Jerky Question ???

[smokeitall]

Ok so I made 9.5 lbs of jerky this weekend (pre cook weight)  I put on the cure and spices and put in the fridge for about 36 hours, directions called for 24 hours.  The meat turned out like this:



And this:



So my question is when the cure works it is suppose to turn all the meat the darkish color, right?  After seasoning I mixed the meat by hand in the bag for about 5 minutes and turned the bags over in the fridge several times.  I went ahead and smoked the jerky, but I guess my main question is "is this ok", shouldn't the cure have turned all the meat the darker color?

Anyways here are a couple of pics of the finished product.  The skiny pieces are flank steak and the wide pieces are bottom round.





Thanks guys.

[smokeitall]

Also does anyone have a good terriyaki jerky recipe. 

[Smudge]

It looks like it could have used more massaging during those 36 hours, to help in distributing the cure more evenly. Those red areas mean only one thing--they never came in contact with the cure. Bags are great for storing in the fridge, but are a bit tricky if you place the fresh meat in them and then add the cure. Slices tend to want to stick together.

Is this a dry or wet cure?

Nine and a half pounds, whew!  I've never made more than three pounds at one time.

[smokeitall]

This is a dry cure.  I first laid out all of the strips and seasoned each side.  then transferred to the bags for the storage in the fridge.  I set the fridge at 38 degrees.

I was very surprised that all 9.5 lbs fit on 8 racks I thought for sure I was going to have to smoke two batches.

Gotta make a lot at one time, I have five kids and its hard even taking it out of the smoker and walking through the house without half of it disappearing :)

It looks like it could have used more massaging during those 36 hours, to help in distributing the cure more evenly. Those red areas mean only one thing--they never came in contact with the cure. Bags are great for storing in the fridge, but are a bit tricky if you place the fresh meat in them and then add the cure. Slices tend to want to stick together.

Is this a dry or wet cure?

Nine and a half pounds, whew!  I've never made more than three pounds at one time.

[Mr Walleye]

Smokeitall

I agree with Smudge regarding the pieces wanting to stick together. You did go about it the right way though, seasoning each side. The only thing you didn't mention is, was this a commercial product such as a High Mountain product or was it a recipe you mixed up? If it was a commercial mix most come with the cure separate, you want to make sure you mix it in very well. If it was your own recipe you also want to make sure you mix it very well in addition to ensuring you are using the amount of cure.

Either way it probably won't stick around long enough. If it does you might want to make sure you refrigerate it just to me safe. The finished product looks good and I can't imagine it sticking around anyway.

Mike

Edit
I also ment to mention... when I do my jerky, anytime I'm rotating racks, I keep a papertowel handy to plot the surface of the jerky off. This seems to help dry it out at least a little more even but also seems a little quicker as well.

[smokeitall]

It was indeed a store bought product.  I used the Shore Lunch Jerky seasoning and I mixed it very well.  However I would like to start making my own seasoning since the store bought is getting a little expensive, and I want to experiment a little.

Thanks for the tip with plotting the surface of the jerky.  I usually don't do it becuase I try and get the door closed back up asap so it doesn't take too long to get back up to temp.  I think a lot will change when I get my smoker installed in the garage in a constant temperature area also.  It will also help when I have a nice table set up next to my smoker.

And you are right...it is more than half gone...Between the wife and kids, and guys at work...it won't last long.

Thanks,

[westexasmoker]

Also does anyone have a good terriyaki jerky recipe. 

This is marinade I used on my jerky this weekend, I substitued terriyaki sauce for the soy!

This is Nepas recipe! (Thanks Nepas)

This is for 5 lbs of strips of your choice. This is a Northern PA recipe i got from an old jerky makin dude   friend of mine

5 lbs strips
2 T salt
1 t cure (pink)
1 t curry powder
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t black pepper (table grind is ok)
2 T onion powder
1 Cup soy sauce
1 Cup Worcestershire sauce
3 Cups cold water

C

[Gizmo]

I have done quite a bit of dry cured jerky and typically see the same.  I find that often the pieces in the middle tend to stay lighter in color.  I have attributed it to a lack of oxygen with the layers.  Don't know this for sure as I have never vacuum packed any to see if all of it stays lighter in color.  I also season both sides and don't think lack of coverage is the cause.  Variation in amount my contribute though.
I haven't had a problem with any of the batches I have done lasting for a couple of weeks or more at room temp or months in the refrigerator or freezer.  When making large batches, I vacuum pack them and freeze the long term quantity although lately I have been overestimating that quantity and have been grabbing packs that could have been stored a room temp.  ;)

[NePaSmoKer]

Jerky making is a small learning curve, sometimes it comes out great and sometimes not.

Your jerky does look good and i am sure it wont last long. When i am done smoking/dehydrating my jerky i put it brown papaer bags to take off any surface fat. An old Amish guy taut me that. If you can try some different cuts, like london broil, eye round even briskit (trimmed) Try a wet marinade and the list goes on.

Mr Walleye and wts do alot of jerky too.

nepas

[smokeitall]

Also does anyone have a good terriyaki jerky recipe. 

This is marinade I used on my jerky this weekend, I substitued terriyaki sauce for the soy!

This is Nepas recipe! (Thanks Nepas)

This is for 5 lbs of strips of your choice. This is a Northern PA recipe i got from an old jerky makin dude   friend of mine

5 lbs strips
2 T salt
1 t cure (pink)
1 t curry powder
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t black pepper (table grind is ok)
2 T onion powder
1 Cup soy sauce
1 Cup Worcestershire sauce
3 Cups cold water

C

Ok I am going to try this recipe tonight with the Teriyaki substitution.  Can I pick up that cure (pink) at local stores or can I only order it online?  Or is there something else I can substitute this time until I order it online?
Thanks,

[FLBentRider]

I do about 20lbs a month with Hi Mountain, my results are indentical to Gizmo's. I attributed it to the lack of oxygen thing.

[westexasmoker]

Ah good point smokeitall, sorry I missed that guess I had terriyaki on the brain!  I used mortons TQ for the cure!

C

[smokeitall]

Ah good point smokeitall, sorry I missed that guess I had terriyaki on the brain!  I used mortons TQ for the cure!

C

Great I already have some of that.  I imagine you just use the directions on the box (amount of cure listed per pound of meat)?

Also do you know if there is any benefit to ordering Insta cure #1 versus using the Morton tender quick?

Thanks

[NePaSmoKer]

Ah good point smokeitall, sorry I missed that guess I had terriyaki on the brain!  I used mortons TQ for the cure!

C

Great I already have some of that.  I imagine you just use the directions on the box (amount of cure listed per pound of meat)?

Also do you know if there is any benefit to ordering Insta cure #1 versus using the Morton tender quick?

Thanks

You can use TQ for cure.

I do 50 lbs of jerky a month and have yet to make a dent in my 5 lbs of prague powder #1. Cure #1 is for jerky, cure #2 is for dry curing

Here is a link for cure #1 and #2.

http://www.eldonsausage.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamTxt=&txtsearchParamCat=77&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch

nepas

[Habanero Smoker]

Ah good point smokeitall, sorry I missed that guess I had terriyaki on the brain!  I used mortons TQ for the cure!

C

Great I already have some of that.  I imagine you just use the directions on the box (amount of cure listed per pound of meat)?

Also do you know if there is any benefit to ordering Insta cure #1 versus using the Morton tender quick?

Thanks

If you use TQ I would suggest eliminating the salt in the recipe. TQ is a cure blend that contains extra salt, and sugar.