Everything I read about muscle jerky says to slice with the grain, which makes zero sense unless you want to chew it like leather. I slice mine against the grain, about 1/4" thick, put it in a wet brine (just a commercial mix) for 24 hours, then smoke on the pellet grill at 175 for 3 hours and it turns out perfect. Easy to chew, not too dry, just perfect. I've been getting accolades around the office for my jerky!