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Tips and Tricks for Making Jerky

Making Jerky is a lot simpler than one may think! As good as store bought jerky may be, homemade jerky is phenomenal! Here are a few tricks and tips to help you get started.

1. Pick out the leanest cut you can find. 

When smoking other food, we usually seek out fatty and well marbled meats. When making jerky we want to keep the fat content as low as possible, as we will be dehydrating the meat. If there is too much fat, the meat will not dry out properly, and it will turn rancid in a short period of time. Jerky can of course be made with beef as we all know well and good. Excellent jerky can be made with over lean meats such as venison. Eye of round, bottom round, or flank steak are all good lean cuts and excellent choices for making jerky.

2. Prepare your meat. 

Remove meat from the fridge and begin preparation immediately as very cold meat is easiest to slice thinly (consider popping it in the freezer for a bit before cutting). Cut meat along the grain into ¼ inch thick strips and remove any fat as you slice. Marinate your meat overnight. The following day remove meat from the marinade, but do not rinse. Get creative with your marinade. Use Asian inspired ingredients like ginger and mirin or go the Southwest route and try adding Cajun spice and lime. The main method of preservation with jerky is the drying, not necessarily the brining or curing stages as with other projects. So you can go a little wild with flavour here!

3. Dry the meat. 

Hang the jerky on meat Hooks in your Smoker and dry the jerky at 140°F (60°C) without any smoke to dry the surface.

4. Start smoking! 

Add some Bisquettes to the smoker (try Apple, Cherry, Hickory, or Mesquite) and turn the heat up to 165°F (73°C), smoking for 2-3 hours. Raise the temperature another couple of degrees and smoke until finished. You’ll know the jerky is ready if, when you bend it, it starts to fray. Smoking it longer, to the stage where it snaps when bent will give the jerky a longer shelf life, but it will be less tasty.

5. Safe storage. 

Since this meat isn’t entirely dehydrated (couldn’t chew it at that point!) and since cures and cultures aren’t being used, remember to store the jerky in the fridge. It will last for a long time, and keeping it in a cool and regulated environment will ensure it lasts even longer!

Compliments of Bradley Canada