Server Rack Smoker ***UPDATED with Q-view***

[janet]

I see that you make  Jerky -  This is a dried meat?  Could you give me an easy recipe for making it?

We have Biltong (dried meat) and presume its the same process but I would like to try out a Jerky

recipe.  By the way - what........... is pulled beef???  

 

[siegelscott]

Janet,

I am no biltong expert, but my wife is from Cape Town and I've had my fair share. Biltong is cured beef. It is soaked in a vinegar and spice solution and then left to hang and air dry over a series of days.

Jerky (or at least mine) is made using a brine (salt) solution like soy (soya) sauce base marinade and in my case left in a smoker for a few hours where gentle heat 150 degrees F is applied to dry out the meat and add a smoky flavor.

In both cases, the liquid is used to eliminate bacteria from the meat while it dries (and add flavor), but goes about it differently between the acidity of vinegar and the salty brine.

There are lots of jerky recipes, and it depends on your preference from spicy to sweet to really smokey to none at all. For this, I refer you to Google to find one that matches your preferences, or allrecipes.com or any jerky website.

Mine is a homemade mix of soy sauce, worcestshire sauce in even proportions (say a cup of each) and then a handful of different meat spices like onion powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and something to add a little sweetness to it like honey. You need to experiment with the concentrations of the spices to get it to how you like it, but start light on the really spicy stuff (1/4 or 1/2 easpoon) and heavier on the flavorings (1 tablespoon). Most recipes on web call to put in a dehydrator, so in that case there is no smoke flavor. You need to use a liquid smoke, which I have never done. Alternatively, smoking the meat in a BBQ is my preferred method of getting the final product and takes me around 4 hours, but only half of that is with smoke and heat, the other half just heat.

 

[siegelscott]

Dave, thanks for the links. I'll check it out.

Johnny, cool idea with the metal plate. I kinda assumed that since I had bricks on the right and opened the left side that this could do the same thing (force some hot air up the left side to help balance this out) but obviously my results proved otherwise so I'll see about putting your ideas to work ASAP.

-scott

 

[pops6927]

If you'd like to see my post on my build using that heater, it's on my sig line as Smokehouse, just click on it.  I did install a needle valve which helps fine tune your flame.  The three stopcocks can remain pretty much set by what you're doing and adjusted early in the heating process, then fine-tuned with the needle valve.  The 35,000 btu has plenty of power for most houses, only heard of one that was 4'x4'x8' that it couldn't bring it to temp in the dead winter.  Conversely, have seen several that it was too powerful and they had to step down to 1,000 watt hotplate, but they were small house builds.

Mine now - the mailbox is my smoke generator for either hot or cold using the Amazen pellet smoke generator.  Or, I can use the iron frying pan with wood chunks in it, but have to feed it every hour or so.

www.amazenproducts.com/

before adding the mailbox.

mailbox with sliding tray.

With the Amazen Pellet Smoker.

The burner has the same connection as your's, too.

 

[siegelscott]

Pops,

Very cool smokehouse. I would have loved to build one like this, but I had to keep mine "mobile" so I can tuck it away in a storage room when not in use. How does your Amazen PelletSmokergetup to temperature to burn the sawdust or pellets? I like the mailbox a lot, this seems like a more genuine way to accomplish what my Bradley smoke machine does, but for 1/5th the cost.

Also, thanks for tips on the burner. I am going to try my best to adjust the burner I have and get it right, but if I fail I will switch over to your recommendation.

I also think that park of the heating problem is that since the flames are so close to the right side of the case, the steel is conducting the heat up the right side, even though I am more or less blocking the hot air from doing the same. I wonder if I apply some aluminum foil to that side of the case by the burner if it will help reflect some of that heat back and keep the right side of the case just a bit cooler.

Anyway, just brought home 22 lbs of top round yesterday so looks like I'll be testing this thing out on Monday.

