How to Make Beef Jerky in Your Smoker

When you learn how to make beef jerky in your smoker you can bypass all the beef jerky recipes that call for liquid smoke. Smoker beef jerky is about as authentic as jerky gets.

Making jerky outdoors on a smoker is closer to the old pioneer method. That's when beef was cured and dried to keep for eating on the long trails.

Charcoal Smoker Grill

By using this method not only do you get some great eating but also it's just doggone fun!

How to Make Beef Jerky in Your Smoker

Selecting Beef For Smoker Jerky

Selecting the beef you use for jerky is the same regardless of the method you use to create the jerky.

You must agree a lean cut of beef and then trim any fat you see. Fat will not dry out and it will cause your jerky to go rancid quickly.

Most cuts from the round section of the beef animal do just fine. My personal choice is eye of round. It's a particular muscle cut with no connective tissue and has very petite internal fat and any external fat is literally trimmed.

You can buy round steak for easy slicing into strips but I usually buy an eye of round roast and have my butcher slice it 1/2 inch thick. Then I trim the fat and cut the slices into strips.

For this method you will need two pounds of beef.

Smoked Beef Jerky Marinade

Caution: This smoked beef jerky method calls for a lot of black pepper. If you're not a black pepper fan you might want to cut back a bit for your first try.

1 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Combine the soy sauce, ground black pepper, cider vinegar, pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a non-reactive bowl. Mix the ingredients well and add the beef strips.

Pour the strips and marinade in a resealable plastic bag. Place the bag in the refrigerator overnight. Turn the bag over once in a while when you think about it.

Smoking Beef Jerky

Fill the fire pan of your smoker with charcoal and light it. Wrap some wood chunks of your choice in heavy-duty foil and punch a few holes in the foil.

Remove your marinated beef strips from the refrigerator and dry them as well as you can with paper towels. The dryer the better!

When your charcoal is ready for smoking add the foil wrapped wood chunks to the coals.

Try to mouth a 140-degree temperature in your smoker with the use of the vents. You only want the meat to smoke and not cook.

Lay the marinated meat strips out on the grill so that they do not overlap. Alternatively you can drape the strips over the rods of the grill grate. You can smoke a lot of jerky this way.

Kick back and relax as you smoke the jerky over low heat. Pop a top or two!

Your smoked beef jerky will be done when the edges appear dry with just a petite hint of moisture in the town of the slices, about 6 to 8 hours.

For a lighter smoke flavor you might think removing the meat from the smoker after two hours and stop drying in the oven.

This is one of my popular beef jerky recipes. So now you have it. How to make beef jerky in your smoker!

How to Make Beef Jerky in Your Smoker

Smoked Turkey - A Holiday Alternative to Oven Roasting

For generations people have been dropping turkeys into the oven and roasting for hours. They use stuffings and little pop up timers. Guess what? You can make a great turkey this way. But wouldn't it be great to go one step better? Smoked turkey is more flavorful and is tenderer than oven roasting. Breaking away from tradition can be hard but I'm here to walk you through the process.

When cooking your turkey in the Smoker you need to make sure to cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This means that the coldest part of the turkey is 165 degrees F. This isn't a suggestion. Test in at least two places and remember that turkey bones heat faster so keep the thermometer away from bone and white meat cooks faster than dark meat. Run the smoker at temperature range of 220 degrees F to 240 degrees F. Plan on 30 to 40 minutes per pound.

Charcoal Smoker Grill

What you need to smoke a turkey:

Smoked Turkey - A Holiday Alternative to Oven Roasting

The first thing in you need for a great smoked turkey is a good turkey. Now either you are going to hunt your own or buy one, you want a fresh turkey. A free range Turkey is what to look for. Now I know this isn't all the time cheap or easy but if you can then I suggest it. If you do pick up a freezing turkey all the time ensue the instructions for defrosting. Also do not get too large of a turkey. A 20 pound turkey will take 10-14 hours and larger turkeys greatly increase food contamination risks. A 12-16 pound turkey will be good.

You also need a smoker, a good meat thermometer, a good hardwood like cherry or apple, and patience. For the smoker you can use a kettle style grill if you are well-known with low temperature cooking in it. Most people don't do turkeys very often so even if you are a specialist of smoked brisket or low n' slow barbecue ribs you should pay particular attention to what you are doing. Nothing can take the place of experience.

The good meat thermometer is a must. It should read fast and be very reliable. For the wood I suggest a fruit wood because the flavor works best with turkey. Something like a cherry or apple would be good, though hickory and oak can add a nice flavor as well. Be truthful not to over smoke a turkey, especially if you are doing a long smoke.

Smoked turkey has a dissimilar color and texture than oven roasted turkey. The meat may appear pink and have a smoother texture. This is normal. The smoking process causes a chemical turn in turkey that causes this color change. As long as the turkey registers a temperature of 165 degrees F. It is safe to eat no matter the color.

Make sure you have all together before you start. The turkey needs to be wholly thawed. Remove all the stuff inside and trim off any excess skin. Remove any pop up timer devices, wash in cold water and pat wholly dry.

Prepare your smoker. You will want to build a fire to hold a steady temperature right around 230 degrees F. Since most smokers start hot and cool down as the fire settles into a good smoke that you plan on putting the turkey in at about 250 degree F and let the smoker drop down to the cooking temperature. Use a smoker that will supply you with a consistent heat, like a Bradley Smoker.

Putting the turkey in at this point will give you a great meal. However there are some options you can ensue to improve the flavor of your bird. One choice is to use a brine. This will want you to soak the turkey in the brine for a good 24 hours before you cook. You could also apply your popular dry rub. Of procedure the simplest recipe would be to brush some olive oil to keep the skin moist and help your turkey manufacture a rich deep tan.

Put the turkey in the smoker breast side up. You can use a roasting pan or heavy foil to help cut any mess or just set it on the rack.

Wash everything. Once I get a piece of poultry on the grill or in the smoker I like to sterilize all that might have come into palpate with it. Salmonella is not something to take lightly. Once all is wholly clean you can relax. Check the smoker temperature every hour or so to make sure it's behaving properly but you won't need to do whatever with this turkey for some hours.

Calculating 30 minutes per pound at about 230 degrees F, conclude the approximate time that the turkey could be ready at the earliest. This is when you want to start testing the Turkey to see if it is done. Using a good meat thermometer to test the internal temperature turkey in two dissimilar places, leaving the thermometer in long adequate to get a good reading. Remember, don't test too close to bone. When you have two reading about 165 degrees F. Then you can take the turkey out.

Let the turkey rest for about 15 minutes and carve. Giving the turkey a rest will allow the meat to relax, the juices to flow and the temperature to come up a little and even out. This is one of the secrets to a great bird. Don't rush to carve or your turkey will be dry.

What a great way to start a new family tradition.

Smoked Turkey - A Holiday Alternative to Oven Roasting