1st Attempt at Beef Jerky

[psoltesz]

Hey, Smokester.  Jerky looks great, and I just got the James Jerky Dryer myself.  One quick question, though:

I notice in one of your pictures that you still had a water pan in the smoker.  I know the whole purpose of the dryer is to remove as much moisture as possible from the meat...did you add anything to the water pan during the smoke?

Thanks,

   - Phil

[DivotMaker]

Hey, Smokester.  Jerky looks great, and I just got the James Jerky Dryer myself.  One quick question, though:

I notice in one of your pictures that you still had a water pan in the smoker.  I know the whole purpose of the dryer is to remove as much moisture as possible from the meat...did you add anything to the water pan during the smoke?

Thanks,

   - Phil

Wow!  That's a great catch, Phil!  I never noticed the water pan in the pics (I was too busy drooling over the delicious-looking jerky).  Great question.  I'll have one of these soon, but we had to buy the wife a new car last week instead.  no, wait...    

[Smokster]

Hey Phil, congrats on your new jerky fan, it's a great purchase and I'm sure you will get a lot of use from it.  also great observation on the pan, I didn't notice it either in the pick, but to answer your question, the pan was empty.  When making jerky, you don't want to add any moisture as the objective of the fan is to create air flow to remove moisture from the meat. The pan was in the chamber was from my previous smoke (pulled pork) and I did not change the bottom foil.

Good luck with your jerky fan and your first attempt.  I ran the smoker without the fan at 160 for 2 hours, then dropped the temp to about 130-135 and added the fan for the remainder of the smoke (total approx 7 hours for 4 pounds of sliced meat).  I kept an eye on it during the last hour or so to make sure the meat wasn't too dry and removed each piece as the were done. Some pieces were finished before others and I also flipped them throughout the last 1-2 hours so they had a consistent finish.

Let us know how it turns out. The marinade I used is posted in this thread by Joe.

Joe:  Did you pick up a slicer, I am in the market for one that will do large cuts of meat but I don't know much about them or where to start, most likely in the $400 range (give or take). Any suggestions? I would need it to also cut hard meats like prosciutto.

[Jerz]

OK... I'm trying this!  I wanted to do this this past weekend but it wasn't in the cards so I froze my flank steak...  I plan on using your times with Joe's marinade so if you have any tip I would appreciate it!

[Smokster]

Hey Jerz,

If you stick with Joe's marinade, you can't go wrong.  I excluded the chili because I have small children who wouldn't like it on the hot side. Next batch I will do 50/50.

As for my method, it worked out well for my first attempt by not placing the fan on the smoker until after the first two hours, then drop the temp to 130 - 135 and set the fan.  Make sure the hole at the bottom of the smoker is not plugged with the drippings as you need the air flow and do not use any pans with liquid as the intent is to remove moisture from the meat.  The first batch I did I placed the pieces flat on the racks, however the second I hung them from the same racks and I found that the results were the same? I was able to place the same amount of meat regardless of which approach or placement I used (about 4 pounds each round).

I then opened the door at the 4 hour mark (from the initial start of the smoke) to rotate the meat as some pieces were farther along that others.  Then I did the same at 5 and 6 hours.  Between the 6 - 7 hour mark you will start to remove some pieces while leaving others to finish.  I aimed for a leathery texture to the jerky where you can bend it without it breaking as I don't like it dry and brittle.

Since I have the model 3, opening the door often wasn't a concern because with the 1200 watt heating element, it quickly got back to my set temperature once I closed the door.

I also limited the amount of wood because the meat slices were thin and I didn't want to oversmoke them.  Since I smoked larger pieces of sliced meat, once they were cooled I simply cut them into smaller pieces and vacuum sealed for later use.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.  Post some pics as well.

[psoltesz]

Okay, time to report back...

I smoked my first batch of beef jerky over the weekend.  I started with a 2.5-pound beef round steak, cut into thin strips (about 1/8 of an inch).  Marinated overnight in the recipe Joe supplied, omitting the liquid smoke for obvious reasons.

Smoked the meat at 180° for a little over two hours without the Jerky Dryer attachment, then placed the attachment directly over the smoke hole (it is designed to simply rest flush on top of the smoker) and continued smoking at about 140° for an additional six hours.

