Last year, my dear wife asked me "Honey, can you make beef jerky on your smoker?". I promptly replied "NO, I've read that it comes out too smoky and I don't want to ruin a bunch of meat." To which she asked "Well, can you at least try?" I figured ok, lets see what I can do......(*um, she was right, it comes out great)
This is something that you can do on ANY of your cookers, and the cheapo $24 ECB actually does one of the best jobs due to its unique *ahem* "airflow characteristics" (i.e. it's leaky so it dries jerky well).
Well, when you're making jerky, the idea is to take pieces of raw meat and dry them so they will last longer. As part of the drying process, many folks also like smoke flavor added. If you've read the BBQ Taboos article already (that is, if I've written it yet), you know that "liquid smoke" is a very evil thing. Therefore, using real smoke and drying in a real smoker is the only way to go. Also, I'm a big "flavor" and "seasoning" buff as well as a chile-head, so my jerky recipes have a lot of spices in them. I figure I must be doing it right, because I'm able to sell it for $20 a pound (actually, I don't sell it, but I get "compensated" for the costs when I make it for friends and relatives....ok Mr. taxman?) If I WERE selling it, I COULD get $20 a pound easily (see the section on Jerky-Math). Then, there comes the question of CURE or NO CURE in the meat.
I'll try to make this brief, but for an in-depth discussion on meat curing I'd strongly recommend the book Great Sausage Making Recipes and Meat Curing, by Rytek Kutas. Basically, if you're going to dry or smoke something at or below 150° for any length of time, like sausages or jerky, CURE IT! Curing meat just involves adding "curing salts" (like Tenderquick, Instacure, or Prague Powder) to the meat, and giving the "cure" time to work. The normal curing rate is about 1/4" per 24-hours, at refrigerator temperatures. In our case, we're cutting the jerky into approx. 1/4" slices so theoretically it would be "cured" in about 12-hours after adding the cure (remember, the jerky has two sides and cures from outside-in). The "curing salt" consists of a mix of something like 99% salt and sugar, and 1% or less of sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate. The main purpose of the cure is to protect against bad bacteria like botulism, which thrives in the barbecueing environment (low cooking temps, no oxygen, warm meat). The cure also has the added effect of changing the color and texture of the meat. Prime examples of cured meats are Ham and Pastrami/Corned Beef. Their normal forms are much different in taste and texture than their pink-shaded cousins.
...Ok, back to Jerky.
Have you ever really paid attention to the price of jerky? Sure, it only costs about $4.00 in the snack pack, but look a bit closer......that's $4.00 for 4 ounces! That translates into $16.00 per pound, and that's for the crappy store-jerky. If you ever go to one of the "gourmet jerky" places it's easily $20-$25 per pound. "Why" you ask? Here's the breakdown:
Are you getting the idea here? OK, some of the above is slightly exaggerated, but I've done the math and it's pretty darn close. It will vary whether or not you buy bulk spices and how much you make at a time.
Enough Already, how do I make it!!! (next)