Big Jerky Failure

[Sven Svensson]

The last time I made corned beef jerky it was almost perfect. I soaked the store-bought briskets overnight to desalinate. I smoked them up and they could have used a bit more salt. So today I soaked two briskets for an hour and smoked them for 3 hours and then brought them inside to my dehydrator.

it’s a total disaster and it’s all completely inedible. There’s waaaaaaaay too much salt. So, into the compost bin it goes.

At least I know what to do next round. A 6-hour soak light just be perfect.

It’s too bad. I was looking forward to cheating on my diet.

 

[Nefarious]

It’s too bad. I was looking forward to cheating on my diet.

Remember, you still have that awesome BBB from the other day. Chatting is still possible.

 

[Sven Svensson]

N Nefarious I’ll have to do some thawing before cheating. I can overcome that obstacle. I will tell you, it was so much easier being fat! Haha.

 

[DougE]

There’s waaaaaaaay too much salt. So, into the compost bin it goes.

At least I know what to do next round. A 6-hour soak light just be perfect.

Sorry this one turned out bad, but it happens to all of us more often than we'd care to admit. Maybe cut a sliver off and do a test fry after the 6 hr. soak to judge the remaining salt content.

 

[bauchjw]

Oh man, that is such a bummer. Sorry to hear it went sideways. Thank you for sharing though, good to hear about potential pitfalls!

 

[gmc2003]

Sorry to hear this Sven. I've had plenty of oops moments in my smoking adventures.

Chris

 

[DRKsmoking]

That sucks Sven, but like Christian N Nefarious mentioned and you said the other day . You can still cheat on your bacons. And frozen is no big deal , lol

If like me, another one on the How not to LIST

David

 

[tx smoker]

Wow Sven, so sorry to hear about the failure. It hurts tossing that much meat into the garbage. I'll say the honesty you share is refreshing. We all know that not everything goes as hoped and your sharing of this is something others can make note of. Best of luck next time though.

Robert

 

[gmc2003]

Just a thought, and probably a poor one. I know if you have smoked herring that is to salty. You can soak it for a while, and then dry it out again. Would that work with jerky. I'm not a jerky eater so I can't speak from experience, but I have done it with smoked herring. Which is similar in texture.

Chris

 

[Bearcarver]

That's a shame, Sven!
I hate to hear that.
Fry Testing is a Great thing.
Every Bacon I ever made, I did a Fry Test, before smoking.
Not that I was so worried about it being too salty, because I always used to same amount of Cure, but it would confirm it's gonna be great. And if there was a problem, I could deal with it before it's too late.

Bear

 

[sandyut]

Bummer for sure. Hate a fail, but we all have them. Store bought corned beef is super salty to me. I usually soak almost 24 hours with several water changes. Ive never had one turn out with too little salt. Not sure that’s even a possibility.

Long time back (before I was smokin) I read about baking a corned beef instead of boiling. I took it out of the bag rinsed the package liquids off and baked it. It was inedible. So salty it was horrible.

 

[tallbm]

The last time I made corned beef jerky it was almost perfect. I soaked the store-bought briskets overnight to desalinate. I smoked them up and they could have used a bit more salt. So today I soaked two briskets for an hour and smoked them for 3 hours and then brought them inside to my dehydrator.

it’s a total disaster and it’s all completely inedible. There’s waaaaaaaay too much salt. So, into the compost bin it goes.

At least I know what to do next round. A 6-hour soak light just be perfect.
View attachment 627196
It’s too bad. I was looking forward to cheating on my diet.

This sucks.

It sounds like you bought 2 store bought corned beef already instead of curing it yourself. Is this correct?

If going the route of store bought corned beef and making jerky I would definitely do what DougE mentions and fry test it before going too far with it.

Also too bad you threw the jerky out. You might have been able to soak it after the fact and the redry it again.

Anyhow, we live and learn and get better :)

If you ever decide to cure your own briskets let us know and we can talk about an equilibrium brine+cure so you nail the amount of salt upfront without ever having to desalinate or fear over salting no mater how long you brine+cure it :)

 

[Sven Svensson]

It sounds like you bought 2 store bought corned beef already instead of curing it yourself. Is this correct?

I did because it worked great last time and it’s on sale for pretty cheap as we’re a couple weeks past St. Patrick’s. I picked up 4 more today as they were even cheaper. They’re just so easy to use. I do make my own corned beef but I’d rather eat it as intended instead of turning it into jerky.

 

[tallbm]

I did because it worked great last time and it’s on sale for pretty cheap as we’re a couple weeks past St. Patrick’s. I picked up 4 more today as they were even cheaper. They’re just so easy to use. I do make my own corned beef but I’d rather eat it as intended instead of turning it into jerky.

Ok cool, I just wanted to make sure I had it straight.

Yeah sounds like just figuring out how long to desalinate is the trick here... that and using the same brand... and hoping they dont change it haha.

Fry test will show you the way every time though :)

 

[Sven Svensson]

I might even go so far as slicing it then soaking it. Might desalinate it a bit faster?

And I will start fry testing everything. I was a dope and should have thought of that in the first place.

 

[Steve H]

That do burn a bit. Don't I know it. I'm still in mourning over the summer sausage I wasted not long ago!

 

[tallbm]

I might even go so far as slicing it then soaking it. Might desalinate it a bit faster?

And I will start fry testing everything. I was a dope and should have thought of that in the first place.

yeah smaller pieces should desalinate faster. Less distance for salt to travel to get into the water.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Sven, that is too bad. But hey, we learn by doing and making mistakes.
I, for one, will never ever again inject a Tri Tip with a soy sauce based marinade while letting it sit overnight. Talk about about ruining a nice cut of beef....

I am not sure I would have tossed out it either and would have been tempted to save it by using the jekry in chili. Though, I wouldn't add any salt until doing a tatse test.

 

[Sven Svensson]

Sven, that is too bad. But hey, we learn by doing and making mistakes.
I, for one, will never ever again inject a Tri Tip with a soy sauce based marinade while letting it sit overnight. Talk about about ruining a nice cut of beef....

I am not sure I would have tossed out it either and would have been tempted to save it by using the jekry in chili. Though, I wouldn't add any salt until doing a tatse test.

That’s funny because I did have that thought after it was at the curb. I didn’t want any neighbors catching me dumpster diving in my own compost bin. Haha! But I’ll remember that idea next time I mess something up because I’m sure something will go off the rails again.