BBQ Mailing List Survival Guide
and Smoke-Cooking FAQ

http://members.tripod.com/~DanGill/B...m#Bellybrisket

Recipes and Proceedures
Beef

Dan Sawyer's Smokehouse Jerky

Note: Dan posted this jerky procedure, then offered to send a sample of
his jerky to anyone on the list who requested it. Quite a few of us took
him up on it, and we were all glad we did. It smelled strong of smoke -
almost too strong - but the flavor was a wonderful deep spicy cured
flavor with none of the teriyaki overtones so commonly associated with
commercial jerky.

Also see Dan's smokehouse

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There are probably as many different variations of jerky recipes out
there as there are jerky lovers. This is a bbq list and most of the
posts deal with standard bbq issues, briskets, ribs, butts, *cookers*,
grills, smokers and their related mops and sauces. Occasionally, there
are posts outlining sausage making, which is an art form of it's own and
is sometimes difficult to put a finger on precisely how to 'clone' a
closely guarded family or industry secret. The recipes posted here were
of great interest to me and I admire the effort from those who shared
with us - not exactly true bbq, but invaluable savvy nonetheless. Along
the same line, I would like to share a jerky making process that goes
back a long way, before refrigerators, before electricity. To the best
of my knowledge it has never been written down, just passed along from
one old timer to the next - until now....Showing a person how to do
something is one thing, but putting it into words is,......an
incommodiously arduous task?

