demmerich I have not dry cured any meat but am interested in trying. I have used a larding needle for the last two years. Bought several to threat spears of thick cut bacon into my deer roast and deer steaks. The bacon changes the flavor for the better and the steaks in particular are more tender. The procedure is not that easy. I will write a separate post on how to do it and will include some photos. Bottom line, try it, I bought
My needles for under $10.

You might want to open your chimney all the way and prop the door open 1 to 3 inches, this should lower the temperature significantly. This how I get my smoker down to 125 to start the drying cycle for jerky.