Not an Elitist Jerk Beef Jerky -- Gonna Try It!

[Eugene A]

Hi: I'm gonna venture outside of my comfort zone -- I'm going to try making beef jerky.

I have a pellet grill. I want to try following Meathead's recipe. He seems to focus on the charcoal/propane protocol. Would the procedure for making jerky on a pellet grill (Camp Chef) be different? Temp and cook time, for example? I am thinking about using apple pellets. The temp settings are in 25 degree increments; so, it's either 175 or 200; but, I can dial it down to the "low smoke" setting. Otherwise, I have the ingredients, and I'm setting out to buy the meat. Thanks for your help.

[Argoboy]

I have made venison jerky in my Traeger pellet smoker many times with good success, I cooked it at the smoke/startup setting which is around 160F I think. I have done with ground meat using a jerky shooter and with a sliced roast. I have not tried Meathead recipe yet.

[Eugene A]

Cook time? And did you cook at that temp for the entire time? Thanks for the info.

[Psinderson]

I just did my second batch of Meathead's recipe...LOVE IT!! It's so good, I haven't dared try any alterations. I don't have any experience with pellet smokers but I do mine on the WSM where I can generally get the temperature low enough which means 150-160 after the initial higher temp cook round 170-180. My first batch took about 6 hours to finish and the second one yesterday took about 7 hours. Yesterday's batch was sliced a bit thicker overall, though.

Just wanted to say how yummy that recipe is!! Good luck, you won't regret it.

[Eugene A]

The beef is marinating as we speak (type). I was figuring on the temps that you used; but, I was looking for confirmation, and you provided it.

As an aside, I ran out of soy sauce; so, I substituted Worcestershire sauce for a 50/50 mix -- I hope that doesn't mess it up.

[Psinderson]

The soy is in there primarily for the salt content (preservative). I just looked on the bottle of Worcestershire I have and it looks like the sodium is a little less than half of the soy sauce I used. But I used low sodium soy. If you are using regular, you are probably fine. Eh...either way, the jerky will go so fast, you won't have to worry about long term preserving!

[kmhfive]

I’ve done two batches on my GMG. I started at 200F for an hour then dropped to 150F for about 4-hours. Started checking the meat after about three hours so they didn’t overcook.

[Eugene A]

Thanks. I don't want to get hung up on the technicalities. 200 for an hour, and then dropping down to finish, makes sense to me. I still can't figure out if a recipe is to be strictly followed, or if it's just a "recommendation."

[kmhfive]

The salt content is used as a preservative—I’d keep that the same. In the AR recipe, Smoke is a flavoring. I think the sugars and other spices are variable also as they are just flavorings.

[Argoboy]

I cooked mine for about an hour on each side at the smoke setting on my Traeger pellet smoker which I think is 160F. When I did it in the oven I had to flip the jerky at the halfway point but that would depend upon what type of racks you had.

[Eugene A]

The jerky has been on the Woodwind for about 90 minutes now, at a setting of 175. I started tasting it after about an hour -- a little chewy. After 90 minutes? A bit less chewy. I'm going to let it run for another 30 minutes of so, and then let it cool down. Some in the fridge for snacking, and the rest vacuum packed and in the freezer for another time.

[T-bone]

Good luck and don't forget the pics! You've convinced me it's time for me to try and make jerky on my pellet pooper.

[Psinderson]

Sounds like it’s all going well. Did you like the flavor?

[Eugene A]

A little over two hours at 175. Some pieces were really chewy, and some not as chewy. I like the flavor. It's a little spicy; so, I don't think that the Boss will like it. Next time I'll let it go a little longer or have thinner slices. Otherwise, this one goes in the plus column.

[Eugene A]

T-bone: Apologies -- no photos. I vacuum packed most of the slices, and the rest are in a Tupperware container in the fridge, and soon to be in my stomach. It was a small piece of meat, in the 2-pound range. All the slices fit on one rack in the smoker (Woodwind). Next time around, I'm going to try apple pellets, and I'll let it go for maybe three hours at low smoke.

[T-bone]

No worries, Eugene. I'm glad it was a success. I'm looking forward to trying it.

[Eugene A]

Well, it's turning out that 2 pounds of beef, and the resulting amount of jerky, may not last through the week. I can tell which slices were with the grain (really tough chew) and which slices were against the grain (easier bite-through). One thing, though, and maybe my online buds here can shed some light. I'm defrosting what I threw in the freezer. All the slices are coming out of the bag wet. Is it necessary, or recommended, to let the slices dry out before freezing them? Maybe I didn't let it run long enough when on the smoker? Should the slices have been thoroughly dried before freezing?

[Psinderson]

I haven’t tried freezing mine yet. The batches haven’t lasted long enough! It was said that the jerky should last weeks in the fridge, but again I haven’t tested it.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the moisture after thawing. You could probably go a little longer on the smoker, but I don’t think it’s a big deal. I read somewhere that storing the jerky in a bag was good because it keeps it from getting too dry.

[texastweeter]

We like his jerkey recipe, but think that the ginger is a little overpowering, and add the black pepper after marinating while it is on the grates (fresh cracked). Biggest help is I use my deli slicer to cut the roast to get nice uniform slices.

[Eugene A]

I didn't use fresh ginger, opting instead to use ginger powder, and I only used three spoons.

[Psinderson]

I definitely agree with you texastweeter about the slicing. My first batch had much more consistent slicing. My second batch was a little all over the place. i don't have a slicer but I partially freeze and use a sharp knife to slice.