Smoked Dried Beef cure recipe?

Deadeye007 · Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 1

Hi All...growing up in Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota, I loved the smoked dried beef which some of the local butchers would make themselves, sliced real thin and used for sandwiches. Out here on the East coast, its impossible to find. The only thing close around here is commercial pastrami, which is way to spicey, not consistently smoked, and needs to be fried really well, so you don't ingest a gallon of grease. After several days of searching the Web, I have yet to find a curing recipe for 'smoked dried beef' as us farmboys would have had out in the midwest. Since I have this urge to make some, and have a WSM, just wondering if anybody has a recipe. My thought was to use the pastrami recipes 'sans spices', but I'm not sure thats all there is to it. I don't want to make jerky, but a dry slightly salty flavorful smoked beef 'luncheon meat'.

Any help would be greatly appreciated for a curing recipe...thanks in advance.

-Greg

Rosco · BBQ Fan Joined: 29 Jul 2005 Posts: 184 Location: NW IN

Deadeye....What I have done is to coat your beef with a good layer of coarse salt, Kosher or Sea salt, Put it in a vacuum bag, and refrigerate over night, turning a couple of times. Next day, build a small fire in your smoker. Rinse the salt off the beef, to taste, and slowly smoke. I try to keep the fire as low as possible. Add wood as needed, and smoke until the desired doneness is reached. I have done this overnight, to make Carne Seca, a Brazillian type of dried beef, and it was perfect. Without knowing the size or cut of meat you want to use, I can't tell you the length of cooking time, sorry, but you can work that up yourself. The fun is in the experimentation.
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jensaks · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 15

Hi,
I just posted a message about what sounds like the same thing you're talking about! My grandpa used to smoke whole roasts and would send us a hunk of meat from time to time. He was Swiss, and I always wondered if this was something he learned from his parents, who would have done it in the homeland. It was SO GOOD! Smile

Quite dry (but not chokingly dry) and dense, and made wonderful sandwiches! There were no spices in it--just meat--and I don't remember it being salty, just smoky and very well done. Does this sound like what you grew up with?
Jennifer

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Mar 14 2008 Post subject:

Are you referring to the same stuff that can be found in a glass container with a steel top. Dried beef? As in like for Schitt on a shingle?

I think it wuld need to be fully cured, them slowly smoked to get the correct moisture content.

A real basic and easy cure is using tenderquick at a ratio of 1 TBS per each pound of raw meat., Let it cure for it's required time (dependent on thickness) rinse, pat dry and smoke it as low as you can, but above 145 degrees.

This might turn out what you want.
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jensaks · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 15

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Mar 14 2008 Post subject:

Tough call on that one Jen, I would think for proper preservation a cure would need to be used that contains nitrates/nitrites.
And one thing they accomplish very well is setting the red color of the meat.

And not salty either?

You got me curious now, I do not think smoke by itself would be enough to properly preserve the meat and to take it to the moisture content you are describing.

I am planning on making a dried cured beef once the local stores start stocking some decent roast's around here, My plan is to make something similar to the dried stuff I described, but whole muscle as opposed to the chopped & formed.

if you do find what you are looking for, please share the recipe.

Have you tried any historical societies up around rural MN? Maybe some old churchs affiliated with "the sons of Norway" group. They might be able to help. If they are not gorging themselves on Lutefisk the day you call.

Maybe it's a lye-cured beef, similar to how lutefisk is prepped???
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SoEzzy · Posted: Mar 14 2008 Post subject:

I'm going out on a limb here and I'll name that beef, kippered beef I have found lots of references to kippered beef, but I have yet to find a clear description of how and what it is, I've found lots of information around it but none exactly about it.

Kippered beef has a higher moisture to meat content than jerky, but I can't tell if it is cold smoked in a smokehouse for 10 or more days, or if it is hot smoked with attention paid to the humidity and moisture levels in the smokehouse.

Perhaps there is an elderly relative who might give you a clue about either a name or method?
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jensaks · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 15

jensaks · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 15

jensaks · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 15

SoEzzy · Posted: Mar 15 2008 Post subject:

Apparently bottom round would be used instead of brisket as you want less fat rather than more, or it may go rancid instead of drying / curing.

Looking under swiss gave me this Link "air dried meat"!
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Teleking · Posted: Mar 15 2008 Post subject:

Don�t know about curing, but just over cook a roast. Had a remote probe go bad and stuck at 154*f forever. Hit is with the analog and it read 190 internal and I think that might be what your looking for. Heavy smoke ring, well done, and dry. Sliced on deli slicer and made sammies out of it.
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