Jerky making system for GB Jerky with pictures.

[pikeman_95]

When you want a consistent tasting jerky that taste the same stick to stick give this a try. When doing strip or sliced jerky the thick sticks will be more bland tasting then the thin strips.  This is because you can never slice all the strips the same thickness. When working with ground meat [get rid of all the fat] you can spice it all the same and smoke and dry it all the same. My system can do large or small batches. And if you want to it can just be one continuous batch. Passing them through the smoker then into the dehydrator until it is full.



We start with a jerky making guide board. The guides on the board edges set the thickness of the strips.



I have 12 stainless sheets that fit between the guises on the board. Each sheet is sprayed with Pam none stick cooking spray.



After the meat is spiced and cure is added. [.04 oz/pound of meat] and mixed well I spread a pile of meat on the sheet. Then I cover it with plastic wrap with a little powdered sugar on the plastic wrap to keep the wrap from sticking to the roller.








Make a stick impression making tool out of a 1 x 2 x 26 inch long strip of UHMD food grade plastic. Look for a local plastic supplier for restaurant supplies. They provide plastic cutting boards to restaurants. Use this tool to press the jerky stick impressions by pushing it down on the plastic wrap and sliding it back and forth a bit.





Time to head for the smoker.




Pull off the plastic wrap and place them in the smoker. Set the temperature of the smoker around 160 F and start the smoking process. The reason that you need to put some meat cure in your ground meat jerky is the cure breaks the protein fibers down and then jells them back together when the meat reaches the curing temperatures.



I use fans in my smoke to reduce the dehydrating and smoking process. When you have as much meat in the smoker as I do, you need the circulation.



This is one of my two dehydrators each one will hold 50# of jerky.


Do not try to finish the jerky in the smoker. They will become brittle on the edges before inside of the strips are done. If you have a food dehydrator, place the strips in it or just place them on a layer of paper towels and cover them with another layer of paper towels. Allow them to dry slowly so that the moisture can move through the meat and all dry at the same speed. Check the jerky often and try bending the strips. When they are the consistency of a shoe sole [they will still bend but not snap] At this point you should be able to cut a stick in half and it should be black all the way through with no pink showing.



I just opened a pack to take this picture and am enjoying a stick while I type. It is just as good as when I put it away last fall. You can make any spice blend that you like and the system will work with all. The shicks are leathery much like sliced jerky.

[Mr Walleye]

Great Job Pikeman!  ;)

That's a pretty ingenious method for consistent ground jerky you have come up with.  8)

Mike

[NePaSmoKer]

Ditto with Mike

Nice setup  ;D

[SouthernSmoked]

Nice job there pikeman_95