Sit Out Times?

[royjulius]

If I have ground beef that is cured for about 36 hrs in the fridge with a cure mix from Cabela's (has some nitrates), would it be safe to make my strips on the racks the night before I smoke and let them sit out on the counter-top all night to dry a bit before I put them in the smoker the following morning?

 

[daveomak]

If I have ground beef that is cured for about 36 hrs in the fridge with a cure mix from Cabela's (has some nitrates nitrites), would it be safe to make my strips on the racks the night before I smoke and let them sit out on the counter-top all night to dry a bit before I put them in the smoker the following morning?

I would make the strips and put them on the trays, then stick the trays in the refer to dry for however long... 24-36 hours... the refer will dry them out a bit.... then smoke them... Sitting on the counter is not necessarily a good idea....

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I second what Dave says. I would dry them in the fridge, not on the counter. If it's a space issue make the strips a few hours before you're going to smoke them and run a fan on them.

 

[sb59]

I third that! The cold dry air in the fridge will actually do a fine job of drying. Leaving on the counter over night will be more like letting the strips decay!

 

[royjulius]

Thanks folks. I kind of figured it would be a bad idea, just thought I'd run it by the experts. I did wonder about laying them out in the fridge, and it sounds like something to try. I posted pics on my "Third Rack" thread of how this batch turned out. Pretty good!