A Little Different Approach to Jerky

[BarryBobPosthole]

At least it is for me.
Thanks to a little short effer who can bark here and bite waaaaaaaaaay out yonder I have a tender young buck to cut up in a few days. Right now he's cooling his heels in my garage fridge getting his bidness all ready for packaging.

For jerky, I'm going to use a cure process rather than just a marinade and drying at low temps. I'll still use a marinade after the meat is cured and then finish it in the dehydrator. I don't have a smoker I can do cold smoke in (needs to be about 150), so I'm debating finishing them off for maybe 30 minutes in a heavy smoke. Depends on the moisture level after the dehydrator.

Looking forward to butchering and packaging this deer. Its been a few years since I've done one myself.

BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

My first inclination would be to hit them with the smoke first and then dehydrate. It seems
Like you'd get more of the smoke or flavor that way. Of course, you could just add some liquid smoke...


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[Arty]

So you cure.... then marinate... then dry?
I just throw a teaspoon of Prague Powder #2 in the marinade. Doesn't that kill two birds? Serious question I've never heard it done that way.


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[Arty]

Of course, you could just add some liquid smoke...


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Liquid smoke should be against the law.
I wish it was on Trumps 100 day plan.



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[Chicken Dinner]

Liquid smoke should be against the law.
I wish it was on Trumps 100 day plan.



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I was just poking fun. Like you, I think liquid smoke is an abomination.


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[quercus alba]

ya'll are weird, I love liquid smoke. I can't tell difference enough to go to the extra trouble, plus I hate the smell of wood smoke on my clothes and hair

[BarryBobPosthole]

I think the process is similar rT. i just cure it for 24 hrs and then add the seasoning as a second step.

BKB

[LJ3]

ya'll are weird, I love liquid smoke. I can't tell difference enough to go to the extra trouble, plus I hate the smell of wood smoke on my clothes and hair

Talking like that seems like it could have you summarily thrown out of Arkansas.

[quercus alba]

You know, I sometimes wonder if a Yankee salesman didn't stop by the house

[Thumper]

ya'll are weird, I love liquid smoke. I can't tell difference enough to go to the extra trouble, plus I hate the smell of wood smoke on my clothes and hair

In a blind taste test ... I personally think you'd have a ton of company QA ... me included.

[Thumper]

The subject piqued my curiosity, so I asked my old buddy Google.

From the net:

I asked the AmazingRibs.com science advisor Dr. Greg Blonder to describe the differences between smoke vapors and liquid smoke. He said "Wood combustion smoke contains hundreds of chemical compounds. A few with sweet pronounced caramel notes, others smoky and clean like an autumn campfire, but many are bitter and acrid. Some are carcinogenic and others antibacterial and others act as a preservative." ..... "Liquid smoke, at least the better grades, is designed to minimize bitter flavors and known carcinogenic compounds, while maximizing smoke-like flavor and color....."

Ya' gots ta' watch out for the purist snobs around this joint. It's like the old argument I used to get from bow hunters. "Gun hunting" isn't "real" hunting according to most of those dufes. Me, I figure my deer is just as dead as theirs and tastes the same as far as I can tell. That said, don't even get me started on beer snobs!

[Chicken Dinner]

Really? I can usually taste the difference right away and I find something about it off putting. To each his own though. It's not like you're putting ketchup on a steak or dipping your French fries in mayonnaise.

[Thumper]

It's not like you're putting ketchup on a steak or dipping your French fries in mayonnaise.

Now THAT is something we can totally agree on. You can even add brown gravy on French fries to that list ... that should be reserved for smashed taters!

[quercus alba]

Ketchup is the steak sauce of choice around my house. I dip my fries in ranch dressing

[Chicken Dinner]

There really is no hope then. You might as well start rooting for 'Bama and Saban...

Ketchup is the steak sauce of choice around my house. I dip my fries in ranch dressing

[Thumper]

Ketchup is the steak sauce of choice around my house.

Just like Bucky. Must be an Arkie thing. WTF??????

[quercus alba]

Superior taste buds

[Arty]

In a blind taste test ... I personally think you'd have a ton of company QA ... me included.

