Adding Liquid to Dry Jerky Seasonings

James Russ from West Farmington, Ohio asked:

When you made processed jerky, you put seasoning on the meat then added water. Would mixing water and seasoning together work?



Hello James,

Thanks for the question and yes, you can do that. Weston actually makes a variety of Jerky Seasoning Tonics that have dry and liquid ingredients already mixed - very similar to a liquid marinade. This makes it very simple to portion and skips over the step of adding the water separately.

When I'm using dry seasoning, the reason I add the water after putting the seasoning on the meat is so I'm sure to get all the seasoning on the meat. If you mix the water into the seasoning in a separate container you'll always have some seasoning left in the measuring container, then you have to rinse it out again. Both ways accomplish the same thing, no matter if you add the water to the seasonings or the seasoning to the meat and then the water. The water is only used to moisten the meat and liquefy the seasonings so they begin to dissolve and penetrate into the meat fibers quickly.

I hope this answers your question. Good luck this hunting season!

- Brad Lockwood

Thickness and Timing for Perfect Jerky

This is a thicker, 1/4" sliced jerky

Paul Eckert of Jasper, IN wrote in:

Brad,
I am a disabled vet that spends alot of my time hunting and fishing. I love to make deer jerky, but have had problems with some jerky getting done to hard and some not all the way. I use a dehydrator for making jerky. I have since bought a cheaper meat slicer to get exact cuts. What thickness do you recommend when cutting the meat for a dehydrator? How long do you recommend dehydrating?

Thinner, 1/8th-inch sliced jerky

Great Question Paul,

You're on the right track by purchasing a meat slicer! That will give you a more consistent thickness on your strips. A jerky slicer is even better because it's already gauged to the proper thickness, so you don't have to turn a knob to set the thickness. When you have different thicknesses, thin strips will be overcooked and thick strips will be undercooked, so you're on the right track. Thickness depends on your own personal preference. I'd say 3/16 - 1/8th of an inch is good for a dehydrator. I wouldn't go any thicker than that in a dehydrator because of the low drying temperature.

Now for the rest of your question. You're also on the correct track: the amount of meat you place in the dehydrator is going to change the length of time you dry for. More meat equals longer drying times. With that being said, I hope you can see that making the same size batches every time is just as important as slicing the strips at the same thickness. It all works together, adding the seasonings to the correct poundage of meat, slicing the same thickness and drying according to the amount of product loaded into the smoker or dehydrator.

I really can't give you an exact drying time because the time will vary according to the amount of meat placed into the dehydrator or smoker. My method for checking my finished jerky product is a two step process. First I squeeze the jerky to be sure I no longer feel that "sponge texture" to the meat, however I still like to be able to flex and bend the jerky strip without it breaking, If it breaks, it's too dry, and if it still feels "spongy," then I have raw spots in the center of the strip. I then log the amount of time I dried the product and now I have a formula for the next batch!

I hope this helps and remember it's all about consistency - in thickness, seasoning, batch size and drying time. Be consistent and you will be making jerky like a pro!

Thanks for the question Paul!

Is Aging Required for Ground Products?

Ryan from Saskatoon, Sask wrote:

Just purchased and watched your Deer and Big Game Processing Volume 1 DVD. I enjoyed the DVD and feel like it has given me confidence for field dressing.

I have a question regarding aging. Is aging required if I plan on grinding up all the meat for jerky and sausage?

Thank you


Thanks for the great question Ryan!

Aging changes the moisture content and flavor of the meat. It also affects the tenderness of the product. If you are grinding the meat for sausage and/or slicing it thin for jerky, then breaking the muscle fibers down during the aging process may not be necessary because you are not looking for a tender product.

However, the flavor of the product will vary between an aged animal and a fresh processed carcass. I'm not saying one would be more desirable than the other, this would be personal flavor preference. I'm just saying that if you make a processed meat product like jerky or sausage, you will taste a difference between a product made with aged meat and the same product made from freshly harvested meat.

You may want to age one front shoulder for 3-5 days and then process the other fresh and see which you prefer. Let me know your thoughts on the results please.

I look forward to the results and findings on your experiment!


