Smokin Albertan

[renskie]

G'day everyone. I'm new here lol! Built myself a cabinet style smoker this summer and have been pumpin out some pretty nice treats so far. Next on the list is a pork loin for jerky but have no idea where to start. Any ideas for this cat by chance!? :)

 

[dukeburger]

Welcome to SMF, fellow Albertan.

Lucky for you, I just ran into a thread about pork jerky by CrankyBuzzard. Have a look!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235473/dry-cured-pork-jerky

 

[renskie]

Thanks buddy! That looks and sounds great! Pretty much exactly what I've been looking for but what's this #1 cure I keep seeing and reading about? I'm pretty new to this smoking game! Lol

 

[dukeburger]

In a nutshell, from Wiki. Having never used the stuff, this is all I have for ya. I use Morton TenderQuick for all my curing needs, as it's all I can ever seem to find locally.
[h3]Prague Powder #1[/h3]
One of the most common curing salts. It is also called Insta Cure #1 or Pink curing salt #1. It contains 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% table salt.[sup][3][/sup] It is recommended for meats that require short cures and will be cooked and eaten relatively quickly. Sodium nitrite provides the characteristic flavor and red color associated with curing.
[h3]Prague Powder #2[/h3]
Also called Pink curing salt #2. It contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, 4% sodium nitrate, and 89.75% table salt.[sup][3][/sup] The sodium nitrate found in Prague powder #2 gradually breaks down over time into sodium nitrite, and by that time a dry cured sausage is ready to be eaten, no sodium nitrate should be left.[sup][2][/sup] For this reason it is recommended for meats that require long (weeks to months) cures, like hard salami and country ham.

 

[renskie]

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• renskie
• Nov 30, 2015

This is what I built as a smoker.. It's my first one! Lol it's trial and error at the moment!

 

[renskie]

Thanks again man, I'll have to look around Edmonton here to see if I can find something like that! Everyone on here is a really big help! I dig it, thanks guys!

 

[renskie]

image.jpg

• renskie
• Nov 30, 2015

image.jpg

• renskie
• Nov 30, 2015

 

[crankybuzzard]

:welcome1:

Good looking build! What temps have you tested it at, low and high? Looks like it's gonna be a good one for the jerky yours after.

Here's a list, kind of old, but it shows where to get cure #1 in Canada.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/169801/where-to-buy-cure-in-canada-list


Let us know how things go!

 

[renskie]

Thanks! It was kinda tricky to get the propane right as I built it duel purpose. Both charcoal/wood and propane. The highest I've gotten it up to when testing was only bout 260-270 (I thought with propane I'd see round 500 if I wanted it but.. That's all she's got! Lol) and the lowest well I just did a couple bricks of cheese last night and had it hovering around 40-60 (hard to tell as my temp gauge is not reliable at the moment. Well I don't trust it anyway! Lol)

 

[crankybuzzard]

Thanks! It was kinda tricky to get the propane right as I built it duel purpose. Both charcoal/wood and propane. The highest I've gotten it up to when testing was only bout 260-270 (I thought with propane I'd see round 500 if I wanted it but.. That's all she's got! Lol) and the lowest well I just did a couple bricks of cheese last night and had it hovering around 40-60 (hard to tell as my temp gauge is not reliable at the moment. Well I don't trust it anyway! Lol)

Ok, first things first, get a good thermometer. That will tell you how the pit is running and it can also save an expensive piece of meat, and also save your people from serious illness!

500?!? What were you gonna roast? :biggrin:

The reason I asked about low temps, is that the jerky in the link goes from 125 up to 160, and then back to 125...

 

[renskie]

Haha, I know it's on the list the next time I go for supplies! It works it's just not very to the degree accurate.. Like it jumps by 25's, it's the one off my BBQ lol. And I know I wasn't planning on cooking at 500! Lol I just thought with both burners goin I'd see it around there. But yeah that recipe is in the perfect range for what it runs at. I'm pumped to try this out!

 

[dukeburger]

Nice fab work on your build!

 

[atomicsmoke]

Welcome to SMF.

That's some heavy duty smoker you fabricated. Great job.

 

[renskie]

Thanks guys! IM happy with the way it turned out, was a lot of work but totally worth the time and effort I put into it!

 

[HalfSmoked]

welcome and as you can see you will get a lot of help here. I too use Tender Quick by Morton works well for me.