So for my next smokey endeavor, I decided to give jerky a try. I went to the store and bought about 5 lbs of bottom round and trimmed it up.
I tossed it in the freezer for about 40 minutes to firm it up so I can slice it (by hand). You may notice in later pics that I sliced some against the grain but most with the grain just to mix it up.
Then I mixed up a slightly altered version of the marinade that Nepas shared on here. I couldn't find cure so I omitted it and I added garlic powder.
Here is the meat ready to be covered up and spend the night in the fridge.
Fast forward to next day.......
I put a little bit of cajun seasoning on each one of the slices of beef. On half of the slices I also sprinkled some crushed red pepper for a little extra spice. I then skewered them and let them drip dry outside for around 20 mins. You can see the spicier ones in the front.
After that they were ready for the smoker. Since I didn't use cure i wanted to go with a slightly higher temp than normal. I preheated the MES to 200. I added the meat and let it go for two hours before adding smoke. I let it smoke for an additional 2 hours. Throughout the entire process my vent was wide open.
And here is the finished product. Well, half of it anyway. Here is a pic of the not so spicy batch.
Overall I think it is honestly some of the best tasting jerky I have eaten. It tastes almost exactly how I think jerky should taste. Like what I have been looking for in stores for years, but never found. Next time I will use cure and I will begin to experiment with my cooking times and temps to get the texture right where I want it. I found it to be SLIGHTLY over done. Although everyone did love it. The guys at work are already asking me prices lol. All the jerky I made was gone before lunch today. I want to give Nepas a huge thanks for posting that marinade as well as everyone else that has posted their jerky making experiences. They helped me tremendously in learning to make my jerky.
I tossed it in the freezer for about 40 minutes to firm it up so I can slice it (by hand). You may notice in later pics that I sliced some against the grain but most with the grain just to mix it up.
Then I mixed up a slightly altered version of the marinade that Nepas shared on here. I couldn't find cure so I omitted it and I added garlic powder.
Here is the meat ready to be covered up and spend the night in the fridge.
Fast forward to next day.......
I put a little bit of cajun seasoning on each one of the slices of beef. On half of the slices I also sprinkled some crushed red pepper for a little extra spice. I then skewered them and let them drip dry outside for around 20 mins. You can see the spicier ones in the front.
After that they were ready for the smoker. Since I didn't use cure i wanted to go with a slightly higher temp than normal. I preheated the MES to 200. I added the meat and let it go for two hours before adding smoke. I let it smoke for an additional 2 hours. Throughout the entire process my vent was wide open.
And here is the finished product. Well, half of it anyway. Here is a pic of the not so spicy batch.
Overall I think it is honestly some of the best tasting jerky I have eaten. It tastes almost exactly how I think jerky should taste. Like what I have been looking for in stores for years, but never found. Next time I will use cure and I will begin to experiment with my cooking times and temps to get the texture right where I want it. I found it to be SLIGHTLY over done. Although everyone did love it. The guys at work are already asking me prices lol. All the jerky I made was gone before lunch today. I want to give Nepas a huge thanks for posting that marinade as well as everyone else that has posted their jerky making experiences. They helped me tremendously in learning to make my jerky.
