Hi Mountain Jerky Cure. Did three layers of jerky in the Traeger starting with smoke mode for 2 hours and then went to 180 for about 2 more hours. Slid the jerky out of the smoker, Q MATZ and all and put them right into the Cabelas commercial dryer until I got the desired texture out of the $ 2.49 sale top round. Best I've made in a long time. Clean up was a snap. Same results as gotarace..... a couple wipes with soapy water on each side, rinse with the sprayer and matz are ready for next time.

Now I'm gonna have a beer and..... damn....jerky is already gone!
And one of these times I'm gonna remember to take photos.
 
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I, too, just got Todds Q MATZ last week and decided on jerky. I also combined smoker / dehydrater for the first time. Started with 3 different flavors of Hi Mountain Jerky Cure. Did three layers of jerky in the Traeger starting with smoke mode for 2 hours and then went to 180 for about 2 more hours. Slid the jerky out of the smoker, Q MATZ and all and put them right into the Cabelas commercial dryer until I got the desired texture out of the $ 2.49 sale top round. Best I've made in a long time. Clean up was a snap. Same results as gotarace..... a couple wipes with soapy water on each side, rinse with the sprayer and matz are ready for next time.

Now I'm gonna have a beer and..... damn....jerky is already gone!
And one of these times I'm gonna remember to take photos.
Sounds like you had the same experience i had with the Q-Matz...they sure worked out excellent!! I stayed away from making jerky for a while because of unreal sticking on the jerky baskets and the hassle of hanging jerky off my racks with s shaped paper clips. They brought the joy back into smoking jerky. I have to keep my eyes open for a sale like you hit on those top round roasts...that was a fantastic deal!!! Thanks for the props geerock...i would trade some jerky for beer....
Beer.gif
 
All those pictures made me hungry and the wife just finished the last of my homemade jerky. She's a smart lady, she waits until she knows I'm busy and says "only two pieces left, want some". Now I do want some and there's only an empty bag left. Made it from cross rib roast the first time. Next time I'll try eye of round, i think it will be easier to work with.
 
I love doing jerky and I don't even own a dehydrator, I just use my MES 30.  I smoke it at about 225 for 2 or 3 hours and it comes out perfect.  Of course, that's assuming that you like tender and chewy jerky... if you like the more crunchy method, it'd obviously take much longer with just a smoker... :)
 
 
I love doing jerky and I don't even own a dehydrator, I just use my MES 30.  I smoke it at about 225 for 2 or 3 hours and it comes out perfect.  Of course, that's assuming that you like tender and chewy jerky... if you like the more crunchy method, it'd obviously take much longer with just a smoker... :)
 
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..... C'mon man.....lol.

It's all good. I hope you didn't take me the wrong way.
 
All those pictures made me hungry and the wife just finished the last of my homemade jerky. She's a smart lady, she waits until she knows I'm busy and says "only two pieces left, want some". Now I do want some and there's only an empty bag left. Made it from cross rib roast the first time. Next time I'll try eye of round, i think it will be easier to work with.
Sounds like my house when my kids still lived here.  They would drink all the milk...eat all the pie etc.  and put the empty containers back in the refrigerator...lol  I guess you have a date with the smoker soon to make up another batch of jerky!!!
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 When you get yours done i'll be out and i can look at your pictures wishing i had some jerky....lol That's what i love about this place. There is always something new to smoke and pictures to inspire us!!
Beer.gif


I have to keep a look out for eye of round roast also..when i look at pictures of them they look like a ideal cut for jerky. 
 
Thank you!
Your welcome...if you have any questions when you get your smoker do't be afraid to ask or comment, You found a great site to help you with your smoking adventures and the friendly folks here love to help people make quality BBQ. 
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Thanks for the props JP61 
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 I'm giving to much away...i might be doing another batch before i know it!!
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It's nice to give...... from now on though, when making jerky I will be loading my dehydrator 100%. It won't be that much more work and maybe it'll last more than a day or two. I could almost live off of the stuff.....lol
 
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I love doing jerky and I don't even own a dehydrator, I just use my MES 30.  I smoke it at about 225 for 2 or 3 hours and it comes out perfect.  Of course, that's assuming that you like tender and chewy jerky... if you like the more crunchy method, it'd obviously take much longer with just a smoker... :)
 
Everyone makes their jerky to their tastes and I like to dry my jerky at lower temps to make it more shelf stable...When i first started making jerky i researched a lot and the old timers told me anything over 160 in the drying process is cooking not drying the meat. They said higher temps are fine but the jerky has to be treated like cooked meat not dried meat. I'll have to give your method a try...sounds much easier than drying it for 10-12 hours at 150*and if it is going to be eaten quickly i see no problem with it.
Beer.gif
 
It's nice to give...... from now on though, when making jerky I will be loading my dehydrator 100%. It won't be that much more work and maybe it'll last more than a day or two. I could almost live of off the stuff.....lol
Couldn't agree with you more Joe...i have 8 racks for the dehydrator and only used 6 on this batch. Jerky sure goes quick around here also!!! Once you start eating it...a guy just can't stop...lol
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