Dried Beef

[bsheger]

Does anyone have a recipe / instructions for dried beef.  I have a steer being butchered and I'm getting some fresh hunks from the round to make jerky and dried beef.  Hoping someone here has had a good dried beef experience they want to share.

[Habanero Smoker]

I just took some bresaola out of my dry curing cabinet, but haven't cut into it yet. To tell you the truth, I had a lot of problems curing it, so I'm not that confident on how it came out.

Try YouTube to see if you can find any videos. Also google bresaola, bunderfleisch, and/or chipped beef.

[duke76]

I have done it, just inject it or let it soak in a tender quick brine for like 5 days and then smoke it for a couple of hours and then just heat like 150 degress until it dries to your liking,could take like 15-20 hours depending on size, and slice thin, I have also used sweeter than sweet cure, but I think I prefer the tender quick, it really isnt difficult, just takes alot of time, sory if my instructions sound so vague but last year when I did this noone seemed to know how to do this so I called up a butcher friend of mine and that is what he told me, he said it isnt rocket science, just inject and or marinade with the cure and then smoke a little and then just dry it to your liking, hope this helps, Todd

[duke76]

I looked through my notes and this is what i had wrote down from my butcher friend
there are a couple ways you can do this, you can either use Mortons tender quick or a product called sweeter than sweet, it also works for making hams and curing bacon, you put your roast or loin or whatever lean piece of meat you want to use and you can either soak it in the brine and turn it every day for a week, longer if it is very thick, specific directions are on the cure you are using, in a plastic bucket or earthen crock, make sure you keep it in the 38- 40 degree range, too cold and the brine wont penetrate and to warm you can have bacteria problems, or you can inject with a marinading needle or brine pump, make sure you get it all injected or when you slice it you will see where the cure did not penetrat, it is better to let it soak to long rather than not long enough because that wont hurt a thing, if you mix it the way the directions say, I dont think it is possible to get to much in it, and then it will only take a couple days, then put it in your smoker or oven or whatever your heat source is and start at 160. for a couple of hours then raise the temp 20 degrees every hour until internal temp reaches 150-160 degrees, slice thin and enjoy, let me know how it turns out if you try it and if you have any questions, Todd

[love the smoke]

I have a recipe but its long so I will retype in Word and paste here may take a while with my hunt peck style of typing

LTS

How to make dried beef

Use Eye of Round, Rump Roast ,Bottom or Top Round roast. The leaner the better. You will also need Brown sugar cure, water and a meat injector.
Add 1 pound of Brown sugar cure with ½ gallon water. (1/2 pound with 1 quart water)
Mix well to dissolve
Pump 10% if meat weighs 10# you will need to pump 10% brine or 1# into the meat. The roast will weigh 11# when done.
Inject into all sides of the roast
Rub all sides of meat with brown sugar cure
Put roast in bag and refrigerate for 5-7 days. This allows the meat to cure.
Remove from fridge and rinse with cold water to remove extra salt.
Put roast in ham bag or put on smokehouse screen
Let stand at room temp for 1-2 hours
Preheat smoker 130
Dry out for 1-2 hours in a 140 degree smoker 
Check to see if surface is dry
Turn up temp to 150-160 and smoke for 2 hours or desired color is achieved
Turn temp up to 180-190 cook until IT is 155
Take out of smoker and cut thin slice to sample (its gooood) put in fridge to cool
Slice thin to make a darn good dried beef sandwich

[bsheger]

Todd & LTS,

Thanks for the info.  I have been doing a little research myself and think I will incorporate a little of both methods into the process.  I should get my meat in a week or so and then the fun begins.  I will let you know how it turns out.  Brent

[squirtthecat]

Dang, this sounds goood...

I used to love those Carl Buddig (sp?) packages of 'chipped beef'.

[squirtthecat]

LTS, could that be adapted to use MTQ?

[OU812]

Any brine or dry cure will work, all you are doing is curing the meat them smokin and dryin to get dried beef.

Heck you could use your cure you use for CB and it will work.

After the smoke and cook I hang mine in the fridge till its dry and firm before slicing paper thin.

[squirtthecat]

10-4.   Thanks OU...  I just didn't know if the brown sugar was a requirement or not.

Funny, I was eating lunch, and a colleague sat down across from me and pulled out a bag of Carl Buddig dried beef to make a sandwich...     It must have been an omen.   ;)

[OU812]

The brown sugar is in there mainly to cover up the salt.

MTQ has allot of sugar in it.