Jerky tasting all the more salty ? .....

[outdoorsfellar]

Merry Christmas !

With the batches of jerky I've recently made using Hi Mountain brand, it seems that the jerky tastes all the more salty as time goes by. I dunno if it's just my taste buds, or just in my head. My most recent batch, I never did smoke, it all just went straight to the dehydrator, so I'm wondering if using the prescribed amount of cure is the reason. I'm also wondering if I even need the cure if it's going straight into the dehydrator, or just cut down on the cure... to lets say just one side of the meat. Anyone else come across this ?

[FLBentRider]

I don't use the HM mixes anymore, just the bulk cure.

Every now and then I get a piece that is a little saltier that the others, but I can tell by the way we apply the cure that it doesn't always go on evenly.

Personally I would not go without the cure, since the salt in the cure keeps the bad bugs away.

How thick do you cut your pieces?

The cure and seasoning are measured by weight and not surface area to be applied to. The thicker your pieces, the more concentrated the cure will be on the outside, if that makes sense.

[outdoorsfellar]

Thanks. My meat is sliced just under 1/4". When dried, it's thinner of course, so perhaps it is just the way I sprinkle the cure on. I do measure the weight prior to adding the cure. Nobody has said anything about the salt taste when I share, so perhaps it's just me then ... or the few pieces that perhaps do get more cure than the others. I'm quite new to the jerky scene, so I guess it's easy to question yourself all the more. Thanks again !

[FLBentRider]

That's about the thickness that I use.

Any thinner and you end up with "Meat crackers" instead of jerky.

[Piker]

I used to have the same problem. So now I just about eliminate the salt in my dry mix or wet marinade. I just use the required amount of cure. If you use soya sauce it already has lots of salt in it as do a lot of other ingredients. I found a recipe that has dry white wine,lemon juice,sugar and cure and I add a little salt to this. Itsa been the best I have tried. Thks Piker

[deb415611]

I used to have the same problem. So now I just about eliminate the salt in my dry mix or wet marinade. I just use the required amount of cure. If you use soya sauce it already has lots of salt in it as do a lot of other ingredients. I found a recipe that has dry white wine,lemon juice,sugar and cure and I add a little salt to this. Itsa been the best I have tried. Thks Piker

Piker,

Can you post your recipe?

thanks,
Deb

[squirtthecat]

I used to have the same problem. So now I just about eliminate the salt in my dry mix or wet marinade. I just use the required amount of cure. If you use soya sauce it already has lots of salt in it as do a lot of other ingredients. I found a recipe that has dry white wine,lemon juice,sugar and cure and I add a little salt to this. Itsa been the best I have tried. Thks Piker

Piker,

Can you post your recipe?

thanks,
Deb

I'd like to second that request.  Sounds interesting.

[Quarlow]

I have about 5 lbs of jerky in the smoker right now. I did half with some of the CT Nepas sent me and the rest is sweet teriyaki. I don't use cure nor does my brother as we don't see the need for it, just our opinion. You are drying the meat to almost no water content and we keep it in the fridge. For longer storage we just put it in the freezer in zip locks but it usually doesn't last long enough to be any problems. Am I missing something?