need help smoking beef jerky on my brinkman electric smoker

[bubba96]

hey there everybody i am having some trouble. so i had my brinkman electric smoker for half a year now and i finally decided to try and make beef jerky. i always made jerky in a dehydrator and wanted to try it on the smoker. so i went to smoke the jerky and when it was done it was kinda crispy... i never used the water pan for the jerky that came with the smoker so could that be it? or did i do too much smoke? i usually would dehydrate my jerky for 4 hours and it really did not work out like that on the smoker. and this is the brinkman electric smoker i have been talking about: http://www.brinkmann.net/products/details.aspx?item=810-7080-K. if anybody has any answers please comment that would be awsome!

 

[mfreel]

You'll like the smoked flavor a lot better in your smoker!  Doesn't compare to a dehydrator.

I do a fair amount of jerky in my MES.  First of all, you need to consider the slice.  Don't cut it too thick or too thin.  You've probably already found the sweet spot.  Next, make sure you have all slices covered with your spice and cure.  I love the Hi Mountain jerky mixes and I'll let them set up in a ziploc bag overnight.  Kneed the bag a time or two.  

I try to get my smoker around 180-200 with the vents wide open.  

I know, if you're open, you're not smokin' or if you're lookin' you're not cookin.  Something like that.  But in the case of jerky, I will check it a couple times and I'll usually flip the strips a time or two, too.  If anything starts to get crispy, I'll take it out.  It's done.  The same batch may not get done at the same time.  Take out the done pieces and move the other stuff around.  Jerky is one to keep an eye on.  It usually takes me about 2.5 to 3 hrs per batch.

I hope this helps get the conversation started.  

 

[bubba96]

awsome! Thanks for the reply, going to try a batch possibly this week or next week

 

[pighog]

I'd say you cooked (smoked too long. Just grab a piece and bend it. When you start to see white fibers in it, it's done. Just made 10 lbs yesterday.