For me, beef jerky conjures up memories of car trips as a kid. Since we always drove to our vacation desinations, whether it was Prince Edward Island or the Rocky Mountains, Mom and Dad would pack a cooler full of pop, sandwiches and peaches and a backpack with snacks, like cheese and crackers and, of course, salty, chewy beef jerky.

So when Jay stoked up a smoker a few weeks ago and announced he had thin-sliced brisket and marinated it all night in spicy jerky seasoning, I was ready to once again sink my teeth into one of my favorite childhood snacks. Little did I know, it would be a million times better than what I remembered.

As Jay demonstrates here, making your own jerky is surprisingly simple, and much more economical than buying it at the store. Plus, jerky is much more versatile these days, than it was back when my family was popping the trunk at scenic overlooks. Now you can make jerky with lots of different types of meats, like turkey, chicken, salmon and more, with a variety of delicious seasonings.

Jay’s Smoked Beef Jerky Steps:

1. You can use a whole brisket or a flat. Slice pieces 1/4″ thick with the grain of the meat. This works best with a partially frozen brisket.

2. Marinate over night in jerky seasonings. Backyard Bash carries the LEM brand, with flavors like hot, original, hickory and mesquite.

3. Using an LEM jerky hanger, Jay skewered his slices and hung them.

4. Smoke for 4 hours or to your desired texture or dryness.

Another way to make jerky:

Use a jerky gun (yup, Backyard Bash has those, too) to turn ground meat into tubes or strips of delicious jerky. Our jerky guns come with two different nozzles and a Backwoods Jerky Seasoning packet to get you started. You’ll also need a jerky grid pan, which will keep air circulating around your meat and reduce drying time while it’s in the smoker or oven!

Want to grind your own meat? Backyard Bash also carries LEM meat grinders!

Do you see yourself, someone you know, or something you cooked in one of the photos? Email us a caption! The first five individuals to email us captions will receive a FREE bottle of Three Little Pigs BBQ Sauce!

Remember, you can download and email photos from our galleries using the controls at the bottom right of the page! Just mouse over each one to see a description of what it does.

A special congratulations to our Grand Championship team, All Sauced Up! The team now owns a Good-One Open Range Smoker, courtesy of Ace of Hearts BBQ Specialties.

And also to our Reserve Grand Champions, How-2 BBQ, winners of a Weber Performer Grill, courtesy of Backyard Bash BBQ Headquarters!

Download the Briar-Q Results here!

Our high-quality 7.5 oz twill apron has large front pockets, an adjustable neck strap with plastic buckle and a pre-shrunk, soil-release finish! Aprons are $19.95 ea.

Backyard Bash t-shirts are 100% cotton with a screen-printed label on the back inside of the collar for maximum comfort! Our red logo pops on the front, and the back lets you know where to come for help “when your ‘butt’ is on the line!” S, M, L, XL are $10.99 ea.; 2XL are $13.99 ea.; 3XL are $16.99 ea.

The 100% cotton, Sportsman cap with embroidered Backyard Bash logo and red bill detail adjusts at the back for a perfect fit! Caps are $14.50 ea.

Also available: Beer coozies only $1.49 ea.!

The Menu

Appetizer: Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip and Crackers or Corn Chips
Side Dish: Spicy Black Beans With Veggies
Side Dish: Asparagus with olive oil and sea salt
Main Course: Kabobs with the meat, fish, or seafood and veggies of your choice!

Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip
Mix 1/4 cup (or more if you like it really spicy) of Fiesta Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip Mix (available at Backyard Bash) with 8 oz cream cheese. Eat immediately with crackers, or chill until ready to serve! Idea: shape dip into a cheese ball after it has been chilled. Place in a decorative bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Grilled Asparagus
Snap ends off of asparagus. Toss with olive oil and sea salt and set aside.

Kabobs
Use your own kabob skewers or choose your favorite flavor of Callison’s Fine Foods Seasoned Skewers from Backyard Bash, available in Thai Coconut Lime, Ginger Mango, Honey Bourbon, Garlic Herb, Citrus Rosemary or Indian Mango Curry.

If you’re using the Callison’s skewers (10 skewers per package), thread your meat and veggies and let them marinate from the inside for 10-15 minutes. (Hint: Package instructions give suggestions for the types of meat and veggies that go great with each flavor. Salmon is especially good with the Ginger Mango skewers!) If you’re using your own skewers, thread marinated meat and veggies onto skewers and grill!

Toss your kabobs on the grill and set aside left over vegetables.

Spicy Black Beans
Pour two cans of black beans (more for larger parties) into a sauce pot. Mix in a couple tablespoons of the Fiesta Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip Mix or to taste (plain mix without the cream cheese). Throw in left over veggies from the kabobs, especially tomatoes, peppers and onions. Let the beans simmer while the kabobs cook.

Put your asparagus on the grill and cook evenly on both sides until tender-crisp.

Pull your kabobs off the grill when chicken is cooked through and enjoy with asparagus and spicy black beans!

Serves 4.

Download Press Release (Word Document)

Click here to check it out!

Backyard Bash and Ace of Hearts BBQ bring you the first ever Briar-Q Backyard Cookoff, set for July 5th, 2008 at Briarcliff Village! If you’re ready to test your backyard BBQ abilities, fill out and return the entry form before June 27th, 2008! Only 25 amateur teams will be accepted.

Notes: The deadline on the entry form is no longer 6/20. The new deadline is now 6/27. Also, you are an amateur competitor if you’ve never won cash in a competition!

Entry Form
Briar-Q Contest Rules

Not only could you win the glory of being a Briar-Q Backyard Cookoff Champion, you could also win one of several coveted prizes:

Grand Champion – The Good-One Open Range Smoker/Grill valued at approximately $1,500
Reserve Grand Champion – Weber Grill
1st Prize for each of the 3 categories: $100 Gift Certificate to Briarcliff Village
2nd Prize for each of the 3 categories: $ 75 Gift Certificate to Briarcliff Village
3rd Prize for each of the 3 categories: $ 50 Gift Certificate to Briarcliff Village

Categories in the competition will be Ribs, Chicken and Anything But. Think you can beat out the competition? Check out the Briar-Q contest rules.