beef and salmon jerky

fishlessman

<p /> i was making jerky this weekend while ice fishing and caught a good size atlantic broodstock salmon. usually i let these fish go(these old broodstocks are terrible tasting fish), but since i had the marinade almost made, i filleted up a few pieces, marinated over night and smoked them at 145 the next day for about 5 hours with the beef.they were actually quite good and i will be making more.
i have 2 questions on jerky making in the egg, if your not using tender quick or curing salts is it safe to smoke at or below 140 degrees and what would be a good marinade for salmon jerky, i used soy,brown sugar, maple syrup and some cayanne

JM3

fishlessman,[p] I see the electronic thermometer transmitter there in the picture. It looks like you are using it for the dome temp. Does that work well for you? I have a Maverick remote wireless with two probes. I had been considering using one for dome and one for meat temp.[p]Thanks,
John

fishlessman

JM3,
for jerky cooking i only monitor dome temps. for low and slows over night, i monitor dome temp til morning and then i start monitoring the meats temp. for poultry imonitor the meats temp from the beginning. if i can raise the meat high in the dome, i believe that the dome temp is accurate enough for cooking, if your cooking way down on the main grid then you may want to monitor the temp at grid level

egghead2004

fishlessman,
How do you maintain 145 dome temp? The lowest I've been able to keep was 185.

fishlessman

<p />egghead2004,
my old egg could maintain 160 to 170 easily with small peices of old lump(i think the small pieces help to restrict air flow for lower temps). the new egg bottom holds real low temps, it actually stabilized at about 130 degrees. i kicked it up to 145ish because i was nervous that this was too low for jerky without a curing salt.one differance from my old egg to the new egg is how the vent is located. its way to the left on the mounting screws, about 5/8 of an inch of the ceramic shows when the door is open, on my last egg the vent was mounted to the right.this new egg heats up much slower. it did spike to about 170 once during the cook

fishlessman

<p />egghead2004,
this is what massachusetts is stocking in the little mud ponds, its one of the smaller fish that was recently stocked

egghead2004

fishlessman,
Holy schnikies! I wonder if they stocked Carbuncle pond in Oxford, I grew up near there and used to fish that when I was a kid. Seeing a catch like that makes me want to check into it.

egghead2004

fishlessman,
How much lump was in there, full to the top of fire box? top of fire ring? or just to cover the air holes in the side of the firebox?

fishlessman

egghead2004,
almost a full fire box covering all the holes.borders mentioned keeping the top open while the fire builds instead of closing the dome so that the ceramic doesnt heat up much. seemed to work better than i would of thought. and like i said, lots of little peices of small burnt up charcoal. i dont know how low i could sustain a fire at, will have to experiment because this egg just burns differently than my other

Sigmore

fishlessman, Looks like you need to add some more spice racks too! Nice fish.

Smokin Joe

egghead2004,
I learned a while back that using smaller pieces of already burned coal for jerky help stabilizing the temp pretty low. Best I could do however is about 155* for several hours during jerky cooks. My average jerky cooks range from 160* to 170*. Just my $.02. Joe

