my intuition was finer being better, but having never done it, I wasn't really sure if it mattered. good information fellas. thanks for all the input.
jerky guns
- Thread starter Jamie
- Start date
Smawgunner2
Active Member
I second the high mountain variety kit. Thumbs up.
The reward! Six pounds of meat made two and a half pounds! Now I need some beer lol.
For anyone else shopping for a jerky extruder, here is what I found. After a little research and comparison shopping, these three appear to be the most desirable for my needs, and all pretty much the same. exactly the same in specs and capacity. the LEM and Backyard Pro look exactly the same, but the Backyard Pro comes with four nozzles as does Cabela's
Cabela's Jerky Gun | Cabela's (cabelas.com) $50 comes with four nozzles, loading funnel, meat stomper, cleaning brush
Jerky Shooter with Tube - 1 1/2 lb. (Backyard Pro) | WebstaurantStore $30 comes with four nozzles and cleaning brush. This is the one I'm going to get.
LEM's Original Jerky Cannon | LEM Products $60 comes with two nozzles, cleaning brush and two seasoning packets for 5lbs of meat each.
Jerky Gun - Makes Strips, Snacks Sticks & Sausage – JerkySpot.com $58 nearly twice the capacity of the others, comes with two nozzles and cleaning brush. Out of stock, maybe out of production.
since I already have a meat stomper, and I would rather have the four nozzles and more metal parts than plastic, and see no real benefit of the loading funnel, I'm probably going to order the Backyard Pro. I have bought numerous items from Webstaurant.com and all have exceeded my expectations. It's a great place to buy commercial quality cookware and utensils for reasonable money. I'll order the seasoning packets I want elsewhere.
Cabela's Jerky Gun | Cabela's (cabelas.com) $50 comes with four nozzles, loading funnel, meat stomper, cleaning brush
Jerky Shooter with Tube - 1 1/2 lb. (Backyard Pro) | WebstaurantStore $30 comes with four nozzles and cleaning brush. This is the one I'm going to get.
LEM's Original Jerky Cannon | LEM Products $60 comes with two nozzles, cleaning brush and two seasoning packets for 5lbs of meat each.
Jerky Gun - Makes Strips, Snacks Sticks & Sausage – JerkySpot.com $58 nearly twice the capacity of the others, comes with two nozzles and cleaning brush. Out of stock, maybe out of production.
since I already have a meat stomper, and I would rather have the four nozzles and more metal parts than plastic, and see no real benefit of the loading funnel, I'm probably going to order the Backyard Pro. I have bought numerous items from Webstaurant.com and all have exceeded my expectations. It's a great place to buy commercial quality cookware and utensils for reasonable money. I'll order the seasoning packets I want elsewhere.
steveOh
Junior Member
Cracked Pepper & Garlic is what the gang likes at my favorite local tavern.
Webstaurant.com wants $20 more dollars to ship this $30 jerky gun. So, they can suck my balls. Looking like Cabela's now, lol. I've got beaucoup points saved up. might as well use some of them.
Where do you guys usually get that Hi Mountain Cracked Pepper & Garlic seasoning kit?
I did end up getting the Cabela's 15" jerky blaster. it is a quality piece of equipment. better than any of my other caulking guns, lol. I also ordered a Hi Mt variety pack and a pack of cracked pepper and garlic. I'm trusting you guys on this one. 
so I go to mix up 2 pounds of venison as my trial run, which I will dry in my convection oven in the house today since it is 20* outside and don't feel like dicking with my smoker for this trial run. Mostly I just want to see how well the mix extrudes, how many racks I'll need, etc. the usual stuff a first timer has to figure out. anyway, I'm reading the top of the box on the variety pack and it says each pack will season 4lbs of muscle meat or 2lbs of ground. The instruction leaflet in the box says something quite different. WTF Hi Mountain? I followed the measurements from the leaflet, working under the assumption that I can add more if necessary. I measured out the 1 TB and 2tsp of seasoning, and it was about 1/2 of the contents of the packet. Am I reading this wrong or is this completely contradictory information? the pic is of the leaflet on top, variety pack box top on the bottom. after mixing per the leaflet instructions, the meat smelled properly seasoned and got tacky once thoroughly mixed.
so I go to mix up 2 pounds of venison as my trial run, which I will dry in my convection oven in the house today since it is 20* outside and don't feel like dicking with my smoker for this trial run. Mostly I just want to see how well the mix extrudes, how many racks I'll need, etc. the usual stuff a first timer has to figure out. anyway, I'm reading the top of the box on the variety pack and it says each pack will season 4lbs of muscle meat or 2lbs of ground. The instruction leaflet in the box says something quite different. WTF Hi Mountain? I followed the measurements from the leaflet, working under the assumption that I can add more if necessary. I measured out the 1 TB and 2tsp of seasoning, and it was about 1/2 of the contents of the packet. Am I reading this wrong or is this completely contradictory information? the pic is of the leaflet on top, variety pack box top on the bottom. after mixing per the leaflet instructions, the meat smelled properly seasoned and got tacky once thoroughly mixed.
