I just got my BS last week and first did a cold smoke LOX thanks to Spyguy. OMG, that was amazing. So now onto my current problem.
I lurked the forums and went out and bought some High Mountain Original Jerky Spice. I just pulled it from the smoker after using Applewood and I CAN'T STOP EATING IT. It's like my stomach is possessed by a jerky demon. This stuff is AMAZING. Oberto who? Store bought salt lick? I'm never buying another bag of ready made jerky again. Good thing I went to Costco today and bought 12 lbs of Round and have already sliced and vacuum packed it for my next batch. Cold smoke lox AND jerky? Do I even need to find another use for the smoker?
THANK YOU BRADLEY AND YOUR WONDERFUL SMOKER.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: cheapguy69 on October 30, 2006, 05:27:04 PM
I CAN'T STOP EATING IT. It's like my stomach is possessed by a jerky demon.
cheapguy69,
Search for the jerky thread by
agent provocateur. He demonstrates what happens when you get into this situation.
Arcs_n_Sparks
Quote from: Arcs_n_Sparks on October 30, 2006, 06:10:46 PM
Search for the jerky thread by agent provocateur. He demonstrates what happens when you get into this situation.
Arcs_n_Sparks
Good grief! Did you have to bring that up?
Quote from: asa on October 30, 2006, 07:03:59 PM
Quote from: Arcs_n_Sparks on October 30, 2006, 06:10:46 PM
Search for the jerky thread by agent provocateur. He demonstrates what happens when you get into this situation.
Arcs_n_Sparks
Good grief! Did you have to bring that up?
Just trying to help a new guy out... :o :o :o
A_n_S
69r - I'm curious about the methods you used.
Here's how I've beeng making it (dehydrator works about the best):
I went and bought a little table fan from Menards for 10 bucks.
Top vent 1/2 open.
For the first hour, I set the fan to blow into the side vents of the smoke generator. This generates quite a bit of air flow through the smoker.
After the first hour or so, I take the smoke generator off and just aim the fan into the hole. Amazing dehydrating effect. You can put a plastic cup upside down on the top vent and it will float. Depending on ambient temp, I plug part of the hole with a piece of cardboard or something otherwise the smoker doesn't get warm enough. A piece of screen or something over the hole wouldn't be a bad idea either if you have alot of bugs where you live.
Anyways, just some ideas for ya. Sounds like you are getting it figured out...
Here's one of my basic jerky recipes if you're ever out of commercial mix:
2 lbs top round roast sliced thin
2 ts kosher salt
1 ts black pepper
1 ts garlic powder
1/8 ts cayenne pepper
1 tbs brown sugar
mix dry ingrdients. Shake onto strips. Store in fridge for 12-24 hours. Smoke or dehydrate. Enjoy.
Agents thread.............Regular Tastey snacks , Bring after-snack ir-regularity :'(
I sure remember that post :D
Coyote
Well strange enough, it was a LOOOONG smoke. I couldn't figure out why I couldnt get the box heat over 100 all day. I had the oven temp set to 200 and it rarely got over 100. I figured it was because it was so cold outside. So it sat in the Applewood smoke for about 6 hours before I realized something must be wrong. So I unplugged and replugged both wires to the box and cranked up the heat and it worked. About 1.5 later it was done. Luckily that let me finish it all up with 1.5 hours of hickory on top of the apple all day.
I used the High Mountain as it was available from a local sporting goods store. I just did a small 2 lb batch to get the kinks worked out (as evidenced above).
I read Agent's thread and I was immediately shocked and concerned about my own consumption. I immediately drank two bottles of water......and had some more Jerky. :o :o :o :o
Quote from: Arcs_n_Sparks on October 30, 2006, 07:10:34 PM
Just trying to help a new guy out... :o :o :o A_n_S
:D :D ;D ;D :D :D ;D ;D
Sounds more like hazing to me.