SMOKEHOUSE JERKY

The Meat: Generally, the lean scraps from most venison (elk, deer,
caribou, antelope and moose) work very good. Bear is greasy(sorry Bear),
as is pork. Buffalo is similar to beef and makes good jerky. The best
cut of beef that will yield the most usable lean meat is the top round.
If you like turkey, use large bone in breasts and remove the bone. I
haven't done reptiles, but what the hey, if that's your bag give it a
shot. The meat should be reasonably aged, at least kept cool for a week
or so after it's dressed out and skinned. It is important to trim as
much fat off as possible, even if you have to cut it out or scrape it
off. The fat will not take salt very well when the meat brines, it will
become rancid and grow mold quickly. Cut the meat with the grain, into
strips as big around as your thumb ( 3/4-1" square) and as long as
possible. The Brine: This is a self brining method and works in two
stages, dehydration and rehydration. The ingredients needed a A kiln
dried medium salt. Most feed stores have 50# bags for about $3. which
will make about eight thousand pounds of jerky. Medium salt is about the
size of salt that comes on a pretzel. Molasses. I use Brer Rabbit light
or Grandma's. Brer Rabbit comes in pint bottles and have a small top
that you can pour a nice 'string' from. Grandma's comes in a large mouth
bottle and it's best if you transfer it to some sort of a squeeze top
ketchup or pancake syrup bottle (1 pint = about 20# of meat). Black
Pepper, medium grind or coarse - your choice. If you like it hot, use
red pepper flakes instead, if you don't like pepper leave it out. This
brine process goes easier and more quickly if you have a few extra happy
hands joining in - the kids, the wife and myself usually make it a
project and when it's done everyone gets to pat each other on the back.
Since we're all together and helping each other, some interesting
conversations usually surface. Anyway, you will need a flat bottom
non-corrosive container /s and lid, a Tupperware storage bin, a plastic
bus tray or a stainless steam table pan will work well. The size depends
on the amount of meat and the room in your refer - the lids keep things
out and are handy for stacking the containers. Salt the bottom of the
pan evenly, making sure to get in the corners as well. This may not be
as easy as it sounds. Put a few pounds of salt in a bowl, cup your
fingers together and scoop out about a half a handful - not in your
palm. Shake your hand back and forth across the top and about a foot
above the top of the pan. As the salt starts to leave your hand, slowly
open your fingers and let the salt run through evenly. Hand salting may
require some practice. Practice salting the bottom of the pan until it
becomes comfortable and the coverage is without gobs or streaks or
voids. If this method becomes too frustrating, a shaker top jar works
too - a mayonnaise jar with the metal lid poked full of holes by a 16
penny nail. The coverage amount should be between light coverage (barely
covering) and full coverage (completely covering) - the only comparison
I can think of, is sugar on a pie crust, or, sugar on your cereal. You
don't want it too salty, so, one might consider their first batch of
jerky experimental and take it from there. String the molasses. Same
kinda deal as the salt, hold the bottle about a foot above the pan,
start moving it from side to side and pour. When the molasses starts
running try to get a 'string' about the size of a pencil lead and let it
crisscross the pan bottom over the salt. Once the strings are even in
one direction, change directions (perpendicular) and string evenly
across again. Don't forget the corners. When it's done it will be an
even grid about 1/2" square covering the pan bottom. Good luck... don't
worry, 10-12 layers and you'll be able to sign your name with it. The
pepper will vary as to individual taste. One note though, pepper almost
doubles its intensity as it soaks and is easy to overpower the finished
product. I would recommend that a light dusting would be sufficient for
most people (about the way you would pepper a baked potato). Red pepper
flakes, even more so. Again, hold the pepper can about a foot above, and
dust it evenly - good, you remembered the corners. Layer the meat strips
across the bottom of the pan one at a time. Starting on one side, place
the strips next to each other without overlapping and with all of the
strips running in the same direction. Work the meat across until the
layer is complete, without voids. Pat the surface, edges and corners
down smooth and flat. Salt, molasses and pepper the surface as was done
to the bottom of the pan to start. The second layer of meat is done the
same, but it is ran perpendicular to the first layer. Pat smooth, salt,
molasses and pepper. Each additional layer is ran perpendicular to the
layer before it. Continue layering the meat until it reaches to a level
about 2" from the top of the pan. The last layer, or partial layer, gets
the salt, molasses and pepper treatment as well. This brining method
will cure the meat in two days. Place the pan/s in the refer, cover and
let sit undisturbed for the first day (refrigeration is not necessary if
prepared in a cool climate 35-45F). After about 24 hours the meat should
be 'turned' - Dig your hands in the pan and separate all of the strips,
turning it over several times to get the meat redistributed into a
random order. Mash the meat back down into the brining juices ( at this
point the juice will be thin and watery) cover and let sit for another
day. I usually taste the juice at this point - if it tastes too salty it
can be rinsed with water, but it will not be as good. If the salt is
right it will have a slightly sweet, peppery flavor. During this next
day the meat will soak up the brine juices and when the meat is removed
before smoking, it will have a 'candied' texture - sticky and pliable.
There should be very little, if any, brine solution left in the pan. The
meat will have soaked up the brine and be somewhat swelled up, as
compared to the first turning.

Smokehousing the meat: The smoking process will require a smokehouse or
smoking unit that is capable of maintaining 80-90F. If there is a small
volume, piping the smoke from an external source will provide a cooler
smoke, and a hot plate or a few briquettes/lump charcoal could provide
the heat source. In a medium size unit (refrigerator size), a cast iron
frying pan with chips set on a hot plate will work - although it may be
difficult to maintain a constant temperature. The more volume, the
easier it is to control the temperature. I would recommend that a fire
be built and maintained throughout the smoking process, which will take
from 48 to 70 hours - depending upon the thickness of the meat. The
smokehouse that I use is medium - large (350) cu.ft., it will maintain a
good smoky 80-100F with 2-3 half gallon milk jug sized pieces of wood
burning. Use seasoned, barkless wood - your choice, I use red alder,
apple, plum, cherry, oak, pear and some of the best I've ever done was
with some 75 year old grape stumps. Citrus works good too. Get the
smokehouse going and rack or hang the meat while the temp becomes
stabilized. If you rack the meat, place it *without* the pieces touching
each other - just enough room to run a finger between the strips.
Stainless 3/16" rod sharpened on both ends works good for hanging -
again, leave some space between the strips. As you place the strips, run
them through your thumb and index finger to squeegee off any excess
brine. Before placing the racks or skewers into the smokehouse, coarse
black pepper or additional red pepper flakes may be added - for those
who like lotsa zip. Load the smokehouse and leave the door cracked open
for the first couple hours, or until the surface of the meat has dried
to the touch. Close the doors, poke the fire and keep an eye on the
temps for a couple of days. Don't worry about the meat spoiling if the
fire goes out. The meat is cured. It's said that the old timers used to
make their jerky while they traveled. When they made camp at night they
would hang the jerky over the campfire until dawn, when they broke camp
they simply packed up the jerky and continued smoking the next night.
This process takes about 4-5 days and is worth every minute. Probably
the two most important items would be too much salt and too much heat.
If you decide to try this method, I garr-own-tee you'll never find
another piece of store bought jerky that even comes close.

