First attempt at smoked jerky - what went wrong?

hvhunter · June 08, 2016, 10:23:51 AM

I attempted my first batch of smoked jerky last night.

Meat: Sliced london broil, that was wet marinaded for two days.
OBS with two elements, fan mod, alder pellets in my amazin tube, no water in the bowl. Four trays full.

Preheated to 220. Put the meat in, reset the set temp to 180. The cabinet temp dropped to 127 with the meat in.
At the 1:30 mark, the cabinet was at 180, and I rotated trays top to bottom, front to back. At the 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00 hr
mark I did the rotation again. At the 2:30 mark I knocked down the cabinet temp to 160. I was ready to do another rotation
at 3:30, and the meat was already done. I was disappointed; it was over cooked; crispy.

Any suggestion for round two this evening? I'm thinking of starting at a temp of 140. Thanks in advance for the replies.

Habanero Smoker · June 08, 2016, 01:10:58 PM

When using the USDA recommendation for jerky, you have to be more careful, or you will cook the meat, rather than dehydrate it. What were you using to monitor the temperatures. If you were using a third party probe like the Maverick remote thermometer, or Auber PID, where were the probe(s) located? Your temperature readings may have been inaccurate. I like to keep the cabinet temperature around 140°F when I make whole muscle jerky.

Also you may want to monitor the jerky. Don't just go by time, but check it for texture. I find that the jerky on the same rack, may not dry at the same rate, so I pull the jerky off the racks as they finish

watchdog56 · June 08, 2016, 01:30:28 PM

Also if outside temp was high the cabinet will heat up faster. The cabinet temps swing =/- 15 degree.

hvhunter · June 08, 2016, 01:53:40 PM

Auber probe located under the top shelf. Just threw in batch two. 140 and will monitor closely. Temp dropped to 125. Will let you know how this batch is

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Orion · June 08, 2016, 02:23:28 PM

You have not provided enough information to suggest anything more than you ran your temperatures way too high.

Brine/marinade ingredients is critical in how you heat the meat as is thickness of slices? How much meat? I never set the smoker any higher than 160F for jerky and that is only for the last hour just to ensure I reach a safe temp on the meat. You are essentially drying the meat , not cooking it.

Habanero Smoker · June 09, 2016, 01:47:02 AM

A better location for the probe would be underneath the bottom rack; nearer the source of the heat.

hvhunter · June 09, 2016, 04:54:48 AM

Thanks for all the replies. I don't know how much meat this was weight wise, as a friend did all the prep work. All I can say it was four full trays. IMO, it was sliced too thin, as the finished product it too thin for my liking.

Preheated to 220, then set to 140. Temp dropped to 127 after the meat was in. By the :30 min mark it was up to 140.
01:30 rotated racks top to bottom, front to back.
02:00 rotated racks
02:30 pulled one rack that was done
03:00 pulled two racks that were done
03:30 pulled final rack

Since I was rebuilding a slicer close by (I picked up a old Berkel slicer model GRX. Maybe 70 yrs old?), I was able to monitor the temps closely. As stated above, I did
see the temp overshoot by 15 deg. I was able to throttle that by cracking the door.

I think the next time I do this, the slices will be thicker. And I may entertain the thought of finishing off in the dehydrator after two hours.

Again, thanks for the replies.

Roget · June 09, 2016, 06:19:58 AM

I'm no expert at jerky(or much of anything else) ;D ;D, but I always transfer to the dehydrator after I apply the smoke I want.
I feel like I can monitor the progress of each piece better.
I'm sure Habs, or someone, can tell you & me if that is the best method of not.

Grouperman941 · June 09, 2016, 09:59:19 AM

Quote from: Habanero Smoker on June 09, 2016, 01:47:02 AM
A better location for the probe would be underneath the bottom rack; nearer the source of the heat.

This was likely the main issue. By the time the probe got to your temp, the temp beneath the meat was way higher.

I did the same thing the first time I did jerky. I just dangled the probe through the vent. I thought I as ramping up to 160, but the browned edges of my jerky showed otherwise. It was probably 200 below.

hvhunter · June 15, 2016, 08:02:51 AM

Just got back from a grouper fishing trip in Fla. Maybe I'm too picky and critical of my own culinary skills, but everyone LOVED the jerky. Both batches. Thanks for the all replies.

I've had my probe placed under the the top rack for a few years. I will move it down below the first rack. I know I placed it there in the first place based off some posts that I
read on here.

Habanero Smoker · June 16, 2016, 02:09:17 AM

Glade to see everyone loved your jerky.

Grouperman941 · June 16, 2016, 08:00:25 AM

Quote from: hvhunter on June 15, 2016, 08:02:51 AM
Just got back from a grouper fishing trip in Fla. Maybe I'm too picky and critical of my own culinary skills, but everyone LOVED the jerky. Both batches. Thanks for the all replies.

I've had my probe placed under the the top rack for a few years. I will move it down below the first rack. I know I placed it there in the first place based off some posts that I
read on here.

Bradley mistakes are often delicious. I should note that the batch I had referenced was also well received.