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DIYguy Offline OP
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This is a 30 pounds of venison jerky with the last of the meat from my two archery deer. Loven this new homemade smoker for its versatility to dry jery, cold smoke cheese.nuts, salt, olives and eggs as well as hot smoking all manner of meats and fish.

I did 3 batches of 12 screens.

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These are the last two batches from Sunday. Saturday�s batch was already vacuum sealed and in the freezer.

[Linked Image]

Last edited by DIYguy; 04/16/14.
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Ground? Looks good to me!


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I and my family like he ground and reshaped jerky better than the sliced stuff. Normally I make in in my homemade dehydrator but wanted to try the smoker out for jerky. Here is the last batch I made in the homemade dehydrator.

I make a lot of jerky (both beef and venison). Like everybody, Im always searching for the best jerky recipe or pre-mixed seasoning package so Im always trying new products. Over the weekend I tried a new brand of jerky seasoning from Frisco Spices out of Nebraska. http://www.friscospices.com/ Im trying their Hell�s Creek Jerky spices to make 25 pounds of venison jerky.

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I always freeze my venison trim in gallon sized Ziploc Freezer bags and thaw it a couple days in advance of a jerky making weekend.

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Once thawed (but still stiff with ice crystals) I grind it first through a 3/8 plate

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After the first grind I mix the seasoning with water. Trying to get an even distribution because using the seasoning dry never works and you end up with a spotty mixture where some of the meat is over seasoned and some is under seasoned.

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The packet says to use 1 cup of water but for this volume of spices I use 2 cups to get the best distribution. The pink packet is a sodium nitrate/salt mix that you need to stave off botulism.

[Linked Image]

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco5_zpsb8130470.jpg[/img]

The water and spices and cure are then poured over the meat.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco6_zpsb6a29cd5.jpg[/img]

Then (wearing rubber gloves) I mix the meat by hand until I cant feel my hands any more and my fingers start to ach from the cold.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco7_zps63893c60.jpg[/img]

Then I switch my grinder to the 1/8 inch plate.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco81_zpsf59f80f9.jpg[/img]


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And grind the meat a 2nd time. This improves the texture and more thoroughly mixes the spices with the meat ensuring consistency and it makes sure the cure contacts all the meat.

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Then the meat is punched down tightly to remove air pockets and then covered with plastic wrap.

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Then the covered meat sits in the cooler over night. This allows the sodium nitrate cure do its magic to ensure all the meat is cured so it is safe to consume because the jerky is not cooked at high temps but rather slowly dried at temps no higher than 165F.

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Then its time to do the dishes. I don�t delay because the salt in the second grind will raise holy hell with the steel parts and knives.

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When dried, I always spray down my blades with a food grade oil to keep them from rusting. Ive had this set of blades for more than 20 years.

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I wrap the blades in paper towel and store them in Ziploc bags (to keep them from getting dulled by banging into the other blades) and then I store my blades in the freezer where the humidity is very low.

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The next morning I use a jerky cannon to make strips right on the drying racks.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco95_zps4f6d9006.jpg[/img]

I always wipe down the clean racks with non-stick cooking spray that I spray onto a paper towel. I don�t like to spray directly onto the racks because it�s a mess and you get oil lines on the dried product that looks bad.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco96_zps919f753e.jpg[/img]

Since some in my family like hotter jerky I sprinkle a few of the racks with crushed red pepper flakes while the meat is still moist and tacky. I put on twicw as much as it needs since half of it will fall off during drying, cutting and vacumm sealing.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/frisco97_zps800e8039.jpg[/img]

My dehydrator is a home made version that allows me to make up to 30 pounds at one time. The heat comes from two electric hot plates that produce 1000 watts each. It is built of wood and lined with metal (aluminum). In order to move it around I made it in two halves. One half is the heater and fan box. There is a screen (filter) separating the two chambers.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/jerky96_06.jpg[/img]


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The other half is the dehydrator box with supports for ten drying racks. It is also lined with metal (aluminum).

[Linked Image]

Then the racks spend the next 8 hours in the dehydrator. I start it out at 140 and slowly raise the temp to 165F.

[Linked Image]

During the drying process I rotate the racks back to front as well as top to bottom to make sure everything drays evenly.

Fast forward 8 hours and its finished.

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The strips are cut to length and vacuum sealed

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Im very pleased with the flavor. Its got a late heat that hits the back of the tongue. Now I need to make some smoked summer with crumbled cheese and Jalape�o.

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This was the last time I made slided whole meat jerky. I used Shaggy Dog�s � jerky marinade is made right here in Janesville, WI by Chris Cass.

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The jerky seasonings is pre mixed and ready to use.

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Because it comes in a liquid form, the coverage and distribution all parts of the meat is excellent. Pour it on and mix the strips of meat by hand and refrigerate 24 hours.

[Linked Image]

This batch is only 17 pounds. It took 6 screens like this.

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I dehydrated this batch for 8 hours.

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When finished. The 17 pounds was reduced to 7 pounds.

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It was just short of filling a regular size paper grocery bag. The last step is to vacuum seal the jerky and freeze.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/shaggydogs7.jpg[/img]

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Ive used the American Harvest/Nessco brand seasonings as well. Its a good flavor.

