I need a tip or two on smoking some beef jerky


 
S

StanSulli

TVWBB Fan
Hello,

I have about 2.5 lbs of bottom round cut into 1/4" strips that will be done marinating in a couple of hours.

I have never used my 18.5" WSM for making jerky and have a few questions.

First, I'm going to use Stubb's briquettes. How much should I use and how should I set up the briquettes/coals in the charcoal ring?

The lowest I have ever cooked anything in the WSM was around 200 degrees. From what I gather, I'm going to have to have the temp. between 150-160 for six or seven hours.

I imagine the best way to get to 150-160 and stay there will be some combination how much fuel I use and the damper settings. Suggestions for either or both or should I keep a real close eye on the temp. and just kind of feel my way through it?

Do I need to use any smoking wood? I have apple, pecan and hickory on hand but I don't want to overdo the smoke flavor, if you know what I mean. Is wood necessary for jerky using the WSM?

Lastly, I rarely use the water pan but I think for jerky the water pan with some water in it will help keep the temp. in the desired range. Should I use the water pan?

Normally I would just experiment a bit, but I'll have the equivalent of a 20 dollar bill riding on those grates and I don't like burning money.:)

Thanks
 
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I've only made jerky maybe 3 or 4 times, but i think the snake method (maybe 2 layers on bottom 1 on top?) would work best for you to keep temps low, that combined with working the dampers to dial it in right. Water in the pan should also help you keep temps low but i've never tried with water in the pan.
 
I've done a couple of pounds of jerky

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?57293-Got-some-Jerky-on-the-WSM

Usually when I do Jerky I hook up the ATC to control the temp.

A couple of weeks ago I did some cheese on the WSM, did not use the ATC and I started by adding 4 lite briqs of KBB and two chunks of wood, I was very surprised how hot the WSM got just using four briqs, I had to pull two and just use two from there.

If I were to make jerky without the ATC I would fire up five to six briqs and three chunks of wood. Of course I would have to replace the briqs every hour and the wood every two hours.
 
Benji Chong said:
I've only made jerky maybe 3 or 4 times, but i think the snake method (maybe 2 layers on bottom 1 on top?) would work best for you to keep temps low, that combined with working the dampers to dial it in right. Water in the pan should also help you keep temps low but i've never tried with water in the pan.
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Hey Benji,

Followed your snake suggestion and used a full Brinkmann water pan.

Before I put the meat on I had the top damper wide open, one bottom damper completely closed and the other two on the bottom a bit less half open.

Temp stabalized around 175. Too hot for jerky. So I closed the top damper to about 1/3 open, kept the one bottom damper closed, closed the second damper to around 1/4 open and opened the third bottom damper all the way to hopefully keep a little air moving. (Not even a breeze around here today, as you know).

Anyway, I checked the temp 15 minutes later and it was a touch over 150 but below 155. The adjustments were pure guess work on my part but they seem to be what I needed, so I put the meat on the racks and put them in the smoker.

After a very brief dip to a little below 150, the temp came back up to between 150-155 again.

I think the water in the pan is as hot as it's going to get by now and I think the water has helped a lot on keeping the temp where I want it to be.

The meat has been in the smoker for just about an hour now and temp has remained 150-155.

Thanks for the snake tip, Benji. I have never tried it before. I hope I stacked it in there right to keep a slow, continuous briquette ignition going. Time will tell.
 
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I'm liking the snake method for sub 200 degree low, slow smoking. So far, it's working like a charm.

A little more than 3.5 hours after adjustments put temp between 150-155 it has remained within that 5 degree range.
 
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Here's how I do Jerky

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Stan,

The last time I made marinated jerky using a sliced roast (Usually I make extruded jerky from ground meat), I cold smoked the strips in my WhoDat Mini for about four hours and finished them in my Excalibur Dehydrator (you could also use your oven). This approach gave me the smoky flavor my family craves while allowing me ultimate control over temperature and finish (dry vs. chewy). This method worked very well for me.

Regards,

John
 
Dwain, I used much the same setup as far as the briquettes but I didn't hang the meat. Is that a 22" you used?

Not long after the 4 hour mark I had a temperature dip down to close to 145.

Although I hated to do it, I disassembled the smoker and just consolidated the already lit coals with the unlit briquettes by just shoving them together tighter and used the tongs to place some lit coals on top of the unlit briquettes.

After the reassembly, the temp ran right back up to between 150 - 155.

Now I'm wondering if I should have even bothered?

I guess it's possible that the coals would have just taken care of themselves and what I did was unnecessary. I wish I had given it 15 or 20 minutes more to see what happened.

Dwain, or anyone else for that matter, has this ever happened to you? Did ypu take any action or just let things alone?

And thank you other guys for those previous tips and links. It's appreciated.
 
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Well the jerky was done about 3 hours ago. It came out fine taste and texture wise. I like it.

But, and this is a big but, I have an electric Nesco dehydrator, model FD 60, and I like the jerky that comes out of it much, much better than what came out of my WSM.

While the smoker produced good jerky the dehydrator makes it so much better and with a lot less fuss.

The dehydrator has a fan on the top that blows hot air down through 4-9 trays (I bought extra trays) of whatever is being dehydrated.

Set the temp for 155 and 5-6 hours later you have superb jerky, and I do mean superb! You can also dehydrate fruit and vegetables with it, fruit roll ups, banana chips, apple crisps and so on. The thing cost me $45 a few years ago.

Anyway, and this is just my opinion of course, but except for beef brisket, I don't think beef overall lends itself too well to being smoked.

Poultry, pork and fish are great but for some reason I just don't care too much for most cuts of beef coming out of a smoker.

I hope I don't get drummed out of here for my opinion on using the WSM for smoking beef. :)
 
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StanSulli said:
Dwain, or anyone else for that matter, has this ever happened to you? Did ypu take any action or just let things alone?

And thank you other guys for those previous tips and links. It's appreciated.
Click to expand...

Yes it's a 22.

I just let it go. It will ebb and flow from 140 to 150-ish.
 
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I'm no purist Stan, Like you, I use the same method you do with the dehydrator and High Mountain Original flavor jerky seasoning with some Oakridge HDD added to my dog food section bottom round. This combination turns out a excellent product that everyone likes. I don't like to think of the fuss using a smoker, but I admire those that go thru the effort and do.
 
TOM BAUER said:
I'm no purist Stan, Like you, I use the same method you do with the dehydrator and High Mountain Original flavor jerky seasoning with some Oakridge HDD added to my dog food section bottom round. This combination turns out a excellent product that everyone likes. I don't like to think of the fuss using a smoker, but I admire those that go thru the effort and do.
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Agreed, Tom. I'm just so used to my WSM kicking out astoundingly great tasting food that I was disappointed in the so-so jerky.

Live and learn. For me, jerky on the WSM is is not worth the effort for what I got out of it.

When I use the electric dehydrator I never make it the same way twice. I use a lot of different seasoning and never measure.

Onion and garlic powders, paprika, salt, pepper and teryaki are always in there. I add other things, like some red pepper flakes when I'm in the mood. A little red pepper goes a long way with jerky. I learned that the first time I used it. :)

Dried, minced onion added on to the beef strips just before the dehydrator is turned on is a nice touch too.

I like the fact that you can make a different "flavor" on each tray to experiment with various ingredients.

I just wish I had the foresight to divide the beef between the dehydrator and the smoker instead of putting the whole 2.5 pounds on the smoker. But I was anticipating the usual great product coming out of the smoker.

As I said, live and learn
 
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