Dried Beef/Venison
This is dried beef - a whole-muscle cured and smoked product, not jerky. The meat is pumped with brine, cured for days, hung in stockinettes and smoked low and slow, then rested in the refrigerator before slicing. Plan on roughly a week from start to finish. If you're looking for jerky, see The Ultimate Guide to Making Jerky instead.
Handling cure safely: Cure contains sodium nitrite, which is what makes it safe to smoke meat at low temperatures. Measure it accurately with a scale rather than by eye, do not exceed the amount called for, keep it out of reach of children, and follow the instructions on the package. Take particular care not to over-pump - the 10% figure below is a maximum, not a target to beat.
Suggested Cure/Brine Ingredients |
(Prepare as much as needed to pump & submerge meat). |
| 1 Lb. | Maple Cure |
| 1 Gallon | Distilled Water |
Brine/Cure Instructions:
1) Prepare brine/cure in a brining pail or meat poly lug.
2) Meat should be completely free of fat.
3) Meat and brine/cure should be chilled as cold as possible (38 - 40°F).
4) Pump pieces with brine/cure to 10% of the weight of the meat. (Be careful not to over pump).
5) Place meat in brine/cure and put weighted cover over product to hold it submerged.
Leave in brine/cure per the following suggestions:
| 1 - 2 Lb. Pieces | Cure 1 ½ - 2 Days |
| 2 - 4 Lb. Pieces | Cure 2 - 3 Days |
| 6 - 8 Lb. Pieces | Cure 7 - 8 Days |
Smoking Instructions:
This schedule is specific to dried beef. It runs cooler and much longer than our jerky schedules because you are drying whole, cased muscle rather than thin strips - don't substitute one for the other.
1) After curing, remove meat and soak in tap water for 4 hours changing water every hour.
2) Remove meat from soak, allow it to drain and then put into stockinettes. Put stockinettes into smoker/oven.
3) Dry at 105°F for 3 hours, dampers open, no humidity.
4) Smoke at 130°F for 6 hours, dampers halfway open, no humidity.
5) Dry at 170°F until product reaches an internal temp of 155°F, dampers open, no humidity.
6) Take out of smoker/oven and take pieces out of stockinettes. Put pieces into a meat poly lug and cover with freezer paper; let stand in refrigerator for 3 - 4 days.
7) After the 3 to 4 days, check product. If it is not done to your liking, put back in smoker/oven and rerun program till done to your liking.
8) Take out next day and slice per your discretion.
Storage Tips:
Dried beef keeps best sliced thin and refrigerated in an airtight container, or vacuum sealed. Because this is a cured whole-muscle product rather than a fully dried one, it does not keep at room temperature the way jerky does, so refrigerate it. If you won't use it within a couple of weeks, vacuum seal and freeze.
