Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Jerky and the guys who make their own.

Well guys to day I rolled out of the sack with every intention to go out and soak a couple crab pots and do a little salmon fishing.
<br>Ever since the demise of the garbage skow I have been limited to using one of my tin boats for such adventures. This AM I was looking simply to tossing the 12 footer into the bed of my pick up and going down to the ramp, launching and rowing out to the rivers mouth. The city nimrods had the launch plugged up and it looked like it was going to be a long wait and too far to drag the tin Maru to the water. Home we went...no crab so instead it's time to make jerky.
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<br>I have several roasts in the freezer, mostly bovine, but a couple venison. So out came a lean beef roast and into the micro wave to thaw it goes. I like my slabs of meat slightly frozen when I slice them that way they slice thin and uniformly. I need a meat slicer. Meanwhile, in my coffee grinder, I grind up a bunch of red hot peppers and kosher salt. I use Kosher salt because I have a box of it. Then a bunch of garlic granuals. I get about a big cup full of dry mix I then add 2x the amount of sugar and mix it all up. spred a little layed of mix on bottom of pan and layer the beef strips and mix until all meat is coated. cover with plastic wrap and let stand till morning in the fridge. Now the fun begins, I string each piece on a skewer , usually 15-20 strips to a skewer and hang them in the smoker. takes about 12 hours to smoke. I use ALDER the only wood to use if you live in the Pacific NW.. This is pretty hot stuff, tastes kind of sweet to start then the fire kicks in the more you chew the hotter it gets and stays with you for a while after the meat has long been in your gullett.
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<br>How do you guys make your jerky?
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<br>Bullwnkl.

Winky I used to do that but started using a dehydrator about four years ago. Call me lazy but I quit the smoke house route. I give you the smoke house is a bit better if you have the time, patience, and know how to do it right. From your writing I know you do. A dehydrator is so much easier though and you don't have to worry about the weather.
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<br>If I am using a liquid maranade I just use a good Terriyaki sauce and add a little liquid smoke.
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<br>If I am using a dry rub I use a good Cajun seasoning like Tony's and add a little hickory smoke salt to it. Carribean jerk seasoning is pretty good too.
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<br>I thought they grew apples up in your part of the world. Apple wood is pretty good as a smoke source. I have used it a time or two. Of course we don't have alder but plenty of nut woods like pecan, walnut and hickory of course. Just as a general rule it is hard to beat hickory.
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<br>BCR

Boggy, I smoke a lot of different meats and seafood have always used a smoker, I really see little difference between my smoker and your dehydrator in the time it takes to prep. I load my smoker with the intended meat or fish fill the pan with dry alder chunks and plug it in. 10-12 hours later I have jerky or smoked fish, oysters take about 8 hours. The big difference is I have to dry my product by hanging for an hour in the smoker with the heat on then add the wood.
<br>Apples are plentifull on the dry side, over the Cascade mountains in eastern WA. we have some apples but I really prefer alder it is a sweet wood and has a very good flavor much lower in bitterness than fruit or maples. I tried mesquite once, bought a bag in a store, it was ok but alder is free and plentifull.
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<br>Bullwnkl.

Winky I just don't have to tend a fire and worry about flare ups or heat control. You are right time is about the same. Misquite is good with a sweet flavor. Don't use it on pork as it is too sweet at least for my taste. A friendly tip on store bought misquite. BE Careful. It may not be misquite. There is a tree called huasashe (pronounced we-- satch) that looks much like misquite but isn't. Grows any where misquite does and right along beside it. I know for a fact that some of the commercial wood chip makers harvest it right along with misquite and put it in the bag. I sold a misquite pasture that was also loaded with huasashe to a chipper and he harvested it all. When I quesioned him he said" Hell, nobody will know the difference." Huasashe smoke is bitter. If some of the misquite chunks you had would not ash I'll bet you a dollar to a donut you had some huasashe in there too.
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<br>BCR
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I use the same recipe for jerky as for smoked salmon. I too like to slice the meat/fish when it is still mostly frozen. Moose is my favorite but I don't get to use it much. Caribou is also good but is season dependent, it can get real skunky in the fall. I would like to try horse but it is real expensive here in AK. I would imagine one could buy a decent speciman(sp) at an auction for not too much money. I too like alder and thanks to Sitka and a neighbor I'm experimienting with other woods such as cherry and hickory.pak