Racks?

[Dogtiredwoof]

Looks like Ground beef jerky will be our first product out of our brand new smoker....maybe. I have read that you need a different kind of rack for making ground jerky, is there anyway to rig something else up temporally?the closest smoker supply place is over an hour and a half away and I don't feel like driving for racks. Is there anything I need to keep in mind before trying to rig something. I read that putting foil on the racks can wreck the smoker. I was thinking of maybe some alumminum screen from the hardware store or maybe some cooling racks with smaller holes so the jerky doesn't fall through. Any ideas or thoughts?

[KyNola]

I would opt for the cooling racks with the smaller holes rather than screen material for a temporary fix.  For the future I would recommend ordering the Bradley jerky racks from Bryan at Yardandpool.com  He is a member and good friend of the forum.  Also, order the high temp jerky screens from Y&P that are cut to fit the racks.  The high temp jerky screens are non-stick and very versatile for use such as smoking jerky, nuts, etc.  They will withstand temps in excess of 500 degrees so I also use them on my BBQ for everything.

[Dogtiredwoof]

Thanks I think I will see what the dollar stores have for racks. I have looked at the Yard and Pool website, lots of nice things I would love to have, sadly being in Canada it is way too expensive to order from the states! By the time I pay the extra shipping, brokerage fees and duty I could buy a whole new smoker! Wish I could order from him!

DTW

[KyNola]

Give Bryan a call.  I'm pretty sure he has shipped to some members in Canada before in a manner that was not cost prohibitive.

[Jim O]

I got my Bubba Pucks and frog mats from Y & P and shipped to Ontario. Charges were more than reasonable.

Jim O

[GusRobin]

I you buy the frog mats you don't really need the jerky racks.

[muebe]

I would go with the frog mats. The frog mats also fit perfectly in my Cabelas 10 tray dehydrator ;D

[Keymaster]

Someone told me the Bradley Jerky Racks chrome plating flakes off farely easy so i'm saving for six frog mats. I'm sure Bradley would replace them lickitysplit if that is true, I just don't like the taste of chrome ;D

[OU812]

Someone told me the Bradley Jerky Racks chrome plating flakes off farely easy so i'm saving for six frog mats. I'm sure Bradley would replace them lickitysplit if that is true, I just don't like the taste of chrome ;D

Its non-stick, not chrome on the jerky racks.  ;D

And yes the non-stick comes off after a short wile, I use mine for cooling racks now.

[Keymaster]

Yes your right OU812, it was the non-stick. Thanks for the correction :)

[Habanero Smoker]

Someone told me the Bradley Jerky Racks chrome plating flakes off farely easy so i'm saving for six frog mats. I'm sure Bradley would replace them lickitysplit if that is true, I just don't like the taste of chrome ;D

As mentioned above the jerky racks are coated with non-stick, and that will flake off. The regular racks are chrome plated and that will wear off in time. My regular racks are so worn that about 80% of the chrome is gone leaving a copper colored exposed metal that will rust if not thoroughly dried after washing.

[NePaSmoKer]

In a peeeinch the aluminum screen will work, just wash it good before use.

[Dogtiredwoof]

Well I ended up buying some cooling racks from the local grocery store for $5 each, they were the perfect width, just a little long.  My husband used his grinder (he is a welder, a grinder fixes everything!) to cut them to the right length and they worked perfect!  I have some great pictures, but I can't figure out how to post them here. (looks to me like I need to upload there somewhere on line first, then add them as a link.  If there is an easier way let me know, because I don't have anywhere to upload them on line)
I just took out our first batch of ground beef jerky, teriyaki.  Worked perfectly! (I have great pictures too, just can't share them)  We used a jerky cannon, and the last little bit that wouldn't go through the cannon I rolled out with a rolling pin.  I used a dog bone shaped cookie cutter to shape them.  They look darn cute, plus people won't steal your jerky because they think it is a dog treat!  I wanted to spray we ha the cooling racks with some pam so the jerky didn't stick, but I forgot to.  The jerky did not stick.  The only problem that we seem to run into was we did not have enough racks.  We will have to pick up another set of racks because all the beef we made up did not fit. I will have make the other half monday afternoon.  Oh there was a second problem too, there was large water pools outside the door of the smoker, but we realized it was just drool from my four kids waiting for the jerky to be done! ha ha just kidding, but they did ask every five min if it was ready.  We bought some seasoning that included a cure, from a butcher and packer store in another city.  The package was enough to do 20lbs of meat, our math must have been good because the divided amount was perfect for the batch we made.  Again I also have pictures of it, but....well you know I am having picture posting problems!

Thanks for you help.
Tomorrow I will put in my brisket bright and ealry so we can have it for dinner!

DTW

[ghost9mm]

Hi DTW...
   Go to Photobucket.com it's free, open an account, upload the pictures you want to show...after they are uploaded..mouse over the picture you want to show and go down to image code and left click on image code it will say copied and bring it over to the forum and drop it in your post..Hope this helps

[GusRobin]

Here ia a link on how to upload and post pics:
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=768#post768