Method

To me, jerky is something that you should customise to be whatever it is you like. At my house, that means pulling it off the smoker when it isn't fully dried and it is still a little chewy. This means it may not store as long, but to be honest, it tastes so good, it doesn't last anyway. For you this could mean trying out different ingredients-maybe adding in chilli flakes or including some fresh cut chillis in the marinade-what ever makes you happy!

1. I like to start by placing my meat into the freezer for about an hour or so. This allows for the meat to get firm, without freezing, making it so much easier to cut into strips.

2. Cut the jerky into strips. Generally I make mine about an inch wide and about 1/8 inch or 1/2 cm thick. I personally like them to be fairly long, this way I can drape it over the grates of my smoker, allowing to smoke more at once, but do whatever works for you and your smoker.

3. Mix all of your remaining ingredients together and let it marinade at least overnight in the fridge.

4. Set up your smoker and preheat to about 200 F. Choose your favourite wood for smoke (I usually use hickory or oak)

5. Place the strips so that they aren't overlapping. I personally like to hang them over the grates of my UDS, so that I can fill the smoker with the strips, but do whatever works for you and your barbecue.

6. Smoke until it meets your desired texture. For me this usually takes 3-4 hours, but it depends mostly on how thick you cut your jerky and how you like the jerky.