I'd put a hunnert dollar bill that I would beat that Taste test every time. Liquid smoke has a flavor that is almost bitter for lack of a better word.


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[LJ3]

Yep. It's got a chemically aftertaste to me.

[Hombre]

Now THAT is something we can totally agree on. You can even add brown gravy on French fries to that list ... that should be reserved for smashed taters!

You lost me at brown gravy on french fries, that shit is good. Now I'm hungry for some Poutine.

[Thumper]

LJ3;

Yep. It's got a chemically aftertaste to me.

A chemical aftertaste is from using too much you dipwad. It should be used sparingly because it's concentrated.

Liquid smoke IS smoke! "Some" manufacturers add other things like molasses (for example) ... but the good stuff is just "smoke & water" basically. It's kinda like distillation ... ya' take a bunch'a rotten shit, distill it and collect the alcohol, then call it booze. Liquid smoke is smoke that's "distilled", then collected and mixed with water to make a liquid. In fact, the guy who invented liquid smoke first served a ham he cooked using it and none of his snooty guests picked up on it, but commented on how good his "smoked ham" tasted.

In a blind taste test, I'll bet youse bunch'a skirt wearin', food cookin' Yuppies wouldn't know the difference between real smoke and (quality) liquid smoke that has been applied correctly.

[Thumper]

Here ya' go Ticboy ... from the net.

Store your liquid smoke tightly sealed in its original dark glass bottle in a cool, dark place and it should keep its flavor and aroma almost indefinitely. Whenever using it, remember that moderation is key. Too much will quickly overpower your dish and add that unwanted acrid chemical flavor.

[Thumper]

And a little more to throw into the ring:

Liquid smoke really is made from smoke. Chips or sawdust from hardwoods such as hickory or mesquite are burned at high temperatures, and particles of the smoke are collected in condensers. The resulting liquid is concentrated down for a stronger flavor.

When shopping for liquid smoke, be aware that some brands add seasonings, flavorings like molasses or vinegar, or colorants like caramel. Liquid smoke should just be smoke and water, and there are brands that are exactly that simple. Wright's, a favorite here at Serioues Eats, is available in both hickory and mesquite varieties and contains nothing but water and natural smoke flavor. Check the label to make sure you're getting what you want from your liquid smoke. It's an easier product to use when you don't have to worry about how its other ingredients might alter the flavor of your food.

Dang food Yuppies don't know nuttin'!

[BarryBobPosthole]

You are starting to sound like an elitist left wing foodie.

BKB

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[Chicken Dinner]

I actually like brown gravy on fries (not all the time mind you)and will even like ketchup with steak and eggs. Most of the time if I'm having steak for dinner it's seasoned such that it doesn't need any steak sauce.


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[Thumper]

Well, I'm with you there CD ... I don't put ANYTHING on a nicely seasoned steak. If I do use a steak sauce (to make up for a bland or inferior steak), it's Pickapeppa for me. If you've never had it, I DARE you to try it. I'll guarandamntee ya', you'll throw away every other steak sauce you may have in the pantry! (the "peppa" part may sound spicey ... it's not ... much)

[BarryBobPosthole]

I have tried Pickapeppa and its some good stuff. I am in need of a good steak and you guys have made me hongry as hell for one. I've got to where all I like on my steak is a patty of really good butter. If its garlic butter all the better. Let that bad boy melt while the steak is resting and its pretty damned good.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

Thump, we been using Pickapeppa for years....one of our favorites is to pour it over a block of room temp. cream cheese, and eat it like a dip, with saltines or ritz.

[Thumper]

Yessir Muddy, we've been using it for 31 years now. Lynn and I went up the coast (California) to spend a weekend in San Simeon. We stayed at a small independent motel on Hwy. 101 and planned on visiting the Hearst Castle the next day. The motel had a small restaurant on the property, so we decided to just have dinner there. I ordered the pork chops and the only sauce they had was Pickapeppa. I'd never heard of it before, but it's all they had, so I tried it. From that night back in 1985, it's been the only steak sauce I've ever used at home.

And yep, the cream cheese/Pickapeppa dip is to die for!

[Chicken Dinner]

Ketchup is the steak sauce of choice around my house. I dip my fries in ranch dressing

I saw this today and thought of you.



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