A fellow carnivore.
Dan in WA
(Dan M Sawyer)
Smokehouse Jerky Addendum

Note: in response to an off list question about the advantages of a dry,
self brining cure as opposed to brine cure, Dan wrote the following
clarification.

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The salting method described in the jerky recipe remains a mystery -
even the order that the salt, molasses and pepper are applied makes a
difference. The salt goes on first, followed by the molasses and then
the pepper is dusted over. I have discovered that when the molasses is
put on first that the finished product will be sticky on the surface -
why?, I have no idea. I'm guessing that the salt has something to do
with 'carrying' the molasses into the meat and it doesn't work the other
way around - the molasses must obstruct that process somehow. My brother
brines his jerky in a 'compound' consisting of almost everything in the
spice rack, including soy sauce, Worcestershire, wine, orange juice and
probably a can or two of Budweiser - it's OK, but in my opinion the
flavors of the brine are all on the surface and it doesn't hold well at
all, the surface is shiny wet and within a couple of days will start to
taste 'musty' or kinda stale, shortly after it will start to grow mold -
in about a week or so it's garbage. It HAS to be refrigerated or frozen
or eaten immediately. I'm not saying that brining won't work, but it
would be difficult to determine the length of time in the brine to get
the flavors completely into and through the meat without it overpowering
or 'burning' the surface with salt. If the salt is more concentrated on
the outermost surface the result would probably be covered with a white
powdery salt residue - unless it were rinsed somehow. On larger cuts of
meat and fish you could rinse and dry the surface before smoking, but
with the smaller, uneven and varied pieces it would be - a chore? When
the meat is dry salted (true, it does take a certain level of awareness)
the meat will completely absorb the salt and molasses over a two day
period and when it is ready to rack and smoke, the meat will be almost
'candied' - pliable and semi-stiff like a dried apricot with very
little, if any, of the brine left in the pan. During the first day of
brining the salt will pull a lot of moisture from the meat and the brine
juices will be somewhat thin and syrupy, during the second day, after
the meat is 'turned', it will suck up almost all of the natural meat
juices along with the salt and molasses. It will vary from batch to
batch depending on how much moisture is in the meat to begin with -
fresh meat will have more moisture and produce more brine than aged
meat. I will still salt about the same, fresh or aged, the end result
will be about the same except that the pan will have a little more brine
left in it with the fresher meat. The methodology of brining - whether
it be wet or dry is not very well defined IMO, the whys and hows are for
the most part experimental until someone stumbles on something that
comes close or accidentally produces something acceptable. I think
that's probably what happened with the jerky - about 200 years ago
somebody somewhere whipped up a batch and it turned out pretty good, so
they stuck with it and it still works today...there may be a WHY, but
it's long gone now! The old man that showed me some of his tricks just
said, "here's how ya make jerky." end of conversation.

Dan in WA

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Last revised 7/13/97
by Dan Gill


--
Regards, Mike (Piedmont)

http://groups.msn.com/ThePracticalBa...ewwelcome.msnw