Recipe(tried): Smoked Home-made Beef Jerky

Smokers are wonderful utensils when you get used to them. As far as using Garlic in it, there really are no limits. Cut off the first 1/4 inch of a whole bulb, wrap it in foil and let it cook with whatever you are smoking until it is soft to the touch. Then scoop out the garlic and spread it like butter. Or take a whole Bulb, crush it, and add bits of it directly into the charcoal pan husks and all. You can use fresh herbs as smoke agents as well. Sage, Rosemary, Basil and Tarragon all work well this way.

Here is one of my favorite recipes for some nice chewy beef jerky:

1 Lb. bottom round or sirloin ( trimmed of ALL fat! )
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of your favorite steak sauce
2 tbl. fresh ground pepper ( the coarser the better )
1 tbl. kosher salt
After trimming all the fat off the meat, ( there can be no fat because the fat may go sour and cause you to get sick if the beef is stored for a long period of time ) cut the meat into 1/8 inch strips against the grain of the meat. ( cutting with the grain is ok, but it will make the jerky VERY tough and chewy!!! )
mix all the other ingredients in a non-metalic bowl, and let the meat marinade for at least 24 hours.

place the coals in the bottom pan, and layer the meat in a single layer on the rack(s).

if you have a thermometer on your smoker, you want the temp to be in the IDEAL or slightly lower temp range. Do not use the water pan. Here is where you can experiment with your choice of smoke agents if you like, or just settle on some good Hickory chips soaked in water for a few hours. It doesn't take long for the beef to dry, but the longer and slower method is best.