Jerky turned out terrible, Help for next time!

Mark from Utah · August 2004

Hi,
I marinated my jerky overnight using a marinade from this site. The butcher cut the meat about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. I made a raised grill per this site and put the meat strips on to smoke this moring at 10:00am. I used the bbq guru with the meat probe inactive and the oter sensor clipped to the raised grill. I then turned on the dome temp per the bbq gura to the lowest temp available, 175 degrees. The few times I checked on it the temp seemed pretty stable. I checked on it at 4:00 pm and the jerky was dry and hard after only 6 hours. It also tastes like it is burnt. So far the BGE has been very forgiving and everyting I have tried has turned out great. The only one in the family that will eat this jerky is my Airedale dog, but she also eats cat poop from the litter box if we don't watch her carefully![p]What did I do wrong. I was under the impression that it would take about 8 to 12 hours and it would be soft and chewey. Any suggestions for next time? Thanks, Mark

Char-Woody · August 2004

Mark from Utah, if I recall, my very first jerky was quite similar and you can overdo the cook. You have to watch closely, and you need not have a "dry" jerky. Chewy is fine. I do a lot of dome raising and quick sampling as I go. Just don't imbalance your guru, and if not a guru, the fire itself with big delays in the checks.
Keep the fire quiet and slow.
Also, you might back off on the smoking woods a tad as too much may cause the wood to flame up.
C~W[p]

Car Wash Mike · August 2004

<p />Mark from Utah,
I cook jerky all the time. I use the River City Recipe with a few modifications. I don't have a guru but am able to keep the temp around 175-190 for hours.
My jerky is usually a little moist but tough. The last batch I cooked I gave a 6 the other golfers gave it huge raves.
This is a 10 hour cook.
How much smoke did you use? Too much will give the meat a very bitter taste. Hope this helps, can I borrow that dog to get rid of the new stray my wife found?[p]CWM

Tim M · August 2004

Car Wash Mike,[p]You are making me plan a visit to the butcher! Yum. I have not jerky in 2 years. Shame on me![p]Tim

Car Wash Mike · August 2004

Tim M,
A great snack on the golf course. Good luck.[p]CWM

eggor · August 2004

Mark from Utah,[p]next time get a whole roast that is very lean, prefferably deer, elk, or buffalo. If you have to buy the roast this meat can get spendy, but is cheaper than takin up hunting. Trim all the fat you can. cut the meat close to but not over 1/2 inch in strips, you don't need the butcher to do this. Trust me, cut the meat thicker and the chewy texture will be there. Those thin slices are better suited for the dehydrator. Now that burnt flavor - i'm guessin that you probably used fresh lump that has never been butned. you don't wanna do that. too many nasty chems need to get burned out of the charcoal. Try loading the egg and cook a meal over a hot fire before using that lump for jerky (or any other low and slow jmho). If you lay that meat on a raised grid in a pile nothing is going to dry except the stuff on top and bottom then you have to mix it up, let it go for a little while, then repeat the process over and over until you get it to the doneness you want. if you hang the meat you will eliminate that entire process. when you begin to test the jerky for doneness let a piece sit for 1/2 an hour on the counter so that it cools down. warm jerky will be softer but once it cools down a little it will become harder, it will aslo be easier to judge how drie it is. It doesnot matter to me what temp you go on the grill, you can make jerky in direct sunlite, it just takes longer. i prefer the warmer temps cause it works well for me.[p]Scott

Unknown · August 2004

Mark from Utah,
Eggor gives you good advice. I am making jerky and burnt end brisket this morning and last night using the Guru. I am maintaining 160 for 24hrs now.My jerky is hanging from 3/16" stainless steel welding rod and a frame I set up inside the cooker. Jerky as thin as you described only takes about 2.5-3 hrs to finish. The idea is to dry it until it chews right,you have already cured it. There is no law that says you can't sample it as it is getting done. Just pull it when it feels good and remember it will dry out more when it cools.You can always put it back on again or you can sauce it and put it back on.(hot sauce is very good)
To get a temp lower than 175 on the Guru use both probes inside the pit. Turn on the ramp mode. The control will hold what ever temp you set on the meat knob just as it does when holding an internal meat temp. Have you down loaded our manual, the link is on the front page. Also you should check out Jerky Tips on the site. I hope this helps,the result is definitely worth the effort. Jerky and burnt end brisket are some of my favorites. Shotgun Fred

Unknown · August 2004

Char-Woody,
Also good advice, I just missed your post.Shotgun Fred

Char-Woody · August 2004

ShotgunFred, top of the morning to ya. Thanks, and I note wisdom in your posts also. Nice electronics. I may trade a wiggle rod for one :-)...Cheers.
C~W[p]

Unknown · August 2004

Shotgun Fred,[p]Thanks for the help, and all the others as well. I am just ready to put on my second batch now. [p]I know what the burnt ends are, but how do you make just them? That is my favorite part of the meat. Can you use both brisket and pork butt for burnt ends?[p]Thanks, Mark from Utah

Unknown · August 2004

Mark ffom Utah,
You are welcome, and I hope the tips on the site were also a help.
I make Burnt ends with brisket that is already cooked to perfection with the Guru in ramp. I then strip it with the grain into about 3/4" ropes, that I hang in the pit after they have been soaked/coated in sauce. I use 150-160F with both probes in the pit and the Guru in ramp. I just leave them in until they chew right and, I do not over dry. Yes, you can do pork like this but I find that you want to use a sweet glaze on it to get the right texture. If your pork is real soft you have to fold it over the hanger rod.
Store these in the frig, as they are not cured. Shotgun Fred

Jerky turned out terrible, Help for next time!

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