Beef Jerky (Ambient Temp vs Smoking)

I did a run of beef jerky the other day at 150-170 and it was just fine in fact my mom and brother said it was the best jerky they ever had. Took about 6-8 hours and I flipped them half way through

I am a huge fan of AB, but sometimes he is just full of chit 8)

I smoke at 160ish for 4 (ish) hours and then put in the dehydrator at 145 to finish off.

Long answer to your question here:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83426

I have the last 1/3 of a full deer in the marinade as we speak to cook tomorrow.

Good Eats!

TIM

I cook jerky on my Yoder mostly and I run it at 160 for a few hours, then I usually turn up the temp to 225 when it's getting close to done in order to render out some extra fat. It may not be the best method, but it works very well for me using flank steak. I struggle with that method if I use a lean roast though.

I find the best texture for me cutting the meat with the grain.

I string and hang the jerky and smoke at 160° - 180°
Don't care much for just dried meat but some do

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I make tons and tons of jerky and people eat it like potato chips. Ditch the liquid smoke. Put it in a marinade for 24 hours and slow cold smoke it till it is dry. You will never go back. Use a very, very lean cut (like round or venison), if it stays around too long (never does) any fat can start giving off flavors.

I make biltong (south african dried meat)

It is only made in winter ....

get some good cuts of beef steak (if you can afford ribeye, thats the best, and keep the fat on)

add salt, and fresh ground black pepper ...

in a pan, add some dry corriander seeds and shake the pan on moderate heat for a short while .... remove the coriander and crush, then add onto the meat

brush the meat liberally with a good balsamic vinegar on all sides, and place in a glass bowl overnight

next day, get a large cardboard box, add a sting from side to side and hand the meat pieces on the string

cover the opening of the box with a lace curtain or with a mosquito net (to keep out bugs)

place a fan in front of the box directed onto the meat, and in 3 days, you can start eating biltong

I keep it simple ....

some guys add BBQ spice and/or chilli powder etc .... you can also do thin sausage this way (in south africa, its called droe wors (dry sausage)

I do mine in the Stumps at between 140-150. Takes all day, but man is it good. My marinade is a loose approximation of the one that Kap'n outlines in the thread he linked above.

For the cooker, I just turn the controller fan almost all the way up and control the heat by how many pieces of charcoal I put in the firebox. That way I've got good airflow, low heat, and I can put any smoke wood I want in there. I just keep one of my Weber's nearby with 3 or 4 pieces of charcoal going in the upside down starter chimney that I can transfer to the Stumps. Yeah, it's a pain checking temps all day long but it's worth it.

Russ

When I smoke them, it is usually around 160-170 but I think the most popular way that I make them is from my dehydrator. They are a little more chewy this way but more people seem to enjoy them.

I use my old CookShack 180 for about 5-6 hrs depending on how thick I cut it

My Mother told me to never trust anyone named Alton. So I never have.

popped into my local butcher on the weekend for some chickens which I smoked

he has some smoked bacon on the counter in bowls as a freebie to taste .... they cold smoke some of their meats

at fist, I thought it was beef jerkey or south african style biltong, but then saw it was bacon

I will try and replicate this on the weekend as it was really good