Thanks again for the great question!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood

How do I know when my jerky is done?

Bryce Schunter from Dallas, TX asked:

Brad,

I’m a first time jerky maker. I’m using one of these Weston Dehydrators – how long do I leave it in for? How do I know when it’s done?



Well Bryce, the answer to your question is not an easy one! It sounds like it should be! However, knowing when to remove jerky from the smoker or dehydrator is an art form! Well, maybe we won't go that far, but it does take a little talent to get it just right.

First thing you need to do is track how much jerky you put in the cabinet each time. The more meat, the more drying time required; the thicker the strips, the more drying time needed. Write down the temperatures and the amount of time you run at each temperature so you can get an accurate time/temperature history developed of how long to dry and at what temperature.

When removing jerky from any drying machine, you want the jerky to remain a little flexible. If you dry the jerky completely to perfection, and the jerky strips are snapping in half as you try to bend them, that's not good. When you remove them from the heat, your jerky will continue to air dry because of the ambient heat remaining in the product. When this happens, your jerky is going to over dry! If you remove it too quickly, it may not be completely cooked.

WOW, right? It seems like a lot to figure out. The trick here is to squeeze the jerky to see if you feel moisture and a spongy feeling to the product. If you feel this when you squeeze the strip of jerky, it usually means it's not completely dried or not cooked.

The key is to catch the jerky when it's firm to the squeeze, yet when you bend it to a 90 degree angle, it doesn't snap in half!

I know this seems like a strange answer, this is much better defined in my DVD Advanced Jerky Processing which covers in great detail the processing of every jerky you can imagine. The true keys are tracking the time and temperatures you cook at, making sure to make even sized batches and uniform thickness each time. When the jerky looks dried, squeeze it for moisture, bend it to be sure, let it finish drying at room temperature, then sample it.

Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for the great question!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood
 

How to spice up my ground wild game meat?

Doug from Federal Way, WA asked:

I hunt mule deer and have hamburger kids are not fans of - Do you know of anything I can add to spice up the flavor? Love the show and thanks!



Thanks for the question Doug and do I ever have the solution for you!!

Make hamburger jerky and the kids will grab it up so quick you won't be able to make it fast enough!! It's so easy to make. I could walk you though it step by step but it's so much easier to just watch the video. I've posted the video at the bottom of this blog post.

If you are missing any of the equipment, it's all on The Hunter's Butcher Shop:
Weston Jerky Guns
Dehydrator Netting
Weston Meat Mixers
Hi Mountain Jerky Seasoning
Bradley Smoker

If you don't have a smoker you can use a dehydrator or even your own household oven. If you're going to use an oven or dehydrator, just dissolve a little liquid smoke in a cup of water and add it to your seasoning mix to give it that great smoky flavor that the kids are going to love.

I do this every year with left over game burger and everyone loves it!! If you need more details check out our Advanced Jerky Processing DVD - it contains tons of jerky recipes and teaches you to process every jerky product on the planet!

Thanks for the question Doug and I hope the kids love the jerky!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood  

PS: Here's that video I was telling you about:

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

Goose Marinades

Megan from Drayton Valley, Alberta asked: 
Do you have any videos or recipes on goose marinades? 

Megan,

We sure do! Check out our Mastering Marination DVD on The Hunter's Butcher Shop website! Great DVD with tips and techniques for processing geese and ducks! Check it out!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood
Outdoor Edge's LOH TV

Making Jerky in the Oven

Jon from Lancaster, Ohio asked:
How can I make venison jerky in the oven? What temperature should I set it on and how long do I leave it in the oven?

Jon,

I have used my household oven to dry jerky many times and it works very well! Not to mention: it makes the house smell wonderful also!

One thing to note is that you will have to add a little bit of liquid smoke to your seasoning marinade to get the smoke flavor into the product because you won't be burning wood. Be careful when doing this! If you add too much, you can really give your product a bitter smoke flavor! I like to mix the liquid smoke with a little water to dilute it down and get it evenly spread throughout my meat.