Unfortunately, they found it. I was looking on the bright side, hoping that since the search engine here is so bad, they wouldn't ever track it down.
Well, caveat **emptor** (**substitute Latin word for "viewer" here**)
Robs -
I'm interested in your technique as posted above. So you smoke the thin strips for about an hour. Then, when you are just blowing air through with the fan, are you also heating the cooking element, or is this all done at cool, ambient temp? And how long do you dehydrate? Thanks for picking up on this thread.
Quote from: asa on October 31, 2006, 04:32:10 PM
Robs -
I'm interested in your technique as posted above. So you smoke the thin strips for about an hour. Then, when you are just blowing air through with the fan, are you also heating the cooking element, or is this all done at cool, ambient temp? And how long do you dehydrate? Thanks for picking up on this thread.
Smoke for an hour at 150-160 and then just the heating ellement on to dry at 130-140 deg f.
It's hard to keep the temp up to 140 with the fan on. That's why you might have to play around with covering up the smoke gen hole with some cardboard or something. It's basicly:
Heating ellement on full, fan on low, cardboard to regulate temp you know.
I threw that last part in so you laugh when you're doing it.
Good luck!
rob
Robs -
thanks for the details, and nice rhyme. But it seems the vent at the top could be closed down instead of using cardboard at the bottom. Or does the air just blast back out of the generator access when you have the vent closed down too far? seems there should be a way of adjusting those two, like the vents and smokestack on a side-firebox, barrel type smoker.
Quote from: asa on October 31, 2006, 06:29:32 PM
Robs -
thanks for the details, and nice rhyme. But it seems the vent at the top could be closed down instead of using cardboard at the bottom. Or does the air just blast back out of the generator access when you have the vent closed down too far? seems there should be a way of adjusting those two, like the vents and smokestack on a side-firebox, barrel type smoker.
Yeah, you gotta leave that top vent open for sure. I think the real problem for me is that the fan is just too powerful even on its lowest setting. I end up placing it about 6 inches to a foot away from the whole just to get the draft down.
cheapguy69...
can you help a guy out... i would gladly pay your time... supplies... freight... for some jerky delivered to me... im having a hard time right now... perhaps a change in jerky will help remedy my situation...
Quote from: robs on October 30, 2006, 07:32:01 PM
69r - I'm curious about the methods you used.
Here's how I've beeng making it (dehydrator works about the best):
I went and bought a little table fan from Menards for 10 bucks.
Top vent 1/2 open.
For the first hour, I set the fan to blow into the side vents of the smoke generator. This generates quite a bit of air flow through the smoker.
After the first hour or so, I take the smoke generator off and just aim the fan into the hole. Amazing dehydrating effect. You can put a plastic cup upside down on the top vent and it will float. Depending on ambient temp, I plug part of the hole with a piece of cardboard or something otherwise the smoker doesn't get warm enough. A piece of screen or something over the hole wouldn't be a bad idea either if you have alot of bugs where you live.
Anyways, just some ideas for ya. Sounds like you are getting it figured out...
Here's one of my basic jerky recipes if you're ever out of commercial mix:
2 lbs top round roast sliced thin
2 ts kosher salt
1 ts black pepper
1 ts garlic powder
1/8 ts cayenne pepper
1 tbs brown sugar
mix dry ingrdients. Shake onto strips. Store in fridge for 12-24 hours. Smoke or dehydrate. Enjoy.
Ok, so today it is freezing here, and using my method above - I can't get the box temp up over 130. What I did do though is this:
1. Leave the smoke gen on.
2. Take the puck holder off of the smoke gen.
3. If you have the right type of small fan, position it in place of the puck holder thingy blowing down into the gen.
With this setup, the box temp can still get up there around 150-160 and there is still quite a dehydrating effect.
rob
Got my feedback on my "too long smoked" jerky from my test subject/neighbor and he agreed - too much smoke. Go figure! Tomorrow will be a much better batch I hope.