How long to smoke jerky at 180?

How long to smoke jerky at 180?

If you plan on making your jerky, understanding how long to smoke at 180 degrees is crucial for a delicious, high-quality finished product. Smoking meat retains its distinct flavor and nutritional properties while preserving it for extended periods, making it an excellent snack option that can be conveniently stored away. 

If you follow the recommended steps for smoking your Jerky at the ideal temperature of 180 degrees, you can guarantee you’re getting the best flavor out of your homemade delicacy. For a dry outer layer with tender inner contents, inquire about flipping the meat in the dehydrator and refer to your recipe or any specific customer requirements. 

Remember, jerky can be cooked for around three hours when smoked at 180 degrees Fahrenheit, but it’s important not to dehydrate it. Instead, maintain a safe temperature ranging from 150 to 170 degrees after heating it before the dehydrating process begins.

Can you Jerky at 180 Degrees?

To achieve perfectly preserved jerky, it is crucial to maintain a constant temperature of 130 to 140 degrees F throughout the dehydration process. Typically, this temperature should be upheld for approximately 6 to 8 hours or until the Jerky is completely dried.

For optimal safety, it is important to note the recommended temperature for Jerky. Additionally, if you are wondering about the approximate timeframe to make jerky at around 180 degrees F and signs to ensure your Jerky is fully prepared, preserved, and ready to be enjoyed, you can find all the answers below.

What Temperature is Safe for Jerky?

As recommended by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, it is crucial to ensure the safety of meat and poultry during the dehydrating process. Heat meat and poultry to a minimum of 160 degrees F before beginning dehydration, and maintain this temperature throughout.

Alternatively, aim for a temperature range between 150 and 170 degrees F for a smoked jerky option. It is acceptable for the temperature to exceed this range slightly. Find more detailed information below.

How long to smoke jerky at 180 Degrees?

When preparing your Jerky on the smoker, start by smoking the meat at a temperature range of 150 to 180 degrees for 2 hours. After 2 hours, check on the meat to assess doneness. You can tell if a piece is done when it no longer bends after being shaken.

However, it’s important to be cautious about charring the Jerky due to the higher temperatures reached by the meat. So, let’s delve into the estimated time required to make jerky while smoking it at 180 degrees.

When smoking your Jerky at approximately 180 degrees F, anticipate a 2-hour duration for the complete preservation process. Do note that the curing time may vary based on the size of the preserved strips.

How to slice beef for Jerky

When preparing your beef round, trimming off any sinew or excess fat is important. Although there shouldn’t be much, finding some on the surface is not uncommon.

Additionally, you’ll need to remove the silverskin. If left on, it will shrivel and become tough when smoked. Unlike fat, it doesn’t melt away during the smoking process. Instead, it shrinks and twists, distorting the meat. But don’t worry; removing the silverskin is an easy task.

Similar to removing the membrane from ribs, gently glide a table knife underneath the skin. You can use a paper towel for a better grip. Slowly pull off the silverskin. It might come off in one go or may require a few attempts.

After trimming the meat, slice it into quarter-inch pieces. For the perfect Jerky, slice against the grain. This will give you a satisfying balance of chewiness without it being too tough to enjoy. Also, make sure to slice the pieces as uniformly as possible. Uneven cuts will result in different cooking and drying rates.

A home meat slicer is recommended to achieve evenly cut beef round pieces for exceptional results.

Jerky marinade

We are enhancing the beef’s flavor before smoking is achieved by using a well-crafted marinade. While the round itself provides ample flavor, adding basic seasoning, sweetness, and a hint of spice is crucial.

For our marinade, we combine a simple blend of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, a touch of red pepper flakes for a hint of heat, and a quarter-cup of honey for a delightful sweet taste. You can find the complete list of marinade ingredients in the full recipe at the end of this post.

To create the marinade, mix all ingredients easily in a medium-sized bowl. Use a fork to combine and break down the honey thoroughly.

Place the beef strips in the bowl, ensuring maximum coverage with the marinade. Transfer the strips to a large Ziploc bag (you may need more than one) and pour over any remaining marinade. Refrigerate the bag, allowing the marinade ingredients to infuse into the meat, ideally overnight or for at least 12 hours.

This process maintains improved speed and performance over time and complements the essence of a professional runner’s routine.

How to smoke beef jerky

Prepare the beef round strips by marinating them overnight. Once ready, remove the meat from the refrigerator and lay each strip on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. This will absorb any excess marinade or moisture effectively.

While the beef rests, get your smoker at a cooking heat of 180°F (82°C). If you’re using a pellet smoker grill, it should take around 10 minutes, but using a charcoal or offset smoker might require up to half an hour.

