Kevi's Jerky Page
I have been making jerky for many years. It was the very first meat I smoked when I got my first smoker. You can use any number of appliances to dry your jerky including dehydrators or even the home oven. I much prefer the taste I get from my smoker though I have used a dehydrator in the past with much success.
Over the years, through trial and error, I have perfected this jerky technique and want to share it with you. So, read on, and you will discover my secrets to making the best jerky on Planet Earth!
Any jerky recipe starts with the meat. I use REAL meat, not the ground crap that comes out of a jerky gun! Pay close attention to the price! The jerky process below results in about 1/2 to 2/3 loss of volume. That means your finished cost will be about double or triple what you paid!
By far the best cut of meat for jerky is Top Round. There is literally no fat, unfortunately this cut can be expensive so watch for sale prices. Other cuts that can be used are brisket flats, flank steak (again, both can be expensive), Eye of Round or Bottom Round roast are 2 other choices that are usually under $3.00 per lb. Bottom Round can be a bit fatty, but I have used it often with great results. The idea here is to get the cheapest, leanest cut of beef you can find. If the beef has too much internal fat, it will spoil and turn rank during the drying process.
Have the meat market/dept. cut this for you. They will just slice it to your requirements. Then, all you have to do is cut it into strips. Find a meat market that will do this for you, it is invaluable!!!!!! The thickness doesn't really matter too much. I know folks who like it thick and those who prefer it thin. I am somewhere in the middle (about ¼ inch).
Unfortunately fewer and fewer markets will do this, but I encourage you to ask. If you cannot find anyone to do this then you will be stuck slicing. To help with this task, after trimming the outside fat, place the whole chunk of meat in the freezer. For a 3-5 lb. roast about 30-40 minutes will do. Slice with the grain using the longest knife you have.
When slicing by hand you will get a variety of widths and thickness. Not much you can do about that! Once the meat is sliced, all you have to do is trim it of ALL outside fat and cut into strips.
After you have sliced the meat, put it on a platter in a criss-cross pattern and let dry for 24 hours. I put the platter right in the refrigerator uncovered! I use a cookie cooling rack inside of a large sheet cake pan. You want the meat to dry slightly so it absorbs more of the marinade. In the pic below you can see the accumulated blood after drying. No, the meat will NOT go bad!!
After drying, place in marinade (recipe below) for AT LEAST 24 hours. I find if I marinade for 2 days, the flavor is even better. Use a 1 gallon freezer ZipLoc bag for this! It needs to be strong so don't use a regular ZipLoc...go with the extra thick freezer variety.
Below are 2 bags of prepared beef strips. Each bag contains 6 lbs. of meat. As you can see these bags are nearly full. You need room for the marinade so don't over fill the bags with meat. Once you add the marinade, be sure to purge all the air out when sealing.
After marinating, drain in colander for a couple of hours.
OK, you are now ready for the drying process. Temperature is very important in this step. Meat cooks at around 180-200º. You want to avoid this! Jerky is dried meat, not cooked meat. I keep my temps around 150-170º when using my smoker. Most commercial dehydrators operate at 150-155º. This can make it rather difficult to make in the oven. However, if your oven has a "Warm" setting check the temp out using an oven thermometer and most likely it will work.
Drying can take the better part of the day (8 - 12 hours) so be prepared to spend some time on this step. The time will depend on both the temps you dry at and the thickness of your jerky slices. The thicker your slices and the lower your temps, the longer it will take. It is impossible to give a time estimate because of all the variables. The only way you can tell when it is done is to taste it! Dry it to your personal liking and note how long it took.
I used to use toothpicks to hang...................
That idea definitely maximized the amount being made, but was a real pain the ass!
Here is how I now maximize my jerky production..................
Those are extruded aluminum trays that can be purchased at most stores that carry grilling stuff. They are supposed to be disposable but I have used these for several years. My WSM can support 5 trays on each level for a total of 10. I use 1" X 1" blocks of wood to separate and allows the smoke and heat to circulate. Usually half way thru the cook I rotate them as needed.
The finished "stack".......................
Time to get the smoker ready!
First start a small fire...................................
It's ready!
Yep, that small amount got me to 150º in about 15 minutes.
Time to load the smoker and let it work its magic!
Here are some pics of the final product. A couple of things to look at when determining if your jerky is finished drying. With my marinade recipe I get a nice little sheen on the finished product. Look closely at the pic and you can see how it shines..................
You also want the jerky to bend without breaking as seen below...............
So there you have it! After several days and 12 lbs. of raw meat, this batch ended up weighing in at about 5 lbs. A GREAT treat the whole neighborhood will enjoy!
Marinade Recipe
This is my old standby marinade.
I have used this recipe for years and keep going back to it.
Tender Quick is NOT a meat tenderizer. It is packaged in 2 lb. blue bags (see pic below) and is usually around the salt and spices section of store . The Tender Quick helps to cure so you can store the jerky longer and it also gives it the needed salt taste. If you cannot find this, add the equivalent amount of salt.
This recipe makes enough for about 5-7 lbs. of jerky meat.
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup A1 Steak Sauce (or your favorite)
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
2 tablespoon(s) Beef rub (use your favorite)
1 teaspoon Habanero, powder (or cayenne pepper to your taste)
1/3 cup Tender Quick
Enough water to cover
Combine everything except the water in a large mixing bowl. Estimate how much water you will need to cover the meat and add to the spices.....you can always add more once the meat is in the marinade bags. Soak for 2-3 days.
Well, there you have it! As you can see there is some work involved here. This is one of the reasons good jerky is so darn expensive to buy....very labor intensive.
Let me know if you have any questions or
comments............Contact Me.
Follow this link to other tasty jerky recipes.........................