Preparation before use
1. Equipment inspection and cleaning
Cleaning: When using for the first time or not using for a long time, the inside and outside of the furnace must be thoroughly cleaned. Use food grade cleaning agents and a soft cloth to wipe the inner walls, hanging rods, trays, etc. Then rinse with clean water and air dry.
Check: Confirm that the power supply, wires, and switches are normal; Check if the fan is running smoothly; Confirm that the electric heating tube is not damaged; Ensure that the smoke generator (if independent) pipeline is unobstructed.
No load test run: The equipment can be turned on and set to a lower temperature (such as 60 ℃) for 10-15 minutes to remove any possible odors or impurities.
2. Raw material (beef) processing
Beef needs to be marinated or seasoned before entering the smoking oven.
Slitting: Cut the beef into evenly sized strips along the texture (e.g. 1.5cm x 1.5cm x 10cm). Uniform size is the key to ensuring simultaneous drying.
Marination: Mix the beef strips thoroughly with the selected spices, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and other seasonings, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Surface drying (important!): Take out the beef strips from the marinade, use kitchen paper to absorb excess juice from the surface, and hang them in a well ventilated area for about 1 hour to form a dry film on the surface. This step can prevent the surface of beef jerky from being too wet and the color from being too dark during smoking, and allow the smoked flavor to adhere better.
3. Material and fuel preparation
Plate/hanger: Hang the processed beef strips evenly on the hanger or lay them flat on a baking tray in a single layer. There should be sufficient gaps between the strips to ensure even circulation of hot air and smoke.
Smoked wood chips: Choose fruit wood chips (such as apple wood, cherry wood) or wood chips with milder flavors such as walnut and mountain walnut. Avoid using wood with high resin content such as pine. Wood chips need to be kept dry and placed in the designated smoking box.
2、 Operation process (taking the classic program of "drying smoking baking" as an example)
Modern smoking ovens are usually equipped with a microcomputer control panel, which can accurately set the temperature, time, humidity, and smoking volume for different stages.
Phase 1: Drying
The purpose of this stage is to remove some moisture from the surface and interior of the beef, in preparation for smoking.
Purpose: Preliminary dehydration to solidify the protein on the surface of beef, facilitating the absorption of smoky flavor.
Parameter settings:
Temperature: 50 ℃ -60 ℃
Time: 30-60 minutes (specific time depends on the thickness and quantity of beef strips)
Fan: On (promotes air circulation and uniform drying)
Moisture removal: Open (to remove moisture from the furnace)
Smoking: Close
Status judgment: The surface of the beef strip has noticeably dried and the color has become lighter.
Phase 2: Smoking
This stage is the key to endowing beef jerky with a unique flavor.
Purpose: To allow the smoke generated by wood to penetrate into beef, creating a smoky flavor and golden color.
Parameter settings:
Temperature: 60 ℃ -70 ℃ (Low temperature smoking to avoid rapid protein coagulation and allow smoke to penetrate deeply)
Time: 60-120 minutes (the longer the time, the stronger the smoky flavor)
Fan: turned on (to evenly fill the entire furnace with smoke)
Dehumidification: Partially closed or intermittently opened to maintain sufficient smoke concentration inside the furnace.
Smoking: Turn on and set the appropriate amount of smoke.
Status judgment: The surface of beef jerky presents an enticing golden or brownish red color.
Stage 3: Baking/Maturing
This stage involves thoroughly drying the beef jerky to the desired texture and ensuring complete internal maturation.
Purpose: Thoroughly dehydrate to achieve ideal dry hardness and shelf life; Sterilization ensures food safety.
Parameter settings:
Temperature: 70 ℃ -80 ℃ (adjustable according to desired hardness, the higher the hardness, the harder it is)
Time: 2-4 hours or even longer (until reaching the desired dryness)
Fan: turned on
Moisture removal: Turn on (continuously release the moisture from the drying process)
Smoking: Close
Status judgment: Take out a beef jerky, cool it for a few minutes, and bend it by hand. The ideal beef jerky should be tough, bendable but with fine fiber tears on the surface, rather than breaking easily (too dry and hard) or leaking moisture (not dry enough).