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Main Boards => Recipes/Grilling/ Barbecuing/Smokers => Topic started by: the Ferret on December 02, 2006, 09:59:00 AM
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OK it's Saturday, it's gun season, and I need something to do, so how about a jerky-a-long?
I know this belongs in the recipes section but ask for the mods indulgence for a couple of days before moving it. I did one of these last year but with all the new members thought it beneficial to do another.
One of the nicest gifts Dianne ever got me was a jerky shooter. She got it at Bass Pro, but I'm sure they carry them at other retail outlets. I had always made jerky the old fashioned way, cut meat into strips, marinade in liquid smoke and sprinkle on my spices, let sit overnight, then cook in a dehydrater for 12 or 13 hours.
The Jerky Shooter is different. It is like a caulk gun for meat.It uses ground venison or elk, buffalo, whatever ..(not bear or pork...it doesn't get hot enough to avoid trichinosis). You cook it in the oven on low heat and it takes less than 2 hours to make a batch.
I originally thought how can ground possibly hold together and be chewy like jerky is supposed to be but I have to tell you it's magic. The jerky turns out GREAT!
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Here's what you'll need. 4# of ground venison, a jerky shooter, a measuring cup, a packet of spices and cure (we use the Backwoods seasonings from Brass Pro..this one is the hot..our favorite) a large glass mixing bowl, a couple drying racks and a small knife
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky1.jpg)
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In the large glass bowl mix your 4# of ground burger (you can use lean beef BTW if you don't happen to get a deer..luckily my son provided the burger for this one with the 10 point he got last week), your packet of jerky mix, the packet of cure, and 4 oz of water and knead with your hands mixing everything well for a couple of minutes.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky2.jpg)
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Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky3.jpg)
While it is heating up, get your hands wet (keeps the burger from sticking to them) and open your jerky shooter, then grab some burger and roll it into logs big enough to fit into the shooter tube
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky4.jpg)
Load them into the shooter and put in the plunger
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky5.jpg)
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Then using the shooter just like a caulk gun squeeze the trigger and the burger will flow onto the rack in strips. When you come to the end of a row use a little knife to cut it clean then start another strip
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky6.jpg)
if you empty the gun simply roll some more logs and refill then continue where you let off. The speed at which you lay down the strips determines their thickness. Once you lay your first strip you'll be able to judge how fast you want to go for the rest.
In a few minutes, you'll cover both your racks
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky7.jpg)
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Load your racks into your pre heated oven
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky8.jpg)
and set the timer for 55 minutes (sorry for the blurry photo
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky9.jpg)
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Ill have to give that a try. Thanks mickey.
kyle
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while you are waiting for that to cook, cover the left over burger with saran wrap and stick in the fridge
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky10.jpg)
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Talk about timing while I was typing this the oven buzzer went off. When the buzzer goes off pull the jerky from the oven and blot any oil dry that may be on the surface. The leaner the meat, the less oil you'll have to blot. We ask our deer butcher not to mix any pork or beef fat into our burger when he grinds it, but I think his normal mix is 25% fat added to venison.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky11.jpg)
flip the strips, put back in the oven, and set the timer for 55 minutes
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Be back in 50:11 to finish this up!
Jerky made this way is so easy to make, convient and good tasting that I have considered having an entire deer ground for nothing but jerky. Whenever we make a batch of this stuff and take it to work it is gone quickly. People who would never consider eating deer meat gobble it up after their first hesitant taste.
besides the hot mix there are several other mixes you can get including Hickory, Original and Mesquite or you can make your own. I would think you would need some of the cure though if making your own.
I am making 8 pounds of jerky today. 4# of hot and 4# of original. Dianne doesn't care for the hot,so I'm making up a batch of original for her.
Besides general snacking this stuff is great for throwing a little baggie into your pocket or fanny pack for munching on while sitting in your blind or stand trying to fill a second deer tag.
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If Momma or the kids are wondering what you want for Christmas, I can't think of a better gift for a hunter than a jerky shooter, a couple drying racks and a couple packs of jerky mix.
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Thhis is great. I have made jerky with venison using strips of meat and a de-hydrator but it takes about 15 hours with my dehydrator. This is a very quick and simple method.
Man my mouth is watering for jerky now. I will have to go to the local wal-mart and pick one of those up. I think they sell those in the sprting goods section along with the jerky seasoning. Thanks for taking the time to do this!
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http://www.jerkyshooter.com/jerkymain.html
http://www.lemproducts.com/cat06/cat06_sausageseasonings.pdf
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I can tell right now that when I try this I'm going to be in trouble.....this is going to be another of those addicting things you've made me try.....did I say I love jerky? :bigsmyl:
Thanks Mickey!
David
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Mickey ya need my mailing address? lol..
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Well second buzzer went off. Pull the racks from the oven, lay out a couple paper towels, grab some scizzors..sciszors..dang it, shears, and cut into strips
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky12.jpg)
or bite size pieces
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky13.jpg)
the result:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky14.jpg)
BTW some is already gone, you have to taste it while cutting it up and Brian smelled it and wandered by to eat a few pieces. Now the rest goes into zip lock baggies for munching later
I'm off to make another batch. :bigsmyl:
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thanks for jerkin us along. ;)
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Mickey........2 cans of CHILI....2 Packages of Queen City Extra HOT and 3 Bags of JERKEY to go please :pray: :pray:
You do DELIVER don't you :goldtooth: :biglaugh:
Thanks that was great
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The central question here is: Did Dianne have to get the broom-handle out to make you clean up the kitchen mess? :p :D
Mickey, it's no wonder why you're everybody's hero....always 'stirring the pot' here with some cool project. You're sumpin' else buddy. - Roy
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LOL
Well, the next batch is in the oven...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/jerky15.jpg)
I mean how easy is this? Ya know what? You could even get your kids to do this for ya!(or at least have fun helping ya)
Hey Vance.. I could be enticed to deliver come antelope season! :thumbsup:
RB I need to talk to you, I'll email ya.
