How to Make Jerky in my Smoker?

Mike from Ontario, Canada asked:

I have researched the jerky making process and I still cannot find the answer I'm looking for. Can you help me? When I put my strips into the Bradley Smoker, I have the temperature set at 150 degrees and want to run for 2 hours, then turn up the heat to 180 degrees. My questions are:

1. How long do I generate smoke for? 
2. How long am I going to run at 180 degrees before removing product?

Thanks for your time, love all the shows and helpful info each week!

Mike,

Thanks for the question! My true advice to you would be to look at The Advanced Jerky Processing Video on The Hunter's Butcher Shop website. Jerky processing is never simple; it's one of the more difficult products to explain because there are so many variables: The thickness of the slices, how much you have in your smoker, the damper setting on the smoker... I do my very best on the short Butcher Blocks on LOH TV, but I can only explain so much with the time I have on the show.

The DVD is over 2 hours long with every detail and type of jerky you can imagine. When you ask how long at 180F, it's going to depend on all the factors above: damper, how thick, how many pounds. This is why I really can't give you an exact time at 180F. I dry my jerky until its still flexible and allow it to air dry from there. Once you have a system in place & you slice your product the same each time and place the same amount in the smoker each time, then you can set exact times. But for now, it will take a bit of trial and error. I would look at the DVD. You will really enjoy it.

Thanks for the question,
"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood
Outdoor Edge's LOH TV