Making jerky in the smoker

[Red_Mist]

Anyone make jerky using their smokers ? What kind temps and times have you had success with ?

[RugDoctor]

I have a few times....really control your smoke. I find it can easily get too much. I like it from the smoker, but prefer it from the dehydrator.

[Red_Mist]

Ya I tried a small batch this afternoon and it's way to smokey. It was decently dry. 140f for one hour and turned up to 170f for another three hours. Had the smoke running for 3 hours ....ya way too much.

[HarryToolips]

Ya I've done it in the past, not with the last couple deer but when I did, I cut it real thin, or I find I have to put it in the oven on real low heat to finish it off...but I got a conventional charcoal smoker, not an electric one..

[RackStar]

Doing a batch in dehydrater right now. Just seems easier and turns out better imo

[Jmazu]

Do mine in a big chief, use 2-3 pans of wood chips, then another while until its your desired dryness. Time will depend on outside temps, brine used, etc. I think this is the best way to do jerky, never lasts long around my house!!!

[RDM]

45 min of smoke.150 degrees.After the smoke you need to open the vent to allow the moisture to escape.I have a small fan I put on the to vent of my Bradley

[Red_Mist]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Boner]

I use the Bradley. But I don't start the hickory smoke until the meat temp is around 120 Fahrenheit.

A meat eat slicer is on my wish list so I can get a consistent thinner slice than I get with a knife and partially frozen meat.

[Surrey Boy]

Thanks for the advice guys.

+1!
Love my Bradley, wanting to make jerky.

[tomahawk]

like others Ive made dozens of batches in my smoker but only smoke for 1 hr or 1.5 max and use it as a drying oven thereafter but overall I prefer the dehydrator and use it exclusively now.

[M.Dean]

One thing I found out years ago about making Jerky, Don't use Crappy Meat! 90 percent of my jerky meat comes off the hinds or from quarters, But those are the best cuts I have people scream at me!!! And your going to make jerky out of them??? Ya, I'm using the best cuts you Dip Shit, cuz I want my Jerky to be The Best! I use only Wild West Seasonings Jerky mix, cuz after years of trying all the other shitty brands, this ones the best, hands down! It call's for one packet of seasoning and one packet of cure for 15 lbs of meat, I only use about 12 lbs of meat, and to that I add more spices, from Garlic powder to Soya sauce to make it more flavorful. I slice the meat about a quarter inch thick, then pound it out with a meat mallet, and once I have my 12 lbs I mix in the Wild West Seasoning mix, with the cure, and mix it real good, I then put it into large plastic freezer bags and store in the fridge for a real good 24 hours, or a bit longer, depends on how much I pounded the slices out. Then when it's been cured, I take out the pieces one by one, re pound them a bit and onto the smoker racks they go. 3 or 4 hours at around 170 or so, and when there ready to come out I place each piece on a plate in the kitchen and brush them with a mixture of half Soya sauce and what ever else I think it may need, then into the "Micro Wave" it go's, around 6 to 8 ounces at a time, just enough to fill a Food Saver bag, and when each batch comes out I use a meat thermo on it, and the middle of the pile of jerky has to be at least 165 to 170 to make it safe and cured. And yes, when the jerky comes out of the Micro wave it's bloody hot, and when you seal it all that moisture and spices go's into the meat making it the juiciest and best tasting jerk around! I did my time using shitty parts of the animal to make jerky with, the gut flaps, dog food or pepperoni, lower leg mussles, neck meat, all stuff like that go's to sausage, not jerky! I was going to die with my secret Jerky Recipes", but what the hell Eh, your all nice guys! Good Luck out there!

[Sasquatch]

I make quite a bit of jerky with my Bradley. Pretty standard brine that I adjust depending on mood and product. Thin slicing the strips to the same thickness really helps with consistency of the finished product, 1\4 is a good standard but can end up a little thin if you like your jerky really chewy.

I usually smoke for 2 1/2 to three hours, keep the temp as low as I can get - even down to 120 - and then continue to dry the meat for 9 or 10 hours. Total time depends on how chewy you like your jerky.

I made a few batches of mallard jerky last year and got hooked on the stuff. Going to have to shoot a lot of birds this year to keep up with demand.

[Beaverhunter]

160f smoke 1-2 hours with maple vents open wide to dry it out.

[Red_Mist]

Well tonight's batch turned out great. 5.5 hours at 170 with 1.5 hours of smoke. Vents open. I'm pleased as this was the last of my duck and goose breast from last season.

[BRrooster]

I use a Bradley, and a Jerky Cannon. Really like the ground meat jerky. Its not so hard to chew or bite off. Smoke for 1.5 hrs and dry some in the oven at 175 for a couple of hours , so I can continue smoking another batch . Did 10 lbs last weekend. Moose , Black Bear and Mule deer. I also add Sunflower seeds , Pumpkin seeds, Dried Blueberries , dried Cranberries and have even used dried Rose Hip skins. So its more like Pemmican than Jerky. The whole meal deal.

[boxhitch]

Some good points here, thanks
Smoke is the curing agent, no need to cook the meat.
I made a slicer board using a plastic cutting board with a couple of old arrows wired on about 4" apart, and use a fillet knife for cutting.
Plunk the chunk between the shafts and run the blade on the shafts as depth control.

