Smoky Jack’s godfather Beef Jerky – Homemade

In a mood of clear thinking I for once was prepared for lockdowns and stuff like that. Hell no! I wish I was that good at planning… We are down with a couple of rolls of toilet paper and the basic food haha. Luckily stores still have enough of suplies for us not to worry. I made this “Beef Jerky” with the eye on a future event I was about to co-host… The event has been cancelled. Luckily this part of the preppings doesn’t get lost. A snack full of proteins that is excellent to survive any crisis and famine. Though I don’t think/hope it will not come to that! Don’t let it stop you from making this delicious Jack’s Godfather beef jerky! Just because it’s tasty.

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The making of Beef Jerky was actually on my to do list for a while. But just like so many other ideas it took an eternity before I could scratch it from the bucket list. Although… I liked it so much that the beef jerky got it’s place on the bucket list again. Maybe in a different form than the Jack’s godfather beef jerky because I still have some more creative ideas I would like to test. What made me finally get started? Not preparing for the crisis we’re in at the moment. On the contrary… This dish would be part of the “Vuurwerk” event that would take place at the end of this month in collaboration with Brochette.be and Lucifer BBQ. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled due to the known circumstances, which left me with a nice load of emergency supplies.

Beef jerky on Pellet BBQ

Luckily, I shouldn’t feel impeded from just sharing the ideas with you. But we’ll start with the recipe for the beef jerky itself. For those of you who are unsure how to get started. Don’t. It’s a lot easier than you’d think. Half of the work is done by controlling the temperature of your BBQ. The rest is just piece of cake. For this session, I’m using my Traeger Pellet Grill. Although the constant temperature makes it very easy, it’s the large surface area to work on that was the deciding factor. Because you do need surface area to spread the beef jerky nicely during smoking/drying process. Each piece of meat should be nicely spread over the grill so that all pieces can dry out evenly.

Points of attention

What do you have to watch out for when you make the beef jerky? The choice of meat is most important besides of controlling the temperature! Contrary to many other beef recipes, you don’t have to look for an exclusive piece of fat marbled meat! On the contrary. The leaner the better. The fat only increases the risk of rancidity. So you’re looking for a lean piece of beef made of e.g. the belgian white-blue. To infuse extra flavour you can start with a marinade. For the Jack’s godfather beef jerky I use the cocktail carrying the same name as a marinade. Therefor it’s highly adviced to try the cocktail while preparing this beef jerky.

Have fun making this awesome snack! Jack’s Godfather will be proud to admire your version. Maybe he might be slightly drooling hoping for a bite… These are difficult times for the elderly so let them enjoy too! Who knows, maybe soon we will be even more isolated in our homes than we are at the moment. I’m already practicing my smoke signals in case the network gets overloaded! Good luck deciphering the next recipe in that case. Whatever happens where you live! Don’t forget to make the best of the hard times coming ahead! Stay safe and care for the ones you love.

Jack’s Godfather smoky beef jerky

The best beef jerky is the one you make yourself! On your own smoker with your own marinade. The Jack’s godfather marinade, for example. A sip for you and the rest with the meat? Sounds like a great idea to me! Time to smoke!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 500 gr.

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg lean beef

For the marinade

• 8 tbsp cola
• 3 tbsp whisky
• 2 el disaronno
• 2 tbsp lemonade
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp pepper

Instructions

 

• Cut any excess of fat from your lean beef. Then, with a sharp knife, cut slices of beef against the grain into pieces of about 4 mm thick.
• Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Place the strips of beef in a mixing bowl or vacuum bag and pour over the marinade.
• Leave to marinate for 3 hours in vacuum or for 12 hours in a normal mixing bowl.
• Pat the strips dry and spread over the grid of your smoker. Smoke the beef jerky at a temperature of 75°C until they obtain the desired texture. When holding one end between the two fingers, the jerky should remain stiff. When bending, it should not break immediately.

Serve as a snack or as part of another dish. This beef jerky will stay good for a few weeks if kept dry. Enjoy

Keyword bbq, Beef, Beef burger, cocktail, cold smoker, dried, jerky, kamado recipes, low and slow, pellet, Smoky, Traeger, whisky