Ground Beef Jerky Time


 
Lew Newby

Lew Newby

R.I.P. 1/26/2024
I'm getting low on Beef Jerky so yesterday I mixed up 5 lbs. of Ground Beef and mixed in my seasoning. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and this morning my son used the Lem Jerky Cannon to create the strips. I went to this style Jerky after my problems in February because it's easier on me than Beef Sticks or sliced Beef Jerky. The EX6 settled in at 170 once I put the meat on but that only lasted for an hour when the temp began to very slowly climb. The first rack came off at 4 hrs. and 20 min. but the temp shot up to 240 and after only 30 minutes the rest was finished. I changed the Franks Red Hot in the recipe to Tobasco Sauce and later thought I should have just tried t on a pound of Beef. I lucked out. The taste of the mixture was very vinegary but the taste of the final product was great but I need to adjust the heat up. Cayenne next time. My son thinks it tastes like Jack Links Original. I'm not sure about that but the taste is a familiar one.IMG_0224.jpeg
 
Lew Newby said:
I'm getting low on Beef Jerky so yesterday I mixed up 5 lbs. of Ground Beef and mixed in my seasoning. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and this morning my son used the Lem Jerky Cannon to create the strips. I went to this style Jerky after my problems in February because it's easier on me than Beef Sticks or sliced Beef Jerky. The EX6 settled in at 170 once I put the meat on but that only lasted for an hour when the temp began to very slowly climb. The first rack came off at 4 hrs. and 20 min. but the temp shot up to 240 and after only 30 minutes the rest was finished. I changed the Franks Red Hot in the recipe to Tobasco Sauce and later thought I should have just tried t on a pound of Beef. I lucked out. The taste of the mixture was very vinegary but the taste of the final product was great but I need to adjust the heat up. Cayenne next time. My son thinks it tastes like Jack Links Original. I'm not sure about that but the taste is a familiar one.View attachment 77212
Click to expand...
Looks great Lew.

Love my Jerky Pistol. Got it free with the purchase of a grinder at a Cabela's grand opening some years ago. It has nozzles for single or double strips and beef sticks.
 
Lew Newby said:
I'm getting low on Beef Jerky so yesterday I mixed up 5 lbs. of Ground Beef and mixed in my seasoning. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and this morning my son used the Lem Jerky Cannon to create the strips. I went to this style Jerky after my problems in February because it's easier on me than Beef Sticks or sliced Beef Jerky. The EX6 settled in at 170 once I put the meat on but that only lasted for an hour when the temp began to very slowly climb. The first rack came off at 4 hrs. and 20 min. but the temp shot up to 240 and after only 30 minutes the rest was finished. I changed the Franks Red Hot in the recipe to Tobasco Sauce and later thought I should have just tried t on a pound of Beef. I lucked out. The taste of the mixture was very vinegary but the taste of the final product was great but I need to adjust the heat up. Cayenne next time. My son thinks it tastes like Jack Links Original. I'm not sure about that but the taste is a familiar one.
Click to expand...

Those look magnificent. I've only used sliced beef in my jerky. Do you notice any differences between ground and sliced?
 
Jon B said:
Do you notice any differences between ground and sliced?
Click to expand...
The fat content is important to keep as low as possible because the fat can go rancid. With sliced jerky, you can select lean mean and trim off extra fat. With ground meat, you can grind it yourself, or start with 93% lean meat from the store. Hamburger meat will not work.
 
Jon B said:
Those look magnificent. I've only used sliced beef in my jerky. Do you notice any differences between ground and sliced?
Click to expand...
The texture is different. Sliced is a chewier piece of meat I guess you could compare a burger to 1/4 inch thick roast beef slices and approximate the difference.
 
Do you mix in any sausage? I like Italian Sausage mixed in with my ground beef cooks. My SF's lowest setting is 200, but the pit is closer to 220 than 200. Once you get to 250 and above, the set temp and pit temp match
 
Mine are 100% Beef. My grill was running on smokeboost. 3 years ago it would maintain 180 and below then but after a software update smokeboost has never performed as well on my grill. I was lucky to get almost 4 hours of good Jerky temps on this coo..
 