[ryanonthevedder]

I do all my goose as jerky. Cure it with a bit of salt, brown sugar, and a dash of soy sauce for a few hours. My little chief has no vents so I have to use my Dad's propane unit and it gets a bit too hot for finishing so I get it close and finish it off in the oven. The advantage of adding chips into a pan is that I get to decide how much smoke it gets. No matter what I am smoking I do two pans of alder hickory mix. If you want more of a smokey flavour then use more hickory; less smoke then use more alder. This comes after 20 years of tweeking the recipe and it always gets rave reviews.

NOTE!!! Dont use too much salt!!! That can ruin a batch pretty damn quick. If you want to test some of the raw meat just chew a piece for a few seconds and spit it out.

If you really want something that pairs well with a cold beer then crack some pepper over the RAW meat BEFORE you smoke.

[David Heitsman]

Dehydrator cycle on my kitchen oven for me. Just found I couldn't keep the smoke low enough and short enough duration to avoid giving cigar butt taste to the jerky. Liquid smoke is easier to work with and I enjoy the flavor.

[goatdancer]

Too much salt and too much smoke will make it taste like crap. 3 pucks in the Bradley is about an hour of smoke. I find that to be just right. If you use mesquite, use less time unless you like the flavour of badly burned wood.

[Sasquatch]

I use a Bradley, and a Jerky Cannon. Really like the ground meat jerky. Its not so hard to chew or bite off. Smoke for 1.5 hrs and dry some in the oven at 175 for a couple of hours , so I can continue smoking another batch . Did 10 lbs last weekend. Moose , Black Bear and Mule deer. I also add Sunflower seeds , Pumpkin seeds, Dried Blueberries , dried Cranberries and have even used dried Rose Hip skins. So its more like Pemmican than Jerky. The whole meal deal.

I've thought about bear jerky, but wonder about getting it up to a safe temp. I know the very large majority of it is no problem...but like to make sure, as quite a few people eat my jerky.

Do you gauge the internal temp with bear, or just take your chances?

[orangestepside]

ive ran it with only one puck of smoke from a bradley and worked great was told by people i shared it with that it was the best jerky they had ever had!!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

One thing I found out years ago about making Jerky, Don't use Crappy Meat! 90 percent of my jerky meat comes off the hinds or from quarters, But those are the best cuts I have people scream at me!!! And your going to make jerky out of them??? Ya, I'm using the best cuts you Dip Shit, cuz I want my Jerky to be The Best! I use only Wild West Seasonings Jerky mix, cuz after years of trying all the other shitty brands, this ones the best, hands down! It call's for one packet of seasoning and one packet of cure for 15 lbs of meat, I only use about 12 lbs of meat, and to that I add more spices, from Garlic powder to Soya sauce to make it more flavorful. I slice the meat about a quarter inch thick, then pound it out with a meat mallet, and once I have my 12 lbs I mix in the Wild West Seasoning mix, with the cure, and mix it real good, I then put it into large plastic freezer bags and store in the fridge for a real good 24 hours, or a bit longer, depends on how much I pounded the slices out. Then when it's been cured, I take out the pieces one by one, re pound them a bit and onto the smoker racks they go. 3 or 4 hours at around 170 or so, and when there ready to come out I place each piece on a plate in the kitchen and brush them with a mixture of half Soya sauce and what ever else I think it may need, then into the "Micro Wave" it go's, around 6 to 8 ounces at a time, just enough to fill a Food Saver bag, and when each batch comes out I use a meat thermo on it, and the middle of the pile of jerky has to be at least 165 to 170 to make it safe and cured. And yes, when the jerky comes out of the Micro wave it's bloody hot, and when you seal it all that moisture and spices go's into the meat making it the juiciest and best tasting jerk around! I did my time using shitty parts of the animal to make jerky with, the gut flaps, dog food or pepperoni, lower leg mussles, neck meat, all stuff like that go's to sausage, not jerky! I was going to die with my secret Jerky Recipes", but what the hell Eh, your all nice guys! Good Luck out there!

I switched to making burger jerky with a jerky gun. Been very happy with it and is saves the best cuts for roasts and steaks.

[the force]

Here's a couple solid recipes for the Bradley with good instructions. I tried hanging the jerky once and it was a pain in the ass so just bought a second set of racks and use them inverted (8 racks per load).
*Edited as the link didn't work first time...
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=31957.0

[butthead]

http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/deer-deer-hunting-pro-shop/deer-deer-hunting-butcher-shop/cooking-venison-and-game/make-venison-jerky-ground-meat-oven
burger jerky

[BigMrMeats]

140F is max. You dry it for an hour or so to get rid of the "gloaming" which is the fat deposits that come up... then smoke it for an hour with the dampers more open than not for that cleaner taste... then continue in the smokehouse at 140F until it's the moisture content that you like. Maybe another hour depending on how thick it is.

PM me if you need more help.

[markathome]

I switched to making burger jerky with a jerky gun. Been very happy with it and is saves the best cuts for roasts and steaks.


Awesome post - I'll give that a try this fall.

[Philcott]

I have some goose in the brine as I type this. About 3:00 pm today I'll take it out and mount it on my little chief racks. It'll hang for an hour to dry out then I'll put it in the smoker and use two pans of hickory chips. Once this is done i'll put it in the oven at 170 until it reaches 160F then use the dehydrator to get my final dryness that I want.

This is my first time trying goose jerky but have made lots of deer and moose over the years.

If anyone sees a problem with this process let me know.