Scott

P.S. I was running a 1300 watt hot plate, brand new top of the line, and it literally did next to nothing to warm the case. What am I missing there that maybe I can try it again? I'll post some photos of that test next.

 

[siegelscott]

 

[daveomak]

Scott, morning....  I think the burner you selected has a limit switch that stops it from overheating and melting the housing...  That is why it will not heat up the smoker...

Dave

 

[siegelscott]

Makes sense.  Can anyone recommend a better hot plate that can actually get this box up to 160 degrees?
 

 

[daveomak]

Scott, evening....  You need a bare element.... Maybe 1500 watts or so... The calrod type used in toaster ovens etc....  I would install it and a PID for temp control.....  there are threads here on PID's and how to build them and also places to buy them.... I understand they provide the best heat control, for a smoker, there is.... 

Find a used 110V kitchen gadget and use the element....  Hook up the PID and you are in business....  Strip heaters, some folks use, won't get up to temp because of safety snap switches that prevent a 900 deg surface....     Check it out and ask more questions...   PM any of the folks you need help from on the search....  evereyone is ready to help....  Dave

   
   http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search.php?search=pid
 

 

[pops6927]

The one thing about any electric heater is, what extension cord are you running it on (gauge, grounded and length)?  The longer the extension cord, the less amperage you put out because of the resistance in the wire.  If you're using a heavy duty 50' cord, buy a 10' heavy duty cord instead and see if that improves its performance. The lowest,heaviest gauge and the shortest possible length.

On the AMNPS, you light the pellets with a blow torch and they will continue to smolder all by themselves with no other heat source for cold smoking.  For hot smoking, I just add heat from the propane burner to bring the smokehouse up to temp.  I can add wood chunks to the frying pan also, but the AMNPS normally adds more than enough smoke to the box and it adds smoke continuously, no refilling every 45 minutes like you have to with the chunks.

 

[janet]

Hi, thanks for your recipe.  Much appreciated.  Small world hey?

 

[siegelscott]

Hi Everyone!  Got the smoke done yesterday and it came out great.  Really, I learned a lot about the way the smoker responds over a long smoke (5 hours, anyway) and the jerky came out terrific. Good yield, and perfectly dried and smoked.

I started with 21-1/2 lbs of denuded top round.  I trimmed off the excess fat on the top, and then cut it into 6 or 8 long flank-steak like cuts.  From there, I sliced the meat into 1/8" to 1/4" slices (like thick bacon) and marinaded it in a mix of soy and Worcestershire sauce (with some other spices) for 48 hours.  Then, I strained out the excess liquid and spread the meat on the grill grates.  Lastly, I sprinkled the grates with coarse ground black pepper and placed them all in the smoker.

Placed in the smoker for 4 hours.  I smoked it for the first 2 hours with mesquite briquettes at 175 degrees (150 on the left, 175 on the right).  After two hours, I rotated the shelves (so that the meat on the left side was now on the right side) and dried for another 2 hours at the same temperature.

After 4 hours, most of the meat was ready to come off:

I wound up with 7-1/2 lbs of jerky, good enough for 33 bags at 100g per bag (~1/4 lb per bag).

 

[siegelscott]

Interesting read on the extension cord.  It is a heavy duty cord, but probably also 50' long.  I will revisit this electric heating element soon enough!  I need a few more $$ to make it happen.

 

[pops6927]

Yes, shorten the length to the minimum possible, even if it means adding another outlet quite near where your smoker sits (the outlet is wired with house wiring; use 12 gauge, and is much more conductive than an extension cord; i.e. solid copper), and your temp should increase quite a bit.  

To test it, plug it in with no extension cord and see what your temp is, then hook up with your 50' cord.  Let us know the difference!  Just remove your burner temporarily and set the Waring inside and use your hanging oven therms.  Do it with time, too - say 15 min. on each and record the current temps on both.  Wouldn't cost you anything to test it, and I'd love to see the results!

 

[jgwellwood]

Great find - thanks for sharing!