At about the four-hour mark, I opened the smoker and rotated the racks (bringing the lower rack to the top, the middle rack to the bottom, and the upper rack to the middle) so as to ensure even cooking.

After six hours with the Jerky Dryer attached, I removed the jerky and let it cool for an hour or so.  Afterwards, I tore the jerky into smaller strips and stored overnight in an airtight container.

Overall, it came out very well, and pretty much everyone who tried it has enjoyed it.

Here are my observations and lessons learned:

• The James Jerky dryer worked perfectly.  Drew the moisture out of the smoker, ran for several hours with no issue.  Works as advertised, and a great buy.   

• Due to the fact that the jerky cooks at a significantly lower temperature than other foods, I noticed throughout the process that the wood chunks I used (pecan and apple combined) simply didn't produce as much smoke as usual.  In fact, when I opened the smoke box afterwards, one of the chunks of pecan was still largely intact.  It was singed, but certainly not "depleted" as chunks usually are after making ribs, brisket, etc.

• The consistency and texture of the jerky is perfect.

• The flavor is excellent.  Sweet, smoky, but not overpowering.  You can still taste the meat underneath, which is the whole point.

• The only real issue is that the jerky actually dried out a bit too much.  Some of the pieces are almost brittle, and all of them are a bit drier than what I usually like.  I don't think this had anything to do with the equipment, but rather the amount of time I smoked it.  For future jerky batches, I will designate a "test piece" that I can check at various intervals to ensure I'm removing the jerky at the right moment.

So overall, not a bad first try.  I will definitely be using the Jerky Dryer to make more batches.  I'm going to experiment with various marinades, woods (maybe chips instead of chunks?), and smoking times.  I can say, however, that if you are on the fence about picking up the JJD, take the plunge.  Making jerky is one of the primary reasons I got the smoker in the first place, and I was not disappointed at all.

Thanks!

   - Phil

[Smokster]

Hey Phil,

Thanks for posting your detailed review and feedback from your first attempt at beef jerky.  I also highly recommend the fan, it is well built, quiet operation and well worth the money.

I noticed that you started with a temp of 180 which may have resulted in some pieces being dry and brittle, however I started with a temperature of 160 a yet I still had a few pieces that turned out brittle because I left them a bit too long.  What I found is that you really have to keep an eye on them near the end because some pieces are done before others and it is touch and go from there.

At the very least, I am glad to hear that your first attempt was successful. 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Phil & Tony (Smokester) - Thanks for the really good details on the JD!  I'll be ordering one soon.  I like a little thicker jerky, starting with 1/4" slices so I end up with 1/8" strips done.  Any ideas on how thicker slices will effect the drying time?  Seems like thicker, consistent, slices might even-out some of the problems concerning some pieces drying faster....dunno, just guessing. 

[Smokster]

Hey DM,

You may be onto something with the thicker slices which I may give a try during my next round.  I did two rounds with the first turning out better than the second, but I believe it was a timing issue because I left the 2nd round in the smoker for a bit too long. 

I also just read an article which stated that the temp should be set to 150 - 170.  180 or over will start to cook the meat.

http://www.thebbqguru.net/jerky%20page.html

[DivotMaker]

That's cool, Smokester!  I just know the thicker slices work a lot better in my dehydrator, so I figured that would translate well to the Smokin-It (plus, I just like the chewy slices of thick jerky).

[sts3d]

I have a tip for ya if your jerky comes out too dry. Just re soak it in a marinade. Then dry it again to the texture that you want. I have done this quite a few times doing jerky in a stick burner or the oven.

[Smokster]

Wow, what a great tip you provided to save your jerky.  Definitely something to remember.  thanks for your feedback sts3d.

[sts3d]

Smokester, most of the time my "redo" jerky is tastier than the first time.

[Walt]

Got the dryer a couple of days ago & would like to give it a try.  What is the preferrable cut to use?  I see some useing flank, sirloin tip, etc. 

Tony, with more of us getting the dryer, "Jerky" might need its own tab.

[DivotMaker]

Good suggestion, Walt!  I personally like sirloin roast (sirloin tip, sirloin), but I've found top round roasts that are pretty lean, too.  The best jerky meat, in my opinion, is very lean.  The sirloins and rounds tend to have much less marbling than others.  It doesn't really matter about the "tenderness," since you're turning it into leather anyways...just the "leanness."  Fat in jerky = bad!