I'm not big on teriyaki flavor jerky but it seems nearly all the recipes have soy and Worcestershire. Does anyone have a peppered jerky recipe, or one that isn't terribly strong teriyaki flavor?
I dislike teriyaki. I also don't like sticky jerky. I usually do a plain salt brine. I have spiked it with a cup of rum, some crushed red pepper or cayenne powder, stuff like that. I keep going back to plain salt. It is what I like best. I don't remember the ratio ... I use the little chief smoker book's most basic jerky recipe, but only use the water and salt components. I do not replace the sugar in the recipe with more salt.
I have the meat thawed and cut in strips in the fridge. In the morning before going to work, I dunk it in brine and leave it in the fridge all day. When I get home, I rinse it repeatedly, pat it dry with paper towels, load it on the racks in the sink and let it drip for an hour, then put it in the smoker. I'll get up maybe twice overnight and add chips. When it's time to go to work, I pull the pan out, then drag the smoker in on the concrete floor of the garage and let it run heat all day while another batch is soaking in brine. When the meat comes off the racks, it goes in the fridge temporarily. After the last batch has smoked, if it is still too moist, I stack all of it back on the top two racks and put it back in the smoker in the garage for more warm, dry air.
The only problem with plain brine is sometimes the jerky can be too salty. This is ok if you're using it to supplement other food in the field, not so good if you're trying to entertain with it.
Tom