When drying jerky always remember you're doing just that - drying it! Not baking it! So keep the temperature nice and low. Start out at 150F for 1 hour then go to 170-180F until dry. The trick here is don't over dry! There's a fine line between dry enough and crispy, so be careful!

You really should look at our Advanced Jerky Processing DVD. It's 2 full hours of great jerky processing tips! Great DVD!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

What kind of wood should I use in my smoker?

Ron from Yelm, WA asked: 
What kind of wood would you recommend for smoking fish, venison sausage, and jerky?

Very good question Ron! I'm glad you asked! The type of wood you use will depend on several factors...

First: Is the product traditionally hard smoked?

Second, and most importantly: Do you like a heavily smoked product?

Third: How wet is the surface of the product and how much moisture is in the product?

Finally: What is the surface area of the product (diameter)?

Let me explain: If you're making a black forest ham, you will want a deep penetrating strong flavor that would come from a wood such as hickory or mesquite. If you want a light smoke, you may want to use apple or alder wood.

When I speak of how wet the surface of the product is, I am meaning: When you touch the surface, is the product wet or dry? If the surface is wet, like fish or waterfowl, the product will absorb a lot of smoke. If the surface is dry, it won't matter what type of wood you use. You will have trouble getting a strong smoke flavor and getting good penetration of smoke into the meat. Always remember that moisture is the way smoke travels into the meat. No moisture = no smoke penetration, little moisture = little penetration, a lot of moisture means a lot of smoke penetration!

When I speak of surface area I am meaning: How big is the product you are smoking? A ham will have a lot more surface area than a snack stick, so you are going to have less time to apply smoke to a snack stick than a ham because the surface of the snack stick will dry out much faster than the surface of a ham.

Thanks again for the question Ron, and I would really recommend the Advanced Sausage DVD (click to check it out) for you! Judging by your question, I believe you would really enjoy the content of that DVD.

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man" 

What's the best way to cut jerky into strips?

Willis from PA asked:

What's the best way to cut jerky into strips?

Willis, 

That's a tough question to answer because there are so many great methods of slicing jerky. First, you may want to answer a few questions for me:

How many pounds of jerky will you be slicing?
- If you are slicing a lot of jerky - 20lbs of raw meat or more per year, I would look at Weston's 9" Commercial Slicer or their 7 1/2" Slicer.
- If you are looking at less than 20lbs per year,  I would look at Weston's Manual Jerky Slicer.
- If you only slice a couple pounds at a time, I would look at Hi Mountain's Jerky Board and Knife Set.

All of these products will do a great job for you, it simply depends on how much jerky you're going to slice and how much work you want to put into it. The Commercial Slicer will go through pounds and pounds of meat quickly. The Manual Jerky Slicer isn't electric, but makes a perfect product, and Hi Mountain's Jerky Board makes quick work of small amounts of jerky.

I've posted photos of each below. If you click on these photos, you can see the product details for each!

         
 

Hope this helps answer your question.

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

How to make Goose Jerky?

Nick from Reeseville, WI asked:

I shot my first geese yesterday. I've heard goose jerky is excellent. Any experience and/or tips on making it?

Nick!

Goose jerky is one of my favorites! I've found that waterfowl meat holds more moisture, absorbs the seasoning better and overall is a lot more tender than other wild game jerky.

My best advice would be to purchase our Mastering Marination DVD which is on TheHuntersButcherShop.com. In this DVD, we make goose jerky and several other great products from waterfowl.

Basically, follow the same steps and procedures as making standard whole muscle jerky, just remember it will absorb the seasonings a lot faster and make take a little longer to dry out. Taking the breast out is the best part!

Good luck and check out that DVD - you'll love it!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

Can I make jerky from meat that has fat mixed in?

Matt from Denver, CO asked:

Brad,

Just saw your short segment on using ground elk for jerky making. I was under the impression that fat=bad in jerky making, but your video showed otherwise. I have some ground elk with beef fat mixed in. Can I make jerky out of it?? While I LOVE ground elk, every man has his limits. Thanks!

