Jerky - to cure or not to cure, that is the question

qposner · 12-03-2020, 11:01 PM

Evening all! I have 4lbs of eye of round marinating in the fridge. I did not use curing salt in the marinade and am starting to have second thoughts. I was planning on putting it on my MB gravity smoker tomorrow morning set to 160. I have no problem storing the finished product in the fridge, but like I said, Im starting to have second thoughts. Am I likely safe? If not, is it to late to add a bit of curing salt (1 tsp)? Thanks!

drunkenmeatfist · 12-03-2020, 11:04 PM

I've never added cure to my jerky and I am still alive.

qposner · 12-03-2020, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drunkenmeatfist

I've never added cure to my jerky and I am still alive.

Thanks. Only the second time Ive done it. First time I used cure in a homemade marinade. This time I got lazy and am trying store bought teriyaki sauce and Johnny's Sweet, Hot & Crazy marinade (ballpark 2# of meat to each).

drunkenmeatfist · 12-03-2020, 11:13 PM

I usually plow through my jerky within a few days so spoiling was never a problem for me. I am the furthest thing from an expert though.

toys4dlr · 12-04-2020, 09:56 AM

Keeping it in the fridge is not the main issue, the issue is how long you are in the "danger Zone" 41-140. The cure keeps the bad bugs at bay if you slowly smoke/dehydrate the meat. If you are hot smoking and getting it done fast (few Hours) , it should not be a problem.

I personally use cure #1, just as a CYA. I find the slower I dehydrate the jerky, the better the end product is for me. I have been playing with times on my Frankenstein electric cold smoker I built to see what the difference is in the end products of jerky and snack sticks.

Best of luck

qposner · 12-04-2020, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toys4dlr

Keeping it in the fridge is not the main issue, the issue is how long you are in the "danger Zone" 41-140. The cure keeps the bad bugs at bay if you slowly smoke/dehydrate the meat. If you are hot smoking and getting it done fast (few Hours) , it should not be a problem.

I personally use cure #1, just as a CYA. I find the slower I dehydrate the jerky, the better the end product is for me. I have been playing with times on my Frankenstein electric cold smoker I built to see what the difference is in the end products of jerky and snack sticks.

Best of luck

Thanks. I am planning on smoking at 160, so not cold smoking. Im assuming it will take around 6 hours. Thoughts on that?

thirdeye · 12-04-2020, 10:24 AM

Adding cure to jerky is not primarily about safety or preservation. Dehydrator, smoker or oven temps are usually adequate to get your jerky out of the danger zone in 4 hours, and most folks store jerky in the fridge, or freeze portions for later. The main benefits of cure in jerky is flavor, color and texture. Think about ham verses a pork roast...

Smoke Dawg · 12-04-2020, 03:05 PM

I do a salt brine with garlic and onion powder overnight, lightly rinse, then flavor brine for 1-2 hours and in the smoker (hanging) over a fire until done. Stores great but I do freeze so I have some later

12-04-2020, 09:56 AM	#5
toys4dlr is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 08-02-07 Location: Phoenix, AZ Name/Nickname : David	Keeping it in the fridge is not the main issue, the issue is how long you are in the "danger Zone" 41-140. The cure keeps the bad bugs at bay if you slowly smoke/dehydrate the meat. If you are hot smoking and getting it done fast (few Hours) , it should not be a problem. I personally use cure #1, just as a CYA. I find the slower I dehydrate the jerky, the better the end product is for me. I have been playing with times on my Frankenstein electric cold smoker I built to see what the difference is in the end products of jerky and snack sticks. Best of luck __________________ Q-To-U-BBQ in Cave Creek, Arizona (RIP 2020) 2010, 2011 and 2019 Best BBQ in N. Phoenix Toys 4 BBQ'N Competition BBQ Team 4x Hunsaker Drum Smokers FEC 100 (sold), FEC 120 (sold), FEC 240, FEC 500 (sold), PG 500 Shirley Fab 52 x 24 Patio (sold) 250 gallon trailered Moberg

12-04-2020, 10:24 AM	#7
thirdeye somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-14-06 Location: At home on the range in Wyoming	Adding cure to jerky is not primarily about safety or preservation. Dehydrator, smoker or oven temps are usually adequate to get your jerky out of the danger zone in 4 hours, and most folks store jerky in the fridge, or freeze portions for later. The main benefits of cure in jerky is flavor, color and texture. Think about ham verses a pork roast... __________________ ~thirdeye~ I Play With Fire and Smoke *Barbecuist ~ Charcuterist ~ KCBS Master Judge & CTC* Big Green Eggs, Big Drum Smokers, Big Chiefs, Weber Smokey Joe "Custom Tall Boy" Oil Patch Horizontal, SnS Deluxe Kettle Visit my Cookin' Site by clicking HERE Barbecue is not rocket surgery “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it's hard to verify their authenticity” ~ Abraham Lincoln

12-04-2020, 03:05 PM	#8
Smoke Dawg Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-22-13 Location: Montana Name/Nickname : IMF	I do a salt brine with garlic and onion powder overnight, lightly rinse, then flavor brine for 1-2 hours and in the smoker (hanging) over a fire until done. Stores great but I do freeze so I have some later __________________ A bunch of stuff to build a Fire so I can hang out and Smoke, Grill, or cook with! More stuff for Cutting, Grinding, Stuffing, Canning and so on! Double down Zero Club Champion Only Brethren to win a TD with all the votes! IMBAS Certified Moink Baller

12-03-2020, 11:01 PM	#1
qposner Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 11-17-14 Location: Camas, WA	Jerky - to cure or not to cure, that is the question Evening all! I have 4lbs of eye of round marinating in the fridge. I did not use curing salt in the marinade and am starting to have second thoughts. I was planning on putting it on my MB gravity smoker tomorrow morning set to 160. I have no problem storing the finished product in the fridge, but like I said, Im starting to have second thoughts. Am I likely safe? If not, is it to late to add a bit of curing salt (1 tsp)? Thanks!

12-03-2020, 11:04 PM	#2
drunkenmeatfist is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 12-03-18 Location: Texas Name/Nickname : Sammy	I've never added cure to my jerky and I am still alive.

12-03-2020, 11:13 PM	#4
drunkenmeatfist is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 12-03-18 Location: Texas Name/Nickname : Sammy	I usually plow through my jerky within a few days so spoiling was never a problem for me. I am the furthest thing from an expert though.