I bought too much meat

[LongIslandEd]

The other day the wife ent to the store and got some pork loin on sale. When she got home it hit her that the downstairs freezer was pretty full. She looked at me and said "Jerky, maybe?" I thought, why not. So 6lbs of pork marinated in jalepeno & maple sugar - into the smoker today with a Wedgie full of hickory.

Today she tells me - "Oh, and there are two london broils in the freezer, I promised my boss some jerky for her husband......:shocked:.....oh poor me, I have to use the smoker again on Wed. when I'm off :wink:

 

[Garyclaw]

Sounds like a GOOD problem. Smoke On!

 

[NightRogue]

Damn the bad luck. LOL

 

[Norm]

I read the title and thought there's no such thing as too much!

 

[jermoQ]

Man...

That is awful :biggrin1:

 

[SmittyJonz]

Looking forward to finished pics. How do you prep it?

 

[LongIslandEd]

Looking forward to finished pics. How do you prep it?

After trimming - and surprisingly, very lean meat - I used Cabela's jalepeno Maple cure and put in the fridge for 4 days turning the bags and massaging the marinade in once a day. I cut with the grain because I like the pull better that way.

I have a multi tier jerky rack that Cabela's had on sale and bought two extra for 4 levels total. They slide right in on the included drip pan. I figure 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 hrs in the smoker at 180 - 190 because I cut some pieces thick to see what tastes better. Never did pork before so its a test smoke I guess.

If all else fails, Bentley the Tennessee Mountain Cur Assistant Smoking Chef will have some tasty treats (but I don't think the kids will let it get that far)

 

[LongIslandEd]

Finished jerky - the jalepeno did NOT disappoint!

Approved after taste test by Assistant Chef Bentley - apparently, he loves the heat....drooled all the way.

 

[Smokiemon]

Wow looks so good.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

That is tough. I feel sorry for you

 

[IamMadMan]

Nice looking jerky, well worth the work...

 

[Smoke Dawg]

Looks good! Never tried pork jerky.

 

[SmittyJonz]

So Pork Jerky is Good? you will do it again.?

 

[cueball21]

Tell us more about how you prepped that pork loin for jerky, please.

 

[LongIslandEd]

So Pork Jerky is Good? you will do it again.?

I'll definitely do it again. It tastes good and the kids grabbed a bunch for school snacks. Half the price of beef too. Its a nice change of pace.

 

[LongIslandEd]

Tell us more about how you prepped that pork loin for jerky, please.

I trimmed the pork as much as possible which took no time for this loin. Then I cut it into 6-7" chunks and slice through them lengthwise in half and then half again to about 1/4" slabs. Cut with the grain into strips about 1/2 - 3/4" wide and mixed the cure from Cabela's with 1/2 cup of water and mixed everything in a baking dish to cover the meat with the cure.

After a half hour, making sure all the meat was covered I separated into two 1 gallon bags and put in the fridge, flipping and massaging once a day for 4 days.

Put on the jerky racks and slid them into the smoker at 190* for 4 1/2 hrs with a Wedgie of hickory pellets. Took out just before they dried out completely (the kids don't like them soft) let them cool on the racks and finish drying.

The stuff I brought to work today seems to be a hit. One of the guys gave me $25 to go get some more pork and make him 5lbs. The last time I made jerky out of bottom round he gave me $25 and walked away with the bag. He said this is just as good as the other. @ $15 - $20 a lb in the store its definitely worth doing it at home for the price of meat and some spices.

Of course, without all the input from the folks here I probably never would have ventured into making jerky at all. So :clap2: to everyone that contributes successes and fails. You can learn something new everyday with the Brethren & Sistren.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I was gonna say . . . no such thing!