Matt,

With the beef fat mixed in you will get some fat on the top of the jerky if you lay it flat on the racks of your smoker. My suggestion would be to tilt the racks to the front of your smokehouse so the fat will run off. You can do this right at the end of the drying process when you start getting into the higher temperatures. As long as the fat that melts to the surface is removed by allowing it to run off you will be fine and have some delicious jerky!

Good luck!

Brad
"The Meat Man"

What temperature do I need to dehydrate my jerky at to be safe? Do I need cure?

Matt from Albany, MO said:

Hello Brad, I have been making whole meat venison jerky in my dehydrator for years now. I have my own recipe and love it. Lately though, I have been concerned about food safety. I do not get the temp of the jerky above 160 degrees while dehydrating as recommended by the USDA, and I do not use a cure. Can I just add a cure and continue to make my jerky this way and be safe? If so, what cure do you recommend and how do you use it properly?

Matt,

You are on the right track! Simply add a product called pink cure salt. This contains a very low concentration of Sodium Nitrate. It's predominantly salt with a pink tint so you can tell its cure salt.

It only takes 1/4 lb for 100lbs of meat so you will only need a teaspoon for a small batch of product. This way, it won't effect the flavor of your recipe. It doesn't take much, but no worries if you add a little too much - it's a very low concentration. If you add Quick Cure salt it will take 3 times as much and this will change the flavor of the product you love so much.

Your temperature is fine, USDA defines final temperature as 158F for instant kill of pathogens. If your dehydrator goes to 160F you will be fine. Keep in mind: final reduction of pathogens can also be reached by time and temperature. If you're holding the product at 160F surface temperature for over 2 hours, you have achieved your goal.   

Brad   

How do I use curing salt and where can I buy it?

Paul from Waxahachie, TX asked:

I need your advice - I want to try to put together some spices of my own to make sausage, but what do I do for a curing kit (sodium nitrate)? Where do I purchase this, and are there instructions on how to use it? Thanks for your help!

Paul,

Sodium nitrate is often referred to as pink curing salt. The salt that you will receive only contains .0625% of actual sodium nitrate, the rest of the mix is actually just salt with pink color added so you don't confuse it with regular salt. Actual sodium nitrate is a controlled substance and can only be purchased by large commercial packing companies. 

Any country meat shop around you should be able to sell you "pink cure salt." You will add it at the rate of .25 or one quarter of a pound for every 100lbs of meat. Mix it with water before you add it to the meat, this will help dissolve the salt and make it easier to spread evenly across your meat.

Thanks Paul and good luck,

Brad Lockwood

Meat Man!

All these jerky recipes call for ketchup - Can I skip it?

West from Moncks Corner, S.C. asked:

I am going to try to make my own jerky this year. But, the recipes that I have are asking for Ketchup. I am not a big fan of the product. The question that I have is: What does the ketchup do for the meat? Or can I just leave it out?

Ketchup! I have never worked with a recipe that asked for ketchup other than meatloaf lunchmeat. I would bypass that ingredient in jerky for sure. Thanks for the question West!

Brad

Smoker vs Dehydrator for Jerky

Hi Brad- I was planning on making jerky this weekend. I have a smoker and a dehydrator. Which do you recommend using and why?

Thanks,
Connie
Riverton, Wyoming

Great question and there is no easy answer! This is the great thing about being your own game processor because you can manufacture products to you own taste! Using a smoker you have the benefit of applying that good natural wood smoked flavor to your jerky. When using a dehydrator you will have to add liquid smoke flavor to your initial meat product. So I would ask a question back to you... Which flavor do you like the best? Liquid smoke or natural?

Thanks,
Brad

Is cure necessary?

Brad- I am concerned about sodium levels in my diet. Is using the cure packet included in most jerky seasonings necessary?

Thanks,
Jason
Haleyville, AL

Hi Jason,
Yes, the cure packet assists in the reduction of bacteria during the slow cooking faze. When drying jerky and making any type of smoked product you are cooking at very slow temperatures, these low temperatures, 150-175F are prime target temperatures for bacteria to begin growing very rapidly. The sodium nitrate in the cure packet will prohibit the rapid growth of these bacteria. Also the cure is added at such a slight amount that you will generally find more sodium in the actual spice kit than in the cure packet.

Thanks,
Brad