New [to me] way to make Jerky

[Woods Dweller]

I just come from a 2 week visit to Montana, visiting my Daughter [new grand Baby] & my Son-in-law, who works in a clinic on the Cheyennes Reservation. My Son-in-law give me some Elk Jerky he made and it was the best Jerky I ever had. This is how he made it. This recipe might not be new to some of you but it is new to me.

He cut the large Elk roast as you would any roast for jerky, he added some salt, Smoked it with cold smoked for three or four hr.

[Cold smoke is allowing the smoke into your smoke house with little heat.]

He took 5 or 6 Large AC filters [NOT fiberglass] Laid the meat out on a filter,[not letting the meat touch each other] then laid another filter on top of the one he just filed with meat, and doing the same thing. He Layered the filters on top of each other doing the same to each one. He next laid this stack of filters on a square box fan, warped it all together with bungee cords, stood the fan upright and turn it on high. It run that way for 10hr.
That was it! The wind dyed out the meat and it was great.

 

[Bill Hall]

You pretty much described my commercial food dehydrator, only much bigger. :thumbsup: Bill

 

[crockett]

I always just dry in an oven set at 140 degrees with the door ajar but I've often wondered whether the original method over a smokey fire made better tasting jerky.

 

[flyfisher76544]

I always just dry in an oven set at 140 degrees with the door ajar but I've often wondered whether the original method over a smokey fire made better tasting jerky.

It does, but you are talking about 8 hours or so of constant watching. Slice it thin and add a little salt and red pepper. My son and his bud made some at our last event, didn't last long.

 

[DUSTY 14]

jerky was often dried on racks in the sun. i believe the smoke was used to keep insects at bay certain times of the year. no bugs,extra flavor= win/win. flys would be a quick spoiler to a lot of work.

 

[Woods Dweller]

I just come from a 2 week visit to Montana, visiting my Daughter [new grand Baby] & my Son-in-law, who works in a clinic on the Cheyennes Reservation. My Son-in-law give me some Elk Jerky he made and it was the best Jerky I ever had. This is how he made it. This recipe might not be new to some of you but it is new to me.

He cut the large Elk roast as you would any roast for jerky, he added some salt, Smoked it with cold smoked for three or four hr.

[Cold smoke is allowing the smoke into your smoke house with little heat.]

He took 5 or 6 Large AC filters [NOT fiberglass] Laid the meat out on a filter,[not letting the meat touch each other] then laid another filter on top of the one he just filed with meat, and doing the same thing. He Layered the filters on top of each other doing the same to each one. He next laid this stack of filters on a square box fan, warped it all together with bungee cords, stood the fan upright and turn it on high. It run that way for 10hr.
That was it! The wind dyed out the meat and it was great.

The Jerky was chewy using this method, And not brittle.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Unfortunately without heat, here in the humid East..., you'd get trays of spoiled meat. :shocked2:

LD