140-150 degrees temp


 
J

J Causey

TVWBB Member
I am planning on trying out some beef jerky this weekend and want to keep it lower than normal like around 140-150 degrees. I normally light up 30 briquettes with Minion method when doing pork and brisket temperatures. Is it just a matter of lighting less briquettes and closing off vents more to keep it down between 140-150?

Thanks
 
Light two and yes you can keep the temps down but you have to really watch it. I made some about a month ago and my limit was 160. As you can see was a little over. If you hit 170 the meat will start to cook. I was pretty much able to stay at 160. No heat sink just the briquetts and 10lbs of eye of the round. It worked out really well except I cut the meat a little thicker than I would if I make it again.

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That's what I did and it worked for me. Sometimes I had to close them completely. My smoke lasted 14 hours only because I cut the meat a little too thick. You really have to watch that it does not get away on you. I was down to using 1/8" drill bit to close the vents against.
 
Gary S said:
That's what I did and it worked for me. Sometimes I had to close them completely. My smoke lasted 14 hours only because I cut the meat a little too thick. You really have to watch that it does not get away on you. I was down to using 1/8" drill bit to close the vents against.
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Thanks Gary, I just read your other post on doing this and got some great insight. I am excited.
 
J, jerky is done when you can bend it and see white dry fibers of your meat, but it shouldn't break, thickness of the slice plays a large role. It is hard to temp probe jerky because of thickness. The bend but not break method has served me well. With a bit of practice you will figure it out. Hope this helps.
 
Mike Gaddy said:
J, jerky is done when you can bend it and see white dry fibers of your meat, but it shouldn't break, thickness of the slice plays a large role. It is hard to temp probe jerky because of thickness. The bend but not break method has served me well. With a bit of practice you will figure it out. Hope this helps.
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That's exactly it!:) After you are done with the wood smoke portion of your drying you can also consider closing the top vent some...I did not do that but in hindsight...whats the harm? You have to keep your temps down. Really it's all about evaporating the moisture out of the meat.
 
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I found that life without water in the bowl wasn't too difficult at all. Averaged about 155 degrees over about 6 hours. Simple marinade of soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic and onion powder and red pepper flakes. Would probably add some sweetness next time but overall not too bad.

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I used some top of round I found already thin sliced. Probably paid more than I should have but it made it easy. I was surprised to find it already thin sliced, making me wonder what people use it for besides jerky.
 
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