Venison Jerky - Hi Mountain (Bourbon BBQ)

[oleolson]

Got 7 1/2 lbs of deer meat sliced up tonight for jerky. I will be using the Bourbon BBQ Hi Mountain blend. Never tried that one so I hope it turns out ok. Will do the seasoning tomorrow and smoking on Thursday. No pics yet but will take some tomorrow.

 

[peculiarmike]

Uff Da Ole, dat sounds good! Looking forward to da pics. Oh geeze!

 

[richtee]

Question: Is there REAL bourbon in it? If not, I suggest ya add it. it's in all my mops and sauces. Which means nothing.

 

[oleolson]

Nope, it doesn't have real bourbon in it. I'm sure there will be some in me though. lol

 

[richtee]

Quarter cup for the batch...to kill any stray bacteria, y'see. Bet ya don't regret it.

 

[oleolson]

Seriously, it adds quite a bit? Does the alcohol evaporate? cuz I'm going to give it to people that quit drinking years ago.

 

[kookie]

Hey Neighbor

Hope your jerky turns out good.

Kookie

 

[bigarm's smokin]

Hi Mountain is great stuff, you will be pleased.

don't you mean, "goot" ? haha, oh sure, you betcha

Rum Rich, Rum

ah Ole, is der no hope for ya? (see above)

 

[oleolson]

UffDa! Ya, I meant "Goot", you betcha! lol I sure hope dat Lena likes da stuff.

 

[richtee]

LOL... well, assuming they have a decent sense of balance to start with, anyway ;{)

 

[oleolson]

OK, got the batch going. Put in at 4:45pm at 180 degrees in my MES. I'm only gonna smoke for an hour cuz I'm afraid of oversmoking it since this is my first batch of jerky in the smoker. Here's some before pics.

 

[oleolson]

Not quite done yet. Tried a couple of test pieces and don't think I put quite enough seasoning on it. I'll see when all is said and done.

 

[kookie]

Looks good. Let us know how it turns out. Good q-view.

kookie

 

[oleolson]

Well it didn't turn out as good as I had planned. It went from being too moist to being too dry really quick. Not super dry but drier than I wanted it to be. Should've used more seasoning too. But at least it was a decent trial run. Don't get me wrong, it's edible. I'm just my worst critic. Here's the after pics.

 

[richtee]

Yeah, timing is kinda critical. Experience will help. As soon as it gets to a "feel" of dryness, I turn off the heat and let it rest. Then usually a day on a drying rack.

Also, you cut your cross grain. Seems that may have a bearing on drying time too, as the moisture containing muscle has been opened to the air over it's whole cross-section.

 

[cowgirl]

It sure looks good OleOlson.

 

[oleolson]

Thanks Cowgirl!

 

[oldgrandman]

Got my attention! Hi Mountain Bourbon BBQ, I like the stuff, lightly doused with a dash of actual bourbon mixed with a little of your fav bbq sauce on the meat before 'smokin' it.
Hey, it's gotta be good, it's got bourbon on it!

 

[squeezy]

Is that snow I see in the second pic ?

I'm thinking, 180º is a little high for jerky, mom says between 150º & 170º is what you need and no more than a ¼ inch thick. Smoke for 1 to 3 hours depending on the wood you are using and your personal taste.
Sure wish I has some venison to smoke ... shucks!

Hope you enjoy yours!

 

[oleolson]

Yup, that's snow alright. We recently got an inch or so and if I remember right it snowed a little bit more that night.