High Sierra Topix

I think I read on this site that someone uses Chaka's MMM sauce as a marinade for beef jerky. I have used Yoshida's Teriyaki for years and have always gotten rave reviews. I bought a bottle of both to compare side by side.

12 ounces Yoshida's or Chaka's MMM (less than whole bottle)
1/4 cup crushed red pepper (I like it HOT!!!)
1 pound sliced Eye of Round steak (on sale $2.99/lb.)

Here they are, Yoshida's on the right:


I'm going to marinate overnight, then lightly smoke in my Masterbuilt and finish at 170-190*. I have only tried jerky once in this new smoker and found I needed to adjust some things from my old Little Chief.

Out of the marinade and ready to go, added small amount of apple wood and temp at 190*. Sprinkled some more pepper on top, should be hot now!


The finished product, about 4.5 hours later:


Verdict: Chaka's has more of a "steak sauce" flavor and the Yoshida's a more traditional "store bought" teriyaki flavor, but both are excellent.
Can't go wrong with either.
John

Looks good. Really, if you marinade round steak 12-24 hours and go low & slow (like you're doing at 170), it's hard to go wrong. We have a Kamado for smoking, but plain old baking in the oven works just as well. You can also roll-your-own marinade with vegetable oil, apple vinegar, corn syrup (Karo), salt & pepper. For teriyaki flavor, I use sesame oil, rice vinegar & soy sauce. If you like hot, both jalapeno and/or serrano also work along with standard red pepper (cayenne).

As for trail food, I'm finding myself taking less and less and just sticking to Fritos. That sh!t has something like 180 calories/ounce, is full of sodium, and is strangely fulfilling. I'm usually not that hungry when hiking, more so too tired to chew on jerky, but I can keep eating Fritos till the cows come home. Mixed with some heated up dehydrated re-fried beans, it makes for a tasty calorie bomb.

Jerky, GORP, Fritos and re-fried beans also works if you want to go stoveless. Super simple, less stuff, and off you go - the beans re-hydrate on their own by pre-soaking. Here's what I use: https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Fe-Bean-So ... B000FI701Y

Yes, I usually finished up in the oven when I used my Little Chief. Got that nice dark shiny finish. I find just a small amount of wood chips as it's easy to get too smoky flavor.

Fritos. OMG. Last summer I got a bag, had not eaten one probably since I was a kid. Ate so many I felt sick. I've gotten partial to Smokehouse almonds, cashews, and mint M&M's along with jerky. Never been a raisin fan. Raisin cookies, ugh.

I've been making jerky for years, not always just for trips. Heading back to Baja in a couple weeks so I figured I'd whip up a big batch.

John

May have been me who mentioned Chaka's, I've mentioned it in several places. Thanks for the comparison test.

I usually use a more tender and fattier cut of meat (such as pork sirloin) to increase the calorie density and save the chewing muscles.