Borders

fishlessman, nice job on the fish and the pics. I'm glad you found the "starting cold method" helpful. It's especially important here in Tampa where it's warm. I have one more trick to share on that concept--frozen firebricks! To my wife's total disbelief, I keep a firebrick in the freezer and throw it in the smoker to keep temps down for a while longer.[p]I've read a ton about meat and fish jerkys which does not make me an expert for sure. The main preservative in jerky is plain old salt, It helps meat dry and stay that way. Dry is good. Salt is not a cure all antibacterial, but it is pretty effective. Soy has a ton of salt, and so it works good. I prefer teriyake or worstechire as a base for flavor, and I add kohser salt and various dried peppers and tabasco sauces. Sugars (like maple syrup)are good, but affect longevity, and bacteria like sugar, like you like jerky-alot. Longevity is not usually a problem for any of our jerky, but I like to be able to store mine for up to a month in food saver bags. I finish my jerky on a dehydrator so it is dry, but not cooked.[p]To try and answer your questions:[p]No, temps below 140 for beef are not dangerous for making jerky-USUALLY. Most jerky recipes call for the marinated meat to air dry at room temps til salt crystals form on the surface then into the smoker til very dry. So, I think the environment in the egg, smoking @ 100-140 is completely safe.[p]Salmon is more complex. I started trying to consult the salmon experts on jerky-the folks in Alaska. I still don't know enough to feel good about giving advice, but I'll post a couple responses below. Some feel that salmon jerky should be frozen til you eat it. Some acted like I was experimenting with the polio vaccine by making my own salmon jerky. Really.[p]I tried the recipe in the link below, before I ever considered danger, and ate it withing 3 days, unfrozen, and lived. It was great. [p]I have had great commercial salmon jerky, and want to reproduce it, with my own twist. One day, I'll figure it out.
Scott[p]Here's a couple responses I got from an Alaskan forum:[p]Number 1:[p]"If you want a salmon jerky, then you will need to dehydrate it. I built my own cold smoker, and this is what I've found produces a good "jerky"[p]After brining the fish, I put it on the racks, and let it dry overnight, I use a small fan to circulate the air.[p]Then I cold smoke for ~4 hours, however long it takes for the alder logs I use to smolder to ashes.[p]Then the key is to dry an additional 2-3 days with the fan. It is the dehydration that provides the texture. If you want the fish really dry and hard, you could dry for a few more days. You'll see a red oil coming out of the fish as it dries.[p]This is best done in cooler temperatures, if it is too hot 70F or hotter, then the fish will spoil while it is drying. It also can't be freezing, which is the reason I can't smoke any fish now, too bad as there is still fish in the freezer, but the dried fish is long gone."[p]Number 2:[p]The product you are producing needs to be frozen or canned to be safely stored. [p]For further advice get some books on brining/smoking. [p]Your experiments could have some nasty health consequences. [p]Number 3:[p]"Squaw candy" is just salmon strips. Red or king salmon works best. Fillet out your fish, then freeze just long enough to get it semi-solid. Using a sharp knife, make narrow, lengthwise strips out of each fillet. You can make little cross-wise slits in each strip to facilitate quicker drying if you want. Tie a piece of twine betweena pair of strips for hanging later. Now brine your strips for an hour in a saltwater solution strong enough to float a potato. You could add garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, or whatever. After an hour, remove the strips, and hang over wooden rods in a cool, fly-free envirnment for a good day or so, preferrably with a good breeze blowing over them. They should look glazed when you remove them. Smoke your fish in a cool smoke of alder, cottonwood, pr other hard wood for at least two-three days. A little cheif is good for kippering, or hot smoking, which is just glorified cooking, but only a tall box with a smoldering fire- either under a metal tub inside the enclosure, or in a small stove outside of it and piped in, will really smoke rather than cook your fish. This fish is dry and solid, and keeps for a lot longer than the hot smoked variety." [p]

[ul][li]salmon jerky[/ul]

fishlessman

Borders,
my salmon recipe was pretty close to the one you posted, marylins squaw candy, except that i had some maple syrup instead of the ginger and i marinated a bit longer. these broodstock are pretty much tastless and have no bragging rights but do taste good if you candy them.next time ill see how low i can actually smoke these at. will probably keep them refridgerated until ready for consumption. with the cold weather up here its time to try cheese as well.the air drying has me concerned and i need to do some more reading on it, both for jerky and for sausage making. thanks for the heads up on cold staring

Borders

fishlessman, You're welcome. Please keep posting your catches and your jerky escapades. I'm fishing the Everglades by kayak this friday, and hope to have some pics to post.
Scott

trout16

fishlessman,
I had success doing salmon jerky w/ this method, by far the hardest thing I have ever tried doing w/ the egg! Good job on your part!

fishlessman

trout16,
do you remember the temp it was when you were air drying with the blower, i think my upstair attic would be good for this.its about 45-50 degrees there.

trout16

fishlessman,
I do not recall exactly, I would say the air temp those days was in the 70s hope this helps

trout16

fishlessman,
maybe this will help its the site I used to get some info
[ul][li]Salmon Jerky Method[/ul]