Smoked Jerky - Smoked Beef Jerky and Smoked Deer Jerky on Ole Hickory with Malcom Reed

Smoked Jerky | Smoked Deer Jerky and Beef Jerky on the Smoker

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My jerky process starts with selecting the meat. For me that’s lean muscles from the deer or cuts of beef with little to no fat. Roasts like London Broil, Eye of Round or Bottom Round work great for smoked jerky
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It helps to have the deer and beef semi-froze when you’re cutting it into jerky strips so take it out of the freezer the day before and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Use a good knife and cut the roasts into 1/8” strips across the grain.

The first flavor I'm using is a store bought seasoning called Legg’s Old Plantation Jerky Blend.

I’ve found the easiest way to marinate jerky is to use zip lock bags. You can weigh the bag and calculate exactly how much seasoning you need. Here is what I used for my jerky.

Legg’s Old Plantation Jerky Blend
- 2oz Legg’s Jerky Seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon Pink Salt (6.25%)
- 2 cups water.

In a mixing bowl combine the jerky seasoning, pink salt, and water. Stir to combine and pour over the sliced meat. Work the marinade around the meat and store in the refrigerator overnight.

The next flavor I want to share is an Asian inspired marinade. I also use 4lbs of meat for this recipe, so you can adjust the quantities for how much you are preparing.

Asian Style Jerky
- 12oz Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic Minced
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Minced
- 1 Tablespoons Red Chili Paste
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper flakes

Combine the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk. Pour the marinade over 4lbs of sliced jerky meat in a zip lock bag. Work the marinade around the meat and refrigerate overnight.

The final recipe is for a Sweet and Spicy Sriracha flavored marinade. This is one of my personal favorites and you can get it as spicy (or mild) as you like. Just adjust the amount of Sriracha that you use, also any hot sauce can be substituted for the Sriracha sauce.

Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Jerky
- 1 cup Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ cup Sriracha Sauce
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Combine the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk. Pour the marinade over 4lbs of sliced jerky meat in a zip lock bag. Work the marinade around the meat and refrigerate overnight.

Once you have all the jerky in the refrigerator let it set for at least 12 hours. The next day take the meat out of the bags and let the majority of the moisture drain. I use several of my pork racks when making jerky to make things easier. Spray each rack with cooking spray so the meat doesn’t stick and arrange the slices in one layer on the racks. You don ‘t want to crowd the racks so air can flow around the meat.

Now it’s time for the smoker. Today I’m using my Ole Hickory Smoker to dry out the jerky. I’m running very little coal, about 2 handfuls, and a couple chunks of seasoned hickory wood. Any smoker can be set up for jerky as long as you keep the temps low. I want to see 140-160 degrees for the first part of the cook. It’s going to take somewhere between 6-8 hours for this load of jerky to dry and it’s not exact, so be patient and check on it along the way.

After 4 hours take a look at the jerky and check for moisture. It should still be soft at this stage and it’s a good time to rotate the racks. As the meat dries some of it may need to come off.

Some of my racks came off at the 6 hour mark and the bigger slices took a couple more hours.

Let the racks sit out on the counter for a little while to cool. Once the jerky is completely room temps it’s time to bag it up.

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