One of the things I really wanted to do was beef jerky. I got a couple of top round roasts at Safeway, where they were able to slice it for me (about 1/3 of an inch, across the grain). It was 2x 1.6lb roasts, which netted about 75 pieces. I have an 18" WSM and I could have fit slices from another 1.6lb roast.
I did a couple of different marinades, but my favorite was soy sauce, fresh ginger (shredded with food processor), and Sriracha. Ginger was very strong and you need more Sriracha than you think. After 48 hours of marinade with a few mixes in between, I brushed off the ginger shreds and hung the slices onto the top grate so that they could hang down. I used paper clips to hand the meat from the grate and it worked wonderfully.
I fired a half chimney of K briquettes and used mesquite. Empty Water pan covered with foil. My target temp was 200* at the lid for the first 30 mins, then I wanted it to go down to about 170* til done. I think that I let it get a little too hot initially and/or let it go too long at 170* because some of the pieces were over dried (burnt!).
It wasn't perfect, but I learned a few things. Next time I will go with fewer K briquettes and maybe even less smoke wood or mellower smoke wood. Also, not so many beers while waiting.
I am going to try to post some pics from Picasa. Sorry if they don't take:
I did a couple of different marinades, but my favorite was soy sauce, fresh ginger (shredded with food processor), and Sriracha. Ginger was very strong and you need more Sriracha than you think. After 48 hours of marinade with a few mixes in between, I brushed off the ginger shreds and hung the slices onto the top grate so that they could hang down. I used paper clips to hand the meat from the grate and it worked wonderfully.
I fired a half chimney of K briquettes and used mesquite. Empty Water pan covered with foil. My target temp was 200* at the lid for the first 30 mins, then I wanted it to go down to about 170* til done. I think that I let it get a little too hot initially and/or let it go too long at 170* because some of the pieces were over dried (burnt!).
It wasn't perfect, but I learned a few things. Next time I will go with fewer K briquettes and maybe even less smoke wood or mellower smoke wood. Also, not so many beers while waiting.
I am going to try to post some pics from Picasa. Sorry if they don't take:
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