it's jerky time.........

[bob1961]

i just looked at that site wabi before i came here at the cure....what does it add the the flavor color or what ever to the meat....i've eaten venison jerky for close to 20 years that i have made including some beef jerky also....guess it's time to use some cure after beating the odds for so long now .......bob

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[wabi]

Bob,
It doesn't really affect the flavor. The amounts necessary are so small it isn't noticeable.
Just read the directions carefully and DO NOT EXCEED the recommended amount!!!!
It is sodium nitrite (6.25%) and salt. Only level tsp is required for 5# of meat!

For a brine just mix it in with the other ingredients.

For the ground meat I use in sausages I add it to all the other ingredients (spices), mix well, then sprinkle it over the meat and mix by hand. I refrigerate it for a few hours then mix it again by hand adding just a little water. Another mixing or two if time permits (I give it a minimum of 12 hours before I stuff the casings) and I am ready to stuff casings and start the smoking.

I started the batch of summer sausage I'm working on now at 8:00AM. 4 hours of smoke (used alder this time) then I bring the smoker indoors where the temperature inside will get up to 160 - 170°F. I leave the sausages until I get an internal temp of somewhere between 145 - 155°F. Usually about 14 -16 hours total.
I read an interesting article about making a modification to the smoker I have (Little Chief) and am seriously considering it. Replace the heating element (250W) with a larger one (400W) and adding a thermostatic control which would cost around $100 in parts to do the mods. It would make the process a little faster and more precise, but I've never had a bad batch of sausage the way it is.

I have also read a method of smoking the sausages like I do, then steaming them until the internal temp hits 160°F. I may try that next time (I have a steam canner I could easily do them in) and see if it changes the flavor any. I'm just guessing, but it would probably cut the processing time in half.

[Cossack]

Great Idea!

I have a food dehyrater that works great but does not do the volume that I need.

I made one out of left over cedar plywood. Fueled by 4 60W light bulbs and a fan with motor from dehumidifier. 6 frames from pine 1X1 measuring about 16x22", aluminum screening Holds 10 lbs of jerky ( I use the grind and extrude method). Dries the jerky in about 8-10 hrs, at which point stack it on trays and bake in oven at 250 for 1/2 hr. Works great.

[bob1961]

well all i had made up is done now, 7 3/4 lbs of fresh venison dried down to 2 1/2 lbs.........bob



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[wabi]

I'd probably take my chances and eat it even if you didn't use cure in the mixture.

BTW - just read in the news there's another recall on eggs now.
Even store bought food isn't always a guarantee of safe products.

[bob1961]

i'm sure the soy sauce i used has a good amount of salt in it to sure it as it soaked as with the liquid smoke....the insta cure said salt and sodium nitrat (6.25%), that leaves 93.75% salt in the insta cure mix....does that 6.25% SN do the curing work....the drying time on my jerky done like this has been from 12 to 18 hours or longer depending on time of day/night it was when the at least 12 hour mark rolled around....if the 12 hours was up be at 3am it waiting till 8am to till i got up, avg drying time has been 18 hours.......bob

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