Orion's Jerky Project

[Orion]

My pictures don't do the product justice as I don't know much about shooting food. The product is delicious though, good texture, chewiness, moisture content was best with about 1 hr at 140, 1 hour smoke at 150 and 2 hrs at 150 to finish. Next time I will slice a little thinner. Honey garlic, maple and then orange lemon garlic were the most popular.

[Orion]

The Jerky is not quite as dark as the pics show. I think because I used all natural ingredients I didn't get that processed colour you see in store bought.

[KyNola]

Great looking jerky!

[tailfeathers]

Looks great!


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[Orion]

 Thanks.

I created a lemon orange garlic brine off the top of my head and it is really good. Has a really nice twang to it and product is not as  dark as the others. If you look closely you can see the close up which shows small pieces of orange and lemon zest on the surface of jerky.

[dave01]

looks good, which one did you like the best?

[Orion]

You know what, I couldn't answer that at this point as by the time it was all made I was brined, smoked , salted, sliced, diced, chopped and spiced out. You know... how food always tastes better when someone else cooks it.

I ended up making an additional two brines as I was looking for one that wouldn't result in such a dark product. That led me to create a maple flavour using pure Canadian maple syrup and another flavour using lemon and orange zest and juice. Both are really good and indeed finished with a lighter colour.

I would have to say the only one that isn't really really  good is the basic brine listed as #1 in earlier post and only because the others have so much more flavour.

#1 Maple
#2 lemon orange garlic
#3 Honey Garlic
#4 Daughters Blend
#5 Teriyaki
#6 Basic

I learned that it doesn't take long in the smoker, first batch was 6-7 hours and was down to 4 by the last batch. It's definitely a learning curve and methods will always be evolving and recipes tweeked. I like it hot however had to hold back a bit for some family members.

[ChicagoScott]

Looks delicious. So no dehydrator in the process?

[Orion]

hi CS. You are correct. I didn't use anything but the Bradley. As I mentioned previously, depending on how thick your jerky is sliced it doesn't really take all that long to dry. Once finished drying I stored it in paper bags in the fridge for a two days which really seemed tp put a nice finish on it.

[meyer lemon]

Paper bag for two days...did you vac seal and freeze?  Big eye of round waiting for warmer temps.
Your recipes sound wonderful.

[Orion]

meyer lemon, there was no need to freeze any of it as I gave it all to family for Christmas. Gave out 3 bags each weighing about 2 lbs. It was all eaten within a week and everyone loved it.

Keep in mind that your final product will weigh about 50% of what you started with. My 15 lbs ended up at about 7 or 8. You could certainly freeze it and like you said, getting all the air out is best.

[just a smokin]

  I am aware that this is from an old post however :

  Hey there i just saw your post regarding the jerky ... wow looks really good .I'm curious ,so what did you finally like the best for yourself ,meaning with a little tang and and a little shot of heat (just enough to get your attention). and could i maybe have your recipe for that one. I'm sure by now you've done it a few more times and have perfected it even more.i have to say i really do like the idea of the lemon or use lemon pepper .

 i thank you in advance  Dan

[Orion]

Hello Just a Smokin,

For me, the Daughters Blend is the best. I would recommend that one. You should know that these recipes are not cast in stone and if you don't happen to have one or two of the lesser ingredients it's no big deal. Last time I made it I increased the chili peppers and the Samba Olek which is just a hot chili paste that comes in a jar. I like it hot. You can safely adjust the brine in any direction you like: add some maple syrup or honey for a bit of sweet or some citrus juice or rind for a little zing. Finally you can sprinkle some finely ground spices onto the strips just before going into the smoker or toss them in a bag and shake them with spices after.

Best to semi freeze the meat before you cut it and always cut with the grain; chewier that way. There is no cure in these recipes so the finished product should be refrigerated and it will not keep forever although I have had no problems with it in the fridge for weeks in glass mason jars. First two days I keep it in paper bags, seems to enhance the texture and flavour. Good luck. 

[just a smokin]

   Well thank you very much ,i really appreciate your response, and  when i get done with this ill definitely  try and send some pics.