Help where am I going wrong ????

[Smurfatnz]

I have done 2 lots of beef jerky now and both lots have turned out very very dark in colour .
Even though it taste good how do I get this nice looking red colour
I dry the beef for 1 to 2hrs at 60 degrees
smoke for 2hrs at 71 degrees up the heat to 80 degrees for another 4hrs


How Do I Get My Jerky To Look Like This

[unclebuck]

Are your using cure#1 in your process?  It is the cure that gives the jerky the color.

[pikeman_95]

Like unclebuck said it is the cure that will give it the red color. Besides it helps protect your jerky while smoking.

[smoker pete]

I have done 2 lots of beef jerky now and both lots have turned out very very dark in colour .
Even though it taste good how do I get this nice looking red colour
I dry the beef for 1 to 2hrs at 60 degrees
smoke for 2hrs at 71 degrees up the heat to 80 degrees for another 4hrs

How Do I Get My Jerky To Look Like This

I thought that granite top looked familiar ;D  As unclebuck and pikeman pointed out Smurfatnz, the Teriyaki Jerky Marinade that my local butcher provided me with has cure #1 in it.  I don't know the exact amount but I do know that you don't need much of it.

If you visit my Hickory Smoked Top Sirloin Beef Jerky post you'll see the details of how I made my Jerky pictured in your post.

The temperatures you used are a little confusing to me.  Are those Fº or Cº?  Does the "nz" in your name refer to New Zealand?

[Smurfatnz]

Hi All
The NZ in my name refers to the land down under New Zealand  8)

Q:Are your using cure#1 in your process?
A:Sorry but what is cure #1 ??? and can you use any of the Bradley's cures to make the jerky ??

Q:The temperatures you used are a little confusing to me.  Are those Fº or Cº?
A:Yes down this part of the world we use ºC

I had marinated my meat in a Teriyaki marinade that I brought from the super market which was very dark in colour OK so that will explain the color of my jerky

[unclebuck]

Cure #1 in Canada is known as "prague powder".  Use 1 tsp/5lbs of meat.  We in Canada are also metric, but I am old enough that metric means nothing to me.  It had to be learned in school, it was not grown up with like my kids.

[Smurfatnz]

The cures that Bradley have put out eg Maple,Sugar ect what is the best way to use them ???
I have the Maple and DEMERARA would they be any good for jerky ???
Still all new to this I have only had the Bradley for 2months now

[KyNola]

I'm going to swim upstream with this but all of my jerky has cure #1 in it and mine always turns out a dark brown color.  I think it has more to do with the contents of a marinade that folks may be using or not using.  If the marinade has a a considerable amount of soy sauce or worchestershire sauce or terayaki sauce in it you're going to be hard pressed to get that "red" color.

Besides, who cares what color it is if it tastes good?! ;)   

[Habanero Smoker]

The cures that Bradley have put out eg Maple,Sugar ect what is the best way to use them ???
I have the Maple and DEMERARA would they be any good for jerky ???
Still all new to this I have only had the Bradley for 2months now

Hi Smurfatnz;
Welcome to the forum.

The below link show how to use the Bradley cures; make sure you click on the link for their recipes and download:
Bradley Cures

[Smurfatnz]

Well I finally got that nice red colour LOL :D
I met up with the good guys from Bradley's at a boat show and what a wonderful display they had
and after buying 2 boxes of puks then they gave me 2 free coffee cups,stickers,pens and bar towels way cool  :P :P

But any way after speaking to them the process was as follows

1kg of beef schnitzel (remove fat)

make a paste with
1tsp Maple Cure
Maple Syrup
Garlic powder
Mixed herbs I used Tuscon

Massage the paste through the meat and leave in the fridge for 5 day shuffle meat around every 2ND day

Mine turned out so nice sorry but I did not take any photos as it did not last long

[ghost9mm]

Really glad to hear you have everything the way you want it now, we all have had our share of the learning curve... :D