You have just got your new smoker or already own one? Surely, the first thing you want to prepare is some marvelously delicious jerky. Why? Well, you can prepare and make jerky in an oven or under the sun, but you get that awesome taste only when you prepare it in a smoker. We’ll show you how to make jerky in a smoker right here!
So let’s get started and check out our ideas and tips how to achieve that unique smokey flavor. Here is our setup.
Our first advice is to cut the meat with the grain, not against it. If you cut against it, you’ll basically just get a smoked stake. While cutting the meat, try to cut it by half inch strips. You should keep doing this really fast.
Next tip is to leave the fat on most of the meat pieces because it gives a little bit more flair on those pieces. Don’t worry - most of the fat is going to melt away, but it will hold the flavor and you’ll have something very delicious to chew – that’s what jerky is all about.
Then, we have the ‘marinade’ step. If you’re not sure how to marinade your jerky maybe you can try an oldie-but-goodie advice: just use salt and pepper and add a little bit of paprika.
Or if you like experimenting and trying new stuff out we suggest you marinade your meat with garlic powder, soy sauce and/or teriyaki sauce. Some people even use fruit as marinade! If you’ve got enough time let the meat soak in the marinade overnight – it’s going to have a really great taste.
Here comes its majesty – the smoker. Remember: the most important things are SLOW and LOW. Low heat means that you’ll get a lot of smoke and depending how you maintain your heat you can have your jerky ready somewhere from 12 to 48 hours.
Also, make sure that your smoker is hot and smoking before you put the meat in. The best possible temperature is somewhere just around 150 °F.
The racks should be lightly oiled, nothing too much. And before putting the meat on the racks remove any oil surplus.
A quick tip is to put the meat in a way that the pieces aren’t touching. To reach the first desired dryness level you should smoke the meat for about 5-6 hours. And don’t think about the time that much – ‘the right time frame’ doesn’t exist – everything depends on several factors: the meat, the air, the heat, etc.
A good idea is to turn the meat after maybe 2.5-3 hours into the process. And while turning the meat maybe you can add some of the marinade if you like strong flavors.
After it’s smoked, pull the meat out. The key is that the meat will continue to cook after you pull it out so you might want to pull it a little bit early – whatever suits you.
The last step is to put it in a container that’ll not lose the smoky flavor – our advice is a glass jar or small plastic bags. That, my friends, is how to make jerky in a smoker!
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