Jerky has a white tint.

[rawhide3114]

Hello,

My last two rounds of venison jerky have had a white(ish) type tint to them. My recipe is rather basic: salt, pepper, Worcestershire, lemon pepper/salt seasoning, brown sugar and smoked with mesquite pucks in my bradley smoker. It taste great but just looks unappealing. Has anyone come across this before?

My thought is the lemon pepper/salt seasoning i've added. I know its not the meat as they came from 2 seperate deer. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks. 

 

[crankybuzzard]

Is it only on one side or both?  Do you hang the jerky to dry or lay it on the racks?  What temp are you drying at?

I would be willing to bet that white tint is from water (moisture) leaving the meat along with the salt that is in suspension, then as it further dries, the liquid recrystallizes back into salt (precipitation), except now, instead of granules, it's a powder. 

As a test, mix about 3 Tbs of the salt you use into a cup of warm water.  Place a few drops of the now salty water onto some black fabric and allow it to completely dry.  If it looks about the same, that's probably what it is.  If that's the culprit, it's an easy fix.  Now and then, during the drying process, open the smoker and blot off moisture you see on the surface of the meats.

If the white tint is powdery and easily made airborne, it could be mold, but that's doubtful.

 

[rawhide3114]

Thanks for the information. I lay it down on the racks, in my first batch I it was only one side, this time I flipped them to see if there would be a difference and both were white.

I used mesquite pucks and the temp was between 110 and 180. I would hope its not mold as the machine has been cleaned after each use. 

 

[crankybuzzard]

 
Thanks for the information. I lay it down on the racks, in my first batch I it was only one side, this time I flipped them to see if there would be a difference and both were white.

I used mesquite pucks and the temp was between 110 and 180. I would hope its not mold as the machine has been cleaned after each use. 

I'd bet that it's precipitate from the salt solution.  I only through in the mold thing just in case this was showing up days after you made the jerky.

Try the check and blot idea and don't flip them.  

Also, check the lemon pepper you're using, some of them contain a LOT of sodium.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Happens quite often with jerky. It's the salt evaporating out as the meat dries.