Jerky Help


 

Keith Wilson

TVWBB Fan
Well I made my first batch of Jerky last Sunday. It came out great (just have to tweak the seasonings a little). I also used a cure for it that I got from SausageMaker.com. Went to grab a peice out of my Zip Lock bag last night and saw one peice of Jerky with a tiny white fluffy spot on it that I assume is mold. I inspected the rest and found no more. Can anyone advise me as to what happened or what I did wrong? The only thing I can think of is that I added a little salt after the fact (in the bag) and I think maybe the salt attracted moisture. But all Jerky has some salt on it and I've never had any (I've bought) that got the little white fluffy spot on it. Any advice would be helpful. Jerky is expensive to make and I'd hate to have to throw any of it out after only a few days. Afterall, Jerky is supposed to keep for a while. Thats why it is cured.
 
I would venture to guess moisture is the culprit in one form or fashion. Either the jerky was not dried out sufficiently or it was stored in a moist environment. Without water, you won't have mold. I believe when jerky is properly dried, something like 90% of the moisture is removed. That can be hard to determine especially if you've marinated it and the meat no longer retains its original color. When you 1st sampled it, was it fairly soft? How thick were your strips? What did you use to dry the meat out with; wsm, dehydrator? How long and what temp did you dry the meat at?
 
I used dry seasonings only then the curing product. I couldn't justify adding moisture to it w/marinade. I did it in the WSM for 6 hrs at about 160-200. It cracked and tore like one would expect jerky to. The strips (before smoking) were approx 1/4" thick and hung in the WSM. None of it was soft. The doneness seemed to be perfect.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
I would venture to guess moisture is the culprit in one form or fashion. Either the jerky was not dried out sufficiently or it was stored in a moist environment. Without water, you won't have mold. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yep, what Paul said. Could have been a spec of water/moisture on your finger or thumb when you pulled that piece off the smoker or when you put that piece into the bag. I wouldn't worry about it since it was only on one piece.
 
One other way to get moisture into a bag of jerky would be if you put it into a zip lock bag while it was still warm. Did you let it cool completely before putting in the bag?
 
You may have something there David. I honestly don't remember if it was completely cooled before putting it into the bag. My wife brought up a good point last night. She said, "Even the Jerky you buy commercially has one of the descicant packs in the bags". Maybe thats what I need for next time. I inpected what is left again yesterday and it was only that one peice. The rest seems fine still.
 
Nope. Not fine. Just got home from work and went to take a peice and there were more moldy peices. I chucked it. I'm gonna guess that the salt I added afterwards attracted the moisture. I just don't get it.
 
Put jerky in a brown paper bag (lunch bag) while it cools. This helps pull any surface moisture and fat/grease off the meat. Transfer the jerky into a plastic bag for fridge storage after it cools/dries.

My $.02.
 
I make alot of jerky and have found it best to:

1. Make sure the jerky is cold before it is stored.

2. Store the jerky in a non-airtite container in the fridge, I use a 1 gallon jar with a metal lid that I punched some holes in with a nail. If stored this way it will keep for sometime (although around my house it never lasts long!).

Hope this helps...
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