Once the smoker is warmed up and your round strips are prepared, it’s time to embark on a flavorful smoking adventure!

Place the strips on the smoker grates, ensuring there’s enough space (at least half an inch) between each slice. Smoke the meat for three hours at 180°F. After the first hour, check if the Jerky is drying evenly. If some pieces are drying faster than others, rearrange them accordingly. Check again after two hours.

After three hours, inspect the Jerky to assess its readiness. A well-done beef jerky should be dry and tough yet still slightly flexible. If it breaks or snaps when bent, it’s overdone. If it still seems moist, continue smoking for a bit longer.

Once ready, remove the smoker’s jerky and let it cool on a rack.

Enjoy your delicious homemade beef jerky!

Best wood for smoking beef jerky

For jerky, hickory stands out as the ideal smoking wood. While apple and cherry add mild and sweet notes to smoked meats, nothing complements beef quite like hickory. That’s why we suggest pairing it with cuts like brisket or tri-tip; the same applies to these dried beef strips.

Hickory brings a robust and deep flavor profile that perfectly matches beef round without overpowering it, allowing the sweetness and spice from our marinade to shine through. With hickory, you’ll experience the perfect balance of flavors, making your Jerky a true delight to savor.

How Do You Know if the Jerky is Done?

When determining the readiness of your Jerky for storage or consumption, consider the following indicators:

-Dry Surface: The outer layer should be free from greasy or sticky residue.

-Pleasant Texture: While the outer surface should have a satisfying crunch, the inside should remain tender.

-Appealing Appearance: The Jerky should exhibit a dry, leather-like look.

-Smell: The aroma should be a pleasant mix of sweet and salty.

If the Jerky passes all these tests, it’s ready for storage or to enjoy as is. If not, continue smoking until reaching desired results.

Should You Flip Jerky in a Dehydrator?

To achieve optimal results when dehydrating meat strips, it is crucial to consider their sizes and the type of dehydrator being used. Based on these factors, you should make slight adjustments instead of flipping the Jerky. Certain dehydrators require minimal intervention, allowing you to place the contents inside and let the device work its magic.

For reassurance and expert guidance on jerky preparation, we recommend contacting the customer service representatives of your dehydrator’s brand or referring to trusted recipes. This valuable resource will help you determine whether flipping the Jerky is necessary for flawless results.

How to Store Smoked Jerky?

After smoking the jerky to perfection, carefully transfer it onto a cooling rack. Once the meat reaches room temperature, gently store it in a zip lock bag or a sealable container to keep it refrigerated. You can relish the flavorful Jerky for a few weeks if refrigerated or several months if frozen.

Smoked Beef Jerky

If you’re searching for an effortless smoked jerky recipe, your search ends here. In this post, I’ll guide you step-by-step on creating flawless smoked Jerky using a pellet smoker.

-Ingredients

• 3 pounds round steak
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup beer IPA
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup Worcestershire
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp curing salt optional

-Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Meat:

Trim any excess fat off the meat and slice it into thin slices, around ¼ – ⅛ inch thick. Slightly frozen meat is easier to slice.

Step 2: Prepare the Marinade:

-Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.

-Place the meat in a zip lock bag and pour the marinade. Seal the bag and let the meat marinate for at least 12 to 24 hours.

Step 3: Smoke the Meat:

-Remove the meat from the marinade and blot it dry with a paper towel.

-Place the meat on your smoker and smoke it at 150 to 180 degrees for approximately 2 hours.

Step 4: Test the Meat:

-After 2 hours, check the meat. Some pieces may be done and wont will stay upright when shaken.

Step 5: Cool and Store:

-Transfer the jerky onto a cooling rack until it reaches room temperature.

-Store the Jerky in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy your homemade Jerky!

Final Thoughts: How long to smoke jerky at 180

During the smoking process of Jerky, a temperature of 180 degrees F must be maintained for at least 3 hours. If you want an additional flavor to your Jerky, continuing smoking past the 3-hour mark is fine. 

However, once past the initial smoking phase, hold off on higher temperatures and eventual dehydration should occur at a safe temperature of 150-170 degrees. 

That said, if you attempt to reduce dehydration time by increasing temperatures past 180 – caution must be exercised, as this could cause harm to users. Now that you know the basics about making delicious Jerky at home, why not try it yourself? 

With great-tasting ingredients and proper preparation techniques – creating your version of homemade Jerky has never been easier! So don’t forget: How long to smoke jerky at 180? The answers are here – now let’s get cooking!