Do u realy need to buy jerky racks?

elweezo · November 06, 2010, 10:26:39 AM

Or do uU guys just use the regular ones. The jerky ones are far too expensive. BTW I noticed the two cords are able to join 2gether, does this make it so I can run the cabinet without having the smoke gen??

car54 · November 06, 2010, 11:03:27 AM

I believe that most people do not use jerky racks. I have some and the non-stick wears off easily.

Brad

pensrock · November 06, 2010, 11:05:15 AM

If you are making whole muscle jerky, you can use the regular trays but need to spray them to help stop sticking. I think the openings are too large for ground meat jerky. I use frog mats I got from Yard & Pool. They are high temp stick proof mats to fit your regular trays. They are not real cheap but a set will last forever. I'm sure others will be answering your question as well. :)

ADH · November 06, 2010, 11:06:10 AM

yep on the Frog mats.

Up In Smoke · November 06, 2010, 12:27:12 PM

Frogmat ditto here!

FLBentRider · November 06, 2010, 01:01:38 PM

I had the jerky racks before the frog mats.

I only use the jerky racks now when all the other ones are in use or dirty.

elweezo · November 06, 2010, 03:50:34 PM

Frog mats hhhmmmm. now u got me thinking.. Parchament paper with slits cut in it for heat distribution.

Slamdunk · November 06, 2010, 07:21:50 PM

I've done a lot of jerky and have found the regular racks to be just fine. The smaller pieces might fall through, but normally they get too brittle anyways...

Quarlow · November 06, 2010, 11:30:31 PM

Quote from: elweezo on November 06, 2010, 03:50:34 PM
Frog mats hhhmmmm. now u got me thinking.. Parchament paper with slits cut in it for heat distribution.

I would say you would be better off to take a hole punch and make holes in the parchment as slits may not let the smoke threw. I just use my regular racks and spay them with PAM, when I remember. You could also go to the hardware store and get some fairly fine mesh aluminum screening and cut pieces to fit your racks. I am trying to make some right now but more for doing nuts and stuff like that. Pics to follow, maybe. Depends on the success. The mesh I got is pretty fine so I may have trouble getting it to lay flat. Might have to go to thicker mesh.

RAF128 · November 07, 2010, 05:15:46 AM

I've got the jerky racks and at first I thought they were great. I've noticed lately that the finish is wearing off or they're rusting. They haven't been used that much either.

JT-MO · November 08, 2010, 03:12:47 PM

I did 10LB of jerkey a month or so ago and used the regular racks just fine.

10LB was more than the 4 little racks could hold so I was rotating them into the smoke for a few hours and then into my dehydrator to make more room for fresh meat into the bradley :)

Quarlow · November 09, 2010, 04:59:19 PM

Sounds like you need an extra rack kit or atleast another set of racks. With an extra set of racks you just flip one rack on top of the others. But you can get a kit from "yard and pool" which has extra slides for more racks. I think you can put 6 more racks in a 4 rack Bradley and 8 more in a 6 rack.

classicrockgriller · November 09, 2010, 05:41:37 PM

I think you have to get the rack kits from smokeitall's website.

Quarlow · November 09, 2010, 05:44:41 PM

Oops my bad. ::)

JT-MO · November 10, 2010, 11:32:54 AM

It's no big deal. I could of used the extra racks, but rotating them out like I did to the dehydrator after smoking worked out rather well and they awsome. It's amazing what a little smoke can do to jerky that I used to make just using the dehydrator.

I don't make it to often, I buy meat on sale here and there and freeze it. Then when I get around 10 to 20LBS I will make a batch of it.