Lew Newby said:
Mine are 100% Beef. My grill was running on smokeboost. 3 years ago it would maintain 180 and below then but after a software update smokeboost has never performed as well on my grill. I was lucky to get almost 4 hours of good Jerky temps on this coo..
Click to expand...
Your jerky looks great! We're going to try it on our pellet grill. A question, though...

Couldn't you prop the lid open slightly to get the lower temps?
 
Ed P said:
Your jerky looks great! We're going to try it on our pellet grill. A question, though...

Couldn't you prop the lid open slightly to get the lower temps?
Click to expand...
I tried that and it doesn't work. With pellet grills the fan moves a lot of air and negates cracking the lid effect. Because the WSM just uses convection to move air I could adjust temp with the lid or the door but it didn't work with the Smokefire.
 
ChuckO said:
Problem (for me anyway) is that it will just continue to burn more pellet trying to maintain minimum temp. That's probably the only downside to pellet grills, hard to maintain a low temp cook
Click to expand...
Spot on. A systems engineer told me that a PID controllers weak spot is maintaining a low temp with an unpredictable heat source like wood. At least, that's what I understood. He's smarter than me. :LOL:
 
I don't think it's a function of the fuel but of the controller. Big Z will hold 160-165 depending on which setting I pick all day. I can't quantify pellet use though. But, I believe it to be quite low. Actually both are extremely frugal (actually surprisingly so) on pellets.
 
LMichaels said:
I don't think it's a function of the fuel but of the controller. Big Z will hold 160-165 depending on which setting I pick all day. I can't quantify pellet use though. But, I believe it to be quite low. Actually both are extremely frugal (actually surprisingly so) on pellets.
Click to expand...
Is that the controller temp reading or an independent probe in the cook chamber? I thought my RecTec held a rock solid 180 until I put my Maverick in there and the temp was constantly fluctuating.
 
Honestly I don't have another device to read it with. But, when I have put the meat probe in the chamber they seem to follow the same reading very closely. Beyond that I don't have anything more. I don't know how much more involved I would need to be
 
LMichaels said:
Honestly I don't have another device to read it with. But, when I have put the meat probe in the chamber they seem to follow the same reading very closely. Beyond that I don't have anything more. I don't know how much more involved I would need to be
Click to expand...
Truth is, you don't need to be more involved. Those of us who are ANAL use ambient probes near the meat but it's not necessary. The PID controller is going to hold the temp within a range that can be plus or minus 50 degrees but will display the set temp as long as the pit temp is within the range. Over the length of a cook it works out as you have seen. I believe that we each get to do our thing the way we're comfortable. No way is the only way to get the job done.
 
Lew Newby said:
Mine are 100% Beef. My grill was running on smokeboost. 3 years ago it would maintain 180 and below then but after a software update smokeboost has never performed as well on my grill. I was lucky to get almost 4 hours of good Jerky temps on this coo..
Click to expand...
Weber probably increased the lower temp setting to cut down on the flame outs.
 
Lew Newby said:
Truth is, you don't need to be more involved. Those of us who are ANAL use ambient probes near the meat but it's not necessary. The PID controller is going to hold the temp within a range that can be plus or minus 50 degrees but will display the set temp as long as the pit temp is within the range. Over the length of a cook it works out as you have seen. I believe that we each get to do our thing the way we're comfortable. No way is the only way to get the job done.
Click to expand...
So even the meat probes are not displaying actual temps? Because with both the MM and Big Z I have laid the meat probes in there and they run right along with the sensor very closely
 
ChuckO said:
Problem (for me anyway) is that it will just continue to burn more pellet trying to maintain minimum temp. That's probably the only downside to pellet grills, hard to maintain a low temp cook
Click to expand...
I'm not at all familiar with the SF...I think Weber has taken the road less traveled with them. But the Traeger, and the Traeger clones (there are many) use a 'P' setting, where temps aren't looked at...it is strictly a timed interval of on and off ("duty cycle"). A lid that is propped open may help in that arrangement.

Adjusting the Traeger Smoke P-Setting

How to adjust the "Smoke" setting on your Traeger Pellet Smoker. This is a complete guide of how to adjust the P-setting which controls the resultant temperature of the smoke setting on your grill.
tipsforbbq.com

I'm thinking the Weber "Smokeboost" setting may be a timed interval setting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top