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Micky all this info. and just in time christmas.
O2.
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How long will this last? Does it need to be refrigerated?
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How long does it have to cool before you cut it?
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Mickey, Shannon bought me a jerky shooter last year for christmas and i have yet to use it. I need to get off my butt and try it. Have you ever made any of the sticks instead of the strips? I think i'll try to make some of them soon.
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Sar they recommend putting it in the fridge if you are not going to eat it in the next 3 weeks, which I don't understand. heck cowboys used to carrry jerky in their saddlebags for months on a cattle drive.
troutguy, we cut it up 60 seconds after removing from the oven, however you don't want to stick it in a baggie and seal it until it has cooled for 15 mins or so, otherwise it will condense inside the baggie
Chad I've never tried the sticks just cause we like the strips. I actually thought about it yesterday though. I think the cook time is different by twice as long if memory serves me on the sticks because they are so much thicker.heck ya got a couple deer, take a couple packages of the burger out and use that thing! Do you have any of the mix?
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I make burger jerky as well. I don't use the jerky shooter however. I simply roll out a ball of burger between 2 sheets of waxed paper until it is about 1/4"-3/16" thick. Lay it on the oven racks with the door open a little. Temp is set to 180 degrees or the 'warm' setting. When dry I then cut it into strips. Another reason to make burger jerky is I can double grind my vensison to make it tender so those that can't chew as well can enjoy it also.
BTW I use Hi-Country jerky cure and seasoning. It is made in Lincoln,MT. Yuuuuummmmy!
If you don't use the curing salt in the package the jerky must be kept in the fridge or frozen. Makes great christmas gifts along with a jar of home canned Flathead cherries.
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I think i have a pack of mix that came with it. It says to mix the pack with 15 pounds of meat and leave it in the fridge over night. Thats the only reason i haven't done it yet because it takes so much prep time and will take awhile to do 15 pounds of meat.
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You could always take it to work with ya Chad :bigsmyl:
Help keep ya awake :thumbsup:
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Another vote for Hi-Country! I bought it once while in WY and then couldn't find it out east and had to order more by phone. WalMart now carries it. I bought a jerky gun last month and just got my meat back this week. I've got 5 pounds thawing in the refridgerator now that I'm going to make tonight! Usually only half of it get's into the bag. :)
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Good thread. You might want to keep the oven door cracked open an inch, this lets the moisture from building up in the oven and dries the meat more. The less moisture in the meat the longer it will take to spoil.
I ate unrefriderated jerky that was prepared in a dehydrater that was 3-4 months old with no problems.
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How about using a smoker to dehydrate/cook this. Any suggestions?
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The sticks do take longer and I've done them with both collagen casings and no casings at all. Using the casings is kind of a pain in my opinion because the tip that goes on the gun isn't very long (and it's hard to find longer ones;I've looked). You are constanly reloading more casings onto it.
I was just talking about either buying or building a smoker with a friend. I think some sticks done in a smoker would be good.
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Well I did about 4 lbs after many false starts. (new jerky shooter had a crack in it that split on first try) One suggestion I would make is to wipe the racks down with a light coating of oil before using them!!! I couldn't get my first batch to flip over without sticking and it made for some tough cleanup.
As far as using a smoker. Yes you can do that. I did my first several batches that way and it was good. The problem I found is that I have a charcoal smoker and I usually do this in winter and sometimes it's hard to maintain the proper temperature in the cooker outside even if you use a big box to shield against wind. Of course I have a cheap WalMart Brinkman smoker. A quality smoker would be no problem. So now I use the oven and just skip the smokey flavor.
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Thanks for the smoker advice. I'll probably be buying a cheap propane smoker.
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We are in the process of Jerky making...got the gun and some racks an Backwoods spices. I did not put enough on the racks the first go round. BTW I bought the smallest racks and they so wanna fit in my wall oven...the racks will but the drip won't...so I just brought this up for more hints........next batch I will try just putting the racks on the oven shelves like Micky did.
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Hey Micky...where did you get you racks and what are their measurements?
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I bought the jerky kit from Cabelas after reading this post. It comes with...
Jerky pistol with tips for strips or sticks
3 drying racks and a drip tray
Jerky seasoning and cure
Cleaning brushes
It is a good value at just under 50 bucks.
We have had a blast and the jerky has turned out really well considering I have no idea what I am doing. YET!
Thanks for the thread. It really is as easy as it looks.
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Dina my racks are 12x18 and came from Bass Pro Shops. It's the only outdoor store we have around here.
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Thanks Mickey...hmmmm what I need is a bigger oven. LOL! At first I took the oven rack holders out and set the first rack on 2 empty one pound coffee cans...it was a lil tippy so I but the rack holders back in and set the the racks on the lowest shelf...they just fit with a about a 1/2 inch to spare. Where there is the will there's a way.
The jerky is great!
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Yea..great stuff. I'm out again and need to make some mo