I read it the same as you Jamie. If you are doing 2 lbs then that should be one packet according to those directions.
From my packet of backwoods seasoning it states 1tb 2 1/4tsp of seasoning per pound of ground. 1/4 tsp of cure per pound of ground. I would think it would be similar for all brands.
From my packet of backwoods seasoning it states 1tb 2 1/4tsp of seasoning per pound of ground. 1/4 tsp of cure per pound of ground. I would think it would be similar for all brands.
I was always under the impression that the curing salt Instacure #1 aka "pink curing salt" or "Prague powder" is always the same stuff.
My bulk Instacure #1 that I use for making smoked sausages and bacon is 6.25% sodium nitrite. the curing agent that comes with these Hi Mt seasonings is only .85% sodium nitrite. This explains why you need what seems to me like way too much. I'm used to using a more concentrated (7.35 times more) curing salt when mixing my own seasonings with cure
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Yo Jamie - do you remember those "chedder cheese smokies" I gave you at the Willard shoot - I still get them once in a while when I go to Cland - shops still makes the just as good as ever - lol
lol, how could I forget? that is some quality freaking sausage. these days, good sausage is not easy to come by unless you make your own.
My trial run went well on Thursday. I'm rather glad I ended up with the Cabela's jerky blaster. the brushes and stomper that came with it have proven to be very helpful. I have quite a lot of Cabela's brand commercial meat processing equipment, and it has really served me well, and this jerky shooter is going to get a workout, too. I'm with Joe on the seasoning. I added about 25% or so more seasoning than the recipe suggested to everything I made today. Better.
Yesterday when I got my squirrels put up I mixed up three one pound batches of different seasonings and two pounds of Cracked Pepper and Garlic and let them get happy overnight. I dried the one pound batches in the oven. The convection oven set at 175* does a marvelous job of drying this formed jerky in 2-3 hours. I used the Kitchen-Aid mixer to mix everything this time, and it does a better job in two or three minutes than I can do in ten minutes by hand. I use a large motorized mixer to mix 25lb batches of sausage, so I figured the stand mixer would also do better than by hand for these smaller amounts. I think it does, and it also smooths out the texture of the meat slightly if you let it go long enough, which I like, too.
The two pounds of cracked pepper and garlic went to the smoker. I dried the jerky for 1 hour at 180* to get a pellicle, then put smoke on it for about an hour and a half, then let it go for another hour without smoke. When the other three batches were done in the oven, I brought the smoked jerky in to finish it in the oven. After nearly 4 hours in the smoker, it was only about 75% done without the benefit of moving air to help dry it. 40 minutes in the convection oven and it was perfect. A little more smoke wouldn't hurt, but I would not want any less. This is just about perfect. The small amount of smoke flavor is quite nice with the cracked pepper and garlic. Tonight, Nancy and I will have a jerky tasting. might sample some liquor, too.
Making formed jerky this way is pretty dang easy and fun. Wish I had started doing it 25 years sooner. I really like jerky. now I can afford it, lol.
Yesterday when I got my squirrels put up I mixed up three one pound batches of different seasonings and two pounds of Cracked Pepper and Garlic and let them get happy overnight. I dried the one pound batches in the oven. The convection oven set at 175* does a marvelous job of drying this formed jerky in 2-3 hours. I used the Kitchen-Aid mixer to mix everything this time, and it does a better job in two or three minutes than I can do in ten minutes by hand. I use a large motorized mixer to mix 25lb batches of sausage, so I figured the stand mixer would also do better than by hand for these smaller amounts. I think it does, and it also smooths out the texture of the meat slightly if you let it go long enough, which I like, too.
The two pounds of cracked pepper and garlic went to the smoker. I dried the jerky for 1 hour at 180* to get a pellicle, then put smoke on it for about an hour and a half, then let it go for another hour without smoke. When the other three batches were done in the oven, I brought the smoked jerky in to finish it in the oven. After nearly 4 hours in the smoker, it was only about 75% done without the benefit of moving air to help dry it. 40 minutes in the convection oven and it was perfect. A little more smoke wouldn't hurt, but I would not want any less. This is just about perfect. The small amount of smoke flavor is quite nice with the cracked pepper and garlic. Tonight, Nancy and I will have a jerky tasting. might sample some liquor, too.
Making formed jerky this way is pretty dang easy and fun. Wish I had started doing it 25 years sooner. I really like jerky. now I can afford it, lol.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
also, I mixed up Original flavor, Hickory, and Cajun from the Hi Mountain variety pack. not a loser in the bunch, The cracked pepper and garlic is excellent, and even more excellent with a little apple and hickory smoke on it. you fellers have better taste than I thought.
I have found a new rabbit hole.
I have found a new rabbit hole.