I bought a manual grinder on Ebay but soon tired of turning the handle so I added a motor and some pulleys and enclosed it in a box with a handle so that I can move it easy. The grinder and it�s parts are in another box.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Add the grinder and the hopper and I�m ready for work.
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Start with the largest hole plate that you have so the first grind goes easy
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Make sure to weigh your meat after the first grind to be sure of how much meat you are dealing with. This will tell you how much seasonings you will need.
[Linked Image]

I really like the AH Nessco brand of spices. No matter what brand you use. Follow the instructions. Make sure to use a brand that includes a curing salt. Without this you run the risk of botulism poisoning.
[Linked Image]

The cure is the salt looking stuff on the right.
[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/jerky9_06.jpg[/img]

Make sure to mix the seasonings with water. This will help to distribute the spices evenly. If you use them dry, the meat on top will be over seasoned and even after mixing you will not be able to get all the meat seasoned equally.
[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/jerky91_06.jpg[/img]

Pour the seasoning/water over the meat and mix by hand until you can't feel your fingers any more. (This is really cold meat)
[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/jerky92_06.jpg[/img]

Grind the seasoned meat a second time using a smaller hole plate. I use a hamburger sized hole plate.
[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/jerky93_06.jpg[/img]


Last edited by DIYguy; 04/16/14.
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Pack the meat into a plastic or enameled container. Do not use metal. It will give a metalic flavor to the jerky. Push it all down to remove all the air pockets and cover with plastic wrap. Iwill place this batch in the fridg. overnight.
[Linked Image]

In the end this batch will be 23 pound (the container weighs 6 pounds)
[Linked Image]

Every hour, I rotate the racks from top to bottom and spin them 180 degrees so that I get even drying. It will take about 6 hours to dry this much meat

When finished, I take the long strips of jerky and cut them down to 5 1/2 inch lengths and vacuum seal the rest

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

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Great thread & pics!


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WOW, thanks for posting your skills with game meat.

Oh BTW, this for spraying grinder parts ?

http://www.amazon.com/Klene-Purpose-Release-Aerosol-Spray/dp/B00CCTD5DQ

Denny.


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Nice post. Problem I have with grinding venison, is that the muscle sheath of white skin gets hung up on the plate and clogs everything up. I cut most of it off when butchering, but some is always left over. When I grind to make summer sausage, I run into this and its a real pain. I use a meat grinder attachment that goes on a kitchen aid mixer. I also tried buying a meat grinder, granite red it was a cheap one, but still had the same problem.
Anyone run into this? What's the fix? Is it just the nature of the beast? Blade not sharp enough?

Mw


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Dull blades or you havent tightened the blades together enough. The cross blad needs to be tight to the hole plate to cut the meat. Also using too small a hole plate right off the bat will cause this. Thats why I start with the 3/8 plate and grind a 2nd time with the 1/8 inch.

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Very nice! It looks like you have done this a time or two! wink

Mike


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I tried going vegan, but then realized it was a big missed steak.
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I make a lot of jerky each year. I make several 30 pounds batches throughout the year.

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Some small things that should be noted guys.


Always put your finished cooked jerky into a single sealed vessel over night before packaging. What this does is let the jerky equalize moisture content. The reason for this is because thee is sometimes one piece gets less active water then other pieces, the dryer will pull moisture from the wetter and equalize the entire batch. This helps keep the active water in some moisture pieces from growing spore forming bacterium related to Clostridium Botulinum and Staphylococcus Aureus out growth. Cure also helps keep these spore forming bacterium at bay, it's a multiple hurtle effect and makes a better end product.


Next I saw something on one of the instructions that I don't agree with on a professional note. It said to start your cook at 145F and open the dampers. THIS IS WRONG! It has been fully debunked and what caused all the Salmonella outbreaks which caused Industry to change procedures. Salmonella is heat resistant to dry heat!

The correction (which someone needs to tell that manufacture) is:

During the starting of the lethality treatment (the cooking) you first need to maintain at least 90 percent humidity and a lethality temperature, most companies use 160 degrees F to kill Salmonella. To do this you seal the chamber (close the dampers) and especially in very low humid areas add a tray of water to up the humidity to at least 90 percent. . Listeria Monocytogenes is not dry heat resistant, but cooking to Salmonella standards kills it. The professionals usually hold about 160 F at 90% humidity for about 5 minutes at the very start of the cook for regular thin jerky, additional time for larger thicker rope style. After the lethality open the dampers, remove the water vessel, and cook (dry) to your normal 145F to 165F parameters for the long drying step.


Remember there are 2 separate things you are tying to do when making jerky safe for everyone including kids and elderly. I don't know about you but I couldn't go through life knowing I lead some child to serious illness or worse, death.

1. Lethality. (Killing the bacterium)
2. Drying. (stabilization - Ensuring bacterium can't grow)


More information can be found at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...nce_Guideline_Jerky_2012.pdf?MOD=AJPERES



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Great info. Thanks for that.

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Another informative post. Thanks!

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Cool thread. I'm sure I'll be checking back here for tips


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