Tasty Jerky-a-long ...it's really easy and fun

[O2]

Micky all this info. and just in time christmas.


   O2.

[sar]

How long will this last?   Does it need to be refrigerated?

[thetroutguy]

How long does it have to cool before you cut it?

[cjones]

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.

[the Ferret]

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?

[wapiti]

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.

[cjones]

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.

[IB]

You could always take it to work with ya Chad    

Help keep ya awake  

[Talondale]

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.  

[John k]

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.

[sar]

How about using a smoker to dehydrate/cook this.  Any suggestions?

[Tom Leemans]

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.

[Talondale]

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.

[sar]

Thanks for the smoker advice.  I'll probably be buying a cheap propane smoker.

[countrygirl]

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.

[countrygirl]

Hey Micky...where did you get you racks and what are their measurements?

[thetroutguy]

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.

[the Ferret]

Dina my racks are 12x18 and came from Bass Pro Shops. It's the only outdoor store we have around here.

[countrygirl]

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!

[the Ferret]

Yea..great stuff. I'm out again and need to make some mo