Thickest jerky ever?

[rgsolution]

I am planning to make a lot of jerky all at once. I usually cut the meat 3/16 to 1/4" thick but it takes up a lot of space and I have to cook it all in stages. I'm thinking of cooking 2" thick slabs with slits cut at 1/4" intervals or I can cut them 1/4" and layer them and just keep turning all the pices in the pile but that would be messy and a pain. Was wondering if anyone has ever cooked thick steak until dry then cut into jerky size bites successfully ?????????? Was it completely dry, any complications? Thanks

 

[Rings Я Us]

What kind of smoker?

 

[Rings Я Us]

You can hang all your jerky using toothpicks.
Pierce each one and hang them all in rows from the grates using toothpicks.
They will pack in rows not touching each other ,like that , 10 times more will fit.

 

[dward51]

I've tried hanging strips, but actually prefer adding extra racks and smoking them flat instead. In the WSM, I bought a bunch of pizza screens slightly smaller than my WSM body and dome and I use 1" square wooden cubes as spacers between the screens. I've done 8 or 10 at a time that way. This also lets you rotate the screens top to bottom if you find they are not cooking evenly. I bought my screens from the Webstrauant Store for like $20 a dozen a few years back.

I now use a heavily modified MES 30 Analog with 8 racks. I have fiberglass/teflon screen material I lay on top of the MES racks and again lay the meat flat. This lets me rotate the trays and move them up or down in the heated air column to ensure even drying/cooking. 1/4" is around what I usually cut, but I have run 3/8". The texture is different and it's more like a chewy steak if it is thicker. I like the 1/4" or 3/16" best.

 

[Rings Я Us]

I have a couple pizza screen racks for my 2 smokers.. not very durable but they work.

 

[crazymoon]

RGS, IMHO you would have as much time or more trying to dry a 2 inch piece as you would if you did multiple smokes with the thinner meat. Don't forget your cure !

 

[rgsolution]

Toothpick idea made me laugh out loud I just finished cutting stainless rods for 12 racks for a homemade fuel tank smoker I think I'll take that advice and try the toothpick idea thankfully I only cut half of the steel so far. I wish I thought of that one a long time ago lol

 

[mdbannister]

View attachment 349223 You can hang all your jerky using toothpicks.
Pierce each one and hang them all in rows from the grates using toothpicks.
They will pack in rows not touching each other ,like that , 10 times more will fit.

This is how I do it.