Looking to smoke some beef jerky. Just want to know what kind of meat to use and a good recipe. Also does the meat need to be put in a dehydrator I don't have one. I have a dbs 4 rack with an additional 4 racks so I can place racks on top of each other. Pics and recipes are always fun to look at thanks.
Hi HD,
Welcome to the forum :)
You do not need a dehydrator to make jerky.
You can cook it completely in your smoker.
Lean cuts of meat work best, I like using Round or Rump Roast usually.
Check out the recipe listed on the forum in this section.
And you can also use a jerky kit which comes with seasoning already blended.
LEM and Hi Mountain good companies to look into that are usually available at sporting goods stores and online.
Carolyn
What flavor of Jerky do you want? I guess that's the first place to start. Also for the cut of meat, I like to use London broil the best, but any round roast will work just fine. I do try to stay away from round tip tho, it gets a little bit stringy. I cut all of mine by hand, and I cut mostly across the grain (it seems to come out more tender that way, in my opinion).
A really good place to start for seasonings is Hi Mountain Jerky. You can google them or find them in your local sporting goods store most of the time. They make some really good mixes and give you very well laid out step by step instructions. That being said, here is one of my recipes, it is so darn simple you will cry, but it is super yummy!
1 88oz bottle of Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce (teriyaki) Don't skimp and use any other flavor, it just won't be the same!
However much meat you wanna use (I like 10-15lb batches for that amount of sauce)
Pink Cure #1 (You can most likely find this at your local butcher shop, just tell them you need pink cure, they'll know what it is) Here's the tricky part, 1 4oz package of that stuff will cure 100lbs of meat! so you have to be careful and weigh it out precisely. If you are not sure, ask your butcher, if he's a nice guy, he'll be more than happy to help you out.
Cut your meat into 1/4-3/8 in thick strips, and when you have them all cut, mix the correct amount of cure (once again according to how much meat you are using) with the teriyaki making sure you mix it really good(I use a 5 gallon bucket) and then place the meat in the mixture sauce each slice at a time. I found this to be easier to get a good coating on everything. Then mix it all extremely well, cover and place in the fridge (if you have one big enough to spare room in! otherwise a ice chest with ice in it will suffice). I let mine cure for anywhere from 12 hours all the way up to as long as 36 hours, stirring it at least once every 4 or 5 hours.
Once that is done, lay it all out on the racks and pour the smoke to it for 3-4 hours and let the temperature rise gradually to about 140F in the smoker and just keep checking on it and it will cook right there in the smoke house. I rotate my racks down also as my lower racks get much more heat than my upper racks do!
Hope this helps! And Good Luck!
Scottie's Gourmet Meats
1 level tsp cure #1 to every 5 lbs of meat regardless of strips or GB.
Easy Peasy
I'll 2nd the Hi Mountain kits. They have several flavours to choose from. I like the original blend or the pepper blend. I've tried the others but they don't suit my taste. The hot ones don't seem to have any flavour IMO, just heat. The kits contain everything you need, spices and cure and are fool proof if you follow the directions.
I like to slice my meat 1/4 inch thick and with the grain. I use venison and use meat from the hind legs. I seperate the individual muscles and go from there. I don't add too much smoke, usually 2 hrs is enough but some like it with a little stronger smoke flavour. Watch it closely after a few hrs. You want it tough and bendable, not breakable.
HD
See how we all have our likes with different things. Most like HM with their sausage and jerky which is great, For some it works good.
I dont like HM for myself but some of my friends think its the best so i keep some around. IMHO HM sux
Yea, I'm not a HM fan either. I use this (http://gnipsel.com/recipes/jerky/soy-jerky.html) recipe shamelessly stolen from NePas but don't tell him ;D
With a SS 4 rack converted to 12 racks I can do all the jerky I want.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/johnplctech/Smokin/12%20Rack/12jerkyracks.jpg)
John
I use the LEM jerky seasoning/cure packets and recommend them.
I do a lot of jerky and just use the DBS. Cook at 200 for 6-7 hours rotating the racks bottom to top each hour. Sometimes I put in at midnight and take out in the morning and it's magic.