SMOKING JERKY

[the big guy]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking for a few weeks and decided to join. I just bought a used Bradley Original smoker that had about 12 pucks through it. The guy bought the starter pack with the cover, video, and 60 pucks. It came with 48 unopened pucks, so I figure it's just nicely broke in. I plan on buying a digital programmer for it soon.
My question is this. I've been making jerky for a while now using Hi Country jerky seasoning and cure and drying-cooking it in the oven at 200F for an hour on convection. I've been very happy with the results. Now I'm doing my first batch in the smoker. How much smoke do I use? Do I smoke all the way through, or just for the first 20-40 min.? I don't want to be over whelmed by the smoke taste, just have it accent the seasoning that's already there. I used the hickory seasoning this time, so I planned on using hickory smoke as well. Any and all thoughts on this are welcome. I'll be smoking sometime Monday.

Ian

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum the big guy!

I have smoked the Hi Mountain jerky, mostly the originl blend. I don't put more than an hour on jerky. Since your batch is already Hickory, I would only do the 20-40 minutes.

[josbocc]

Big Guy,

I've been dehydrating jerky with Hi-Mtn spices for a couple of years now.  (put over 400lbs of meat through my dehydrator last X-mas alone).  I'm new to to smoking, just got my DBS6 about three weeks ago.

Based upon what I know about dehydrating, what I've learned in the past few weeks here, and my limited experience with the DBS, I'd say that the "bent rider" has you pointed in the right direction. 

If you are using hickory seasoning, I might suggest apple smoke, or possibly special blend.  You don't want to overpower the jerky with the hickory flavor.  I've found that when using Hi-Mtn seasonings, when they call for a cup or two of water, that a cup of two of apple juice works even better, so I might lean towards apple smoke.  Whatever you decide to do..., go for a short smoke the first time, and if you think it could use more flavor, then extend the smoke time in the future.

Good Luck,
Jeff

[NePaSmoKer]

Welcome Big Guy

I been making jerky for 30 years and have had many smokers. The Bradley is one of the best.

For jerky you can do 4/6 pucks then just heat. Note you should have your vent full open and no water in your pan.





Your jerky should look like this below.


Rotate your racks. Or after smoking you can dehydrate it too. Becarefull not to over cook.

nepas

[Gizmo]

How much smoke do I use? Do I smoke all the way through, or just for the first 20-40 min.? I don't want to be over whelmed by the smoke taste, just have it accent the seasoning that's already there.
Ian

Ian,
As the others and you have stated here, your 20 to 40 minutes of smoke will work just fine.  It is amazing how much change in flavor it gives the meat.  When I make jerky, I usually do 10 to 15 lbs which is more than I can fit on 12 racks in the Bradley, so I fill the 12 racks and the rest go into the dehydrator straight.  I use 40 minutes to an hour of smoke as I like a heavier smoked flavor, and after the smoke, they go into the dehyrator to finish.  It is much easier to get consistent results in the dehydrator.  It is also easier to pull individual pieces out so they don't become over cooked as NePa mentioned.  I love both smoked and un-smoked. 
You didn't mention if you were doing ground or whole muscle.  I suspect Josbocc is doing ground with the addition of liquid.  I use the Hi-Mountain almost exclusively now (use to do liquid marinade) and love the flavor it produces. 

Now don't let NePa convince you that his picture is how jerky should look.  He uses "Skinny Cow".  Here is the "Fatted Cow Jerky"   ;D  :D  ;)

[the big guy]

Thanks guys. I was thinking along those lines myself. Not too much smoke. I like the thought of apple too. I'll have to see if any came with the smoker. I'm doing 15lbs of whole muscle meat. Actually it's roast that I've run through my slicer to get 3/8"x3/8" square strips. I bought the jerky racks for the smoker so I've got 8 racks total. When I did this in the oven, I dried for an hour at 200'F. Would you suggest cold smoking before the heat or just get the smoker up to temp and then smoking as it's drying?

Ian

[Gizmo]

I hot smoke then transfer to the dehydrator.  The jerky is cured so bugs should be killed but since we are using heat to dehydrate, I see no reason to cold smoke then heat.

[josbocc]

Gizmo is very observant ;), I do use ground meat for most of my jerky now.  Personally I'd prefer whole meat, but I find it much more time consuming to prepare, and I'm making most of mine for co-workers who love the "softer" chew of the ground meat.

One piece of advice that I will provide, Big Guy..., if you plan on doing any volume of jerky, save your coin, and invest in a decent dehydrator.  The "Ronco Special" from Wal-mart will work, but it requires rotating your trays as the meat on the bottom dries quicker than the stuff on top.  Excalibur makes good dehydrators, and I recently purchased the LEM stainless model.  I like the timer on the LEM, and the 10 oversized racks, but is definitely louder than the Excalibur.  Either way, these units have their fans and heating elements in the back, and virtually eliminate the need for rotating.  I do about 13lbs. of ground beef in the LEM at one time, set the timer for about 9 hours, go to bed, and wake in the AM to some awesome jerk.  Can't wait to try smoking some before it goes into the dehydrator.

Best of Luck,
Jeff

[the big guy]

Hey guys, sorry for not replying before now. These 60 hr weeks are getting old. I did smoke the jerky on Monday, (it was a holiday in Canada). Things turned out pretty well. I didn't have any apple or special blend bisquets so I used Maple. I was surprised, even after reading on this site, at how long it took the smoker to heat up and regain temp after opening the door. It was a hot sunny day with the temps. in the mid 80s and it still took a lot longer to do than I thought it would. I finally finished about 3/4 of it in the oven at 200F and the convection fan on. I love the smoke taste along with most of my family. My youngest daughter isn't fond of it but that's ok, she's only eating a pound a day now instead of 5...LOL. I think next time I might try just using the smoker without heat for about 3-4 bisquets then finish in the oven. It just dries more evenly that way. My Brother in Law has started using a dehydrater for making jerky and he's happy with it. He doesn't even smoke any more, he uses liquid smoke! That's just WRONG.   I've got a full size fridge that has no freezer compartment that I don't use anymore, it still works fine, just a bit hard on power to have plugged in all the time. I think I'll make a mounting bracket for the smoke generater on it, put an oven element inside along with a fan or 2 and use the digital box available for the Bradley and see if I can get a big smoker on the go with even heat like a convection oven. Gonna keep on trying different recepies from this site and find stuff that works great in the little smoker as well. I just need to plan my time a bit better, I seldom get a full day where I can hover around a smoker and sip beverages. I will prevail however. Thanks again for all the tips. I appreciate them.
May the smoke be with you!
Ian

[West Coast Kansan]

I thought they should be like jerky cookies. I guess that would be round cow.

[NePaSmoKer]

The skinny cow    ;D

nepas