5 replies to this topic

[Dr. Avery]

Me, and my buddy Jfalcon making beef jerky with a vertical charcoal smoker.

[poisomike87]

nice

[RacknRail]

Hey Doc...I love jerky. I've been making jerky and smoked salmon (candy) for several years. I use a big chief smoker my mine needs, which does smoke at a much lower temp than yours. I have many recipes of my own, which are tasty. You can buy your own cure (nitrate) from just about any butcher and some grocery stores to make your own rubs. I almost always use eye of round, as it seems to be the leanest and most affordable. If you don't mind a lesser quality cut, buy from Costco. I sell my jerky, so cost is important.

Now if you want a good store bought rub, one of the best I've ever had is Hi Mountain:http://shop.himtnjer...ome.php?cat=248

Once you try it you'll be convinced that it is the absolute best jerky going.

Info on curing:

Basically, if you're going to dry or smoke something at or below 160° for any length of time, like sausages or jerky, CURE IT! Curing meat just involves adding curing salts (like Tenderquick, Instacure, or Prague Powder) to the meat, and giving the cure time to work. The normal curing rate is about 1/4" per 24-hours, at refrigerator temperatures. In my case, I'm cutting the jerky into approx. 1/4" strips so theoretically it would be cured in about 12-hours after adding the cure (remember, the jerky has two sides and cures from outside-in). The curing salt consists of a mix of something like 99% salt and sugar, and 1% or less of sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate. The main purpose of the cure is to protect against bad bacteria like botulism, which thrives in the barbecueing environment in low cooking temps, no oxygen, warm meat.

Good Luck!

[Lion7718]

Pretty cool once you get past the fat guy with no pants...

[Dr. Avery]

when your fat, it's hard to tell that you're wearing shorts

[Kikyo]

cool vid doc. next time we want beef jerky, we're calling you