Hey everyone, I just got in some XXX-Hot Hatch Farms Jalepeno Powder and Chipotle Powder. I am looking for some guidance on how much of this stuff to use in GB jerky and what if anything to mix it with and how much? I am looking at doing a 5Lb load and want it hot and flavorful. I was thinking about just the powder and water, but I am thinking there needs to be something else in the mix?
I'm no pro here but just on my third batch of jerky myself. Although I am a professional chef and happen to be from New Mexico you are thinking exactly where I was. eventually I will make a batch of green chile jerky. here are my thoughts (nothing tried just yet).
* I'd prob start with about 1/4 cup of green chile powder.
* 2 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped fine (when I cook w/ green chiles I find that the thyme actually punches up the flavor of green chile a bit so it's not just pure heat)
* maybe 1/2 cup tomato juice (V8 might provide a good base) and a simple brine of 1/2 cup water + 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt + 1 Tablespoon sugar.
*1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of kikkoman Lime ponzu or regular ponzu (this will contribute salt and lime flavors plus a bit of umami)
* lots of garlic powder (i prefer powder over raw garlic because it provides much more control in many ways) - say 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic powder maybe.
* I'd also add about 2 Tablespoons of freshly cracked pepper - this should make the heat a little bit complex.
* I almost think that adding a touch of MSG might be a good idea for my batch although I've not played with it at all. I almost want to add a bouillon cube to my mix and will do some further research when I get to that point but I think the flavor would be awesome w/ one of these components.
* 1 teaspoon of cure #1
Again, I've never tried the above but hope to make a batch of green chile jerky after I get my OBS experience. My expertise is in New Mexican and Latin American cuisines so i'm giving you recommendations for flavor. Personally I wouldn't add chipotle powder for fear of having too much smoke (unless you just dry it minus smoke) - the chipotle is just a smoked jalapeno so if you had jalapeno powder you might achieve the same results with just the jalapeno and some OBS smoke.
my second batch was tasty but apparently I left the vents closed and ended up having too much moisture in the chamber which resulted in a dry batch. I'm actually working on batch #3 now and I'll post results tonight or tomorrow. Let me know what you end up with.
Ooops- sorry I just gave you my thoughts for strip jerky - not GB. I would imagine that the same ingredients w/ much less levels would provide a great start. Good luck.
Great post. Since you are a Chef I look forward to your recipe and posts. I would up using ground Turkey with some basic jerky seasoning and about 6TB of Chipotle powder for heat. It is curing now and will extrude and smoke tomorrow.