The Great Jerky Experiment

So I decided to try and make Beef Jerky in the smoker for the first time...

I just need to cut the meat into strips...

Add the rub to the meat in a freezer bag...

Let it sit for a couple of hours...

Now at this point I headed out and fired up the electric smoker.  After about an hour it was time to load the beast.  I open the door to the smoker to find it ice cold!  It is plugged in, ice cold and there is an error message flashing on the control box: EAAF.

So I Google the code and this is what I get: If the internal temp is less than 40 F you will get this code. Warm up the heat sensing probe and it should work just fine.  Well this makes a ton of sense!  Who would EVER think of smoking meat when it is below 40 degrees outside. I check the temperature and it reads a balmy 27 degrees. I look all over inside the smoker but I can't find the sensor that I am supposed to heat up!

I finally give up and move the entire operation over to the Traeger grill. All is well.

After about an hour I head into the garage because the pellets are getting low.  Nope, we are out of pellets!  I figure I can nurse this thing along and get the job done if I'm very careful with the temperature settings.

I make several trips back and forth working the grill temperature settings between Smoke and Medium heat.  I'm into the 3rd hour of smoking and I come out to check the meat and it all goes to HELL!  I have accidently moved the temperature switch to the left instead of the right.  This means I have been cooking the meat on HIGH for the last half hour!

Result: One third of my strips have turned into charcoal.  Now I could have continued to smoke the rest had I not finished off the last of my pellets in an errant blaze of glory but it's over and I pull what I can save.

The meat that survived is great!  It didn't go as planned but there is always next time.