Jerky Question

I smoked my first attempt at Jerky used a simple Marinaid of Soy,Worstichiere,ground pepper,hot sauce. Smoked for 8.5 hours at 160. I used a electric smoker. This came out great and the family thought i was the king.

2nd attempt...... We made 3 different marinaids. HOT, Maple and Cherry.

Maple-- was Pure Maple Syrup, Almond extract, Vanilla

Cherry--- Cherry juice, Grenadine and a sweet and sour sauce.

Hot--- Franks hot sauce, crushed red pepper,Jalapeno powder and creole seasoning.

Smoked meat at 160 for 8 hours, meat still soft, bumped up to 180 for 3.5 more hours. Maple is gross-- cherry is ok but no where near great. Hot was very good. After thinking about this for a week I am wondering if it was becuase of the suger content to make the flavors and no real salt or brining of the meat. ANyone got any idea's?

You really need something to help cure the meat. Not only to improve the flavor, but also to avoid spoilage of the meat. As a general rule, any meat cooked below a temp of 170* should be cured.

I usually use a recipe out of Rytek Kutas book, that uses prague powder to cure it.

Can I use mortons tender quick instead of insta cure #1 ?

Yes, but the amounts used are different. Be sure to use the amount of tenderquick specified on the package, not what is in the recipe (if the recipe calls for prague powder).

Thanks!

It's not usually my preference, but there is a place for some sweetness in jerky. you just have to be careful what flavors go well with smoke. i would argue that cherry and maple are not flavors that go well with the typical BBQ flavor. The great thing is that you learned that for yourself. part of the fun of this type of thing, much like homebrewing is experimenting and finding out what you like.