Anyone have a recipe for turkey jerky using a smoker?

Quick-Cook Seasoning

Hot Marinade

•2 cups salt

•1 cup brown sugar

•1 cup cider (if you can't get cider, cut back to half cup of sugar and use apple juice)

•1 teaspoon cloves

•1 teaspoon black pepper

•½ teaspoon garlic powder

•2 quarts water

Mix it all in a large pot and bring to rolling boil. Don't overload the pot. Make two or three batches if needed. Leave the meat in until about one minute after the rolling boil returns. Pat dry and take to your dryer.

Cold marinade (for approximately 1 pound of meat)

•2 tablespoons soy sauce

•2 drops Tabasco

•¼ teaspoon salt

•¼ teaspoon black pepper

•1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all and put in Zip-Lock bag with meat. Massage to get meat well coated. Refrigerate overnight. Pat dry and put in dryer.

As with any of my recipes, the above is not written in stone. I urge my readers to experiment to find the flavors that are perfect for them. I would like a decent amount of cayenne and some onion powder in my seasonings. You might want to try a little chili powder for a Southwestern flavor. However, don't leave out the salt, it helps draw the moisture out of the meat.

Getting the Moisture Out

If you are of pioneer spirit and want to try sun drying the jerky, you will need to find something to hang it on where the pieces of meat do not touch. You put a little cotton string in the top of each piece to hang it by. The meat goes into a location where it will get sun all day. You will need to cover it with cheesecloth to keep the bugs off. It will take several days to dry. You have to bring it in at night to keep the morning dew off.

More resources:

•How to Make Your Own Chili Powder

•Buzzard's Breath Chili

•Dry Rub for Chicken, Ribs or Brisket

•Beer Marinade for Beef

•The Wurst of Times: Making Sausage

Jerky is "done" when it has turned nearly black and, when you bend it, it will crack but not break.

The good dehydrators will come with instructions for making jerky. Follow those directions, as they will vary from machine to machine.

Easiest way is to dry the jerky in your oven. You will need a wire rack or something like that for the jerky to rest on. You want a cookie sheet in the bottom of your oven to catch the drippings. Set the oven at 140 degrees and leave the door partially open. It will take six to eight hours to cure the jerky.

If you have a smoker, I think that would be the best since it will give you some great smoke flavor. You will need only a small amount of coals for the drying. If you use charcoal, about six or eight bricks should do. If you are using coals, about a handful of them. You are not cooking the jerky, so keep the temperature down to about 140 degrees. This method will take about six or eight hours. You will probably have to add some coals or charcoal as you go.

To make jerky first start with a very lean cut of meat. You can use most anything but I recommend starting out with something like a sirloin tip roast because it's generally lean and easy to work with. Trim all the fat from the meat. Fat will become rancid fast and will increase the drying times. Cut the meat across the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Now if you look at some of the recipes I have listed, you will see some different spice mixtures and marinades. Pick something that appeals to you sense of taste. However if you want to keep it simple sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and start smoking.

When smoking jerky you need a low temperature and little smoke. Ideally you need a temperature just under 150 degrees F. If you are using an electric smoker you can introduce a small amount of smoke, but if you are smoking over a charcoal or hardwood fire you will get plenty of smoke from this. You need to smoker or dry your jerky until it is completely dry. Depending on how you do it and your climate this can take 12 to 72 hours.

Electric Smoker Turkey Recipe

The mild flavor of turkey makes a perfect starting point for your favorite flavors in this turkey jerky recipe. It is also lower in fat than beef jerky. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your own tastes. If you do not own a dehydrator, you can use your oven on the lowest setting and leave the oven door slightly ajar for air circulation. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 12 hours, Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce 1-1/2 teaspoons mesquite flavoring liquid 2 teaspoons light brown sugar, packed 1 Tablespoon onion powder 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pound turkey meat, sliced thin Preparation: Combine liquid smoke, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mesquite flavoring, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt in a large zip-top bag. Add turkey strips to the marinade, seal, and squish to coat all the meat. Re-open the bag, squeeze out all the air, re-seal, and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Remove turkey strips from marinade and gently pat off excess moisture with a paper towel. Place strips in a single layer, with space in between, on dehydrator racks. Dehydrate until turkey jerky is leathery and chewy but not crisp enough to snap when bent. Store jerky in sealed bags in the refrigerator.