Beef jerky is a very good choice for wild survival because it can be stored for a long time and is nutritious. But do you know how long to dehydrate beef jerky and how to make it?
Using a food dehydrator, you can dehydrate meat and create tasty jerky in 4 to 5 hours. In an oven, it should take 3 to 4 hours, and in an air fryer, it should take 2 hours. Jerky should be dried at a constant temperature of 160 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
I make my own jerky at home because I’m a meat connoisseur, so I have some experience with the dehydrating process. Jerky is worth the wait even though the dehydrating process might take a while.
In this article, I’ve examined how long it takes to make the ideal beef jerky.
Table of Contents
Factors Affecting Jerky Drying Times
A drying time can be estimated with practice by adjusting certain variables, which can either shorten or lengthen the time it takes to dehydrate any jerky.
Thickness: The thickness of the meat will impact drying time, as it does with any dehydrating process. Simply put, jerky that is thicker will take longer to dehydrate.
Slice the jerky not more than 1/8 inch (3mm) thick and not less than 1/4 inch (6mm). This range will provide a good texture without making it too difficult to completely dry the jerky.
Method Of Dehydration: The amount of time required to dehydrate jerky will vary depending on whether you dry it in a special food dehydrator, an oven, or even outside in the sun. The fastest and most effective method is using a dehydrator; sun drying and oven drying will typically take longer as there is less airflow.
Marinade & Salt: Before beginning to dehydrate the jerky, you must completely blot any wet marinade. In order for the jerky to start drying, the marinade must first completely dry off if it is left on the surface of the meat.
The amount of moisture in the meat before drying is also influenced by the salt content. Salt helps draw flavor from the marinade or rub into the jerky while simultaneously removing moisture from the meat.
Dehydrator Temperature: It’s crucial to know what temperature you need to dehydrate jerky at. Jerky must be heated completely to 160°F (71°C) or, for poultry, 165°F (74°C), in order to render meat safe to consume and kill potential pathogens.
Once this temperature has been reached internally, you can reduce the heat used to dehydrate the jerky to between 130 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The meat will dehydrate more quickly if you leave it dehydrating at a higher temperature, but the texture will be more brittle and unappealing.
How Long Does Jerky Take in a Dehydrator at 160 Degrees?
Jerky should take 4 to 5 hours to dehydrate at 160 degrees in a dehydrator.
Jerky strips with a thickness greater than 1/4 inch may take up to 8 hours. Make sure you don’t consume too much jerky by performing a bend test.
What Temperature Do You Dehydrate Jerky At?
160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for making beef jerky. For best results, dehydrating jerky slowly is recommended because it is essentially curing meat.
To guarantee that pathogens are eliminated, the meat’s temperature should reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. That said, if you dehydrate jerky too quickly, the flavor will be destroyed and the resulting dry jerky will be less tasty.
How to Dehydrate Jerky?
For a novice, the straightforward recipe below will yield a delicious batch of jerky.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs of lean beef
- 10 0z. Worcestershire sauce
- 10 oz. Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Chilies
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 3 – 5 oz. Liquid smoke
How to Prepare Beef Jerky Strips?
Cut off as much of the beef’s fat as you can with a sharp knife. Put the lean meat in the refrigerator for an hour. Cutting will be simpler as a result. Prepare the marinade while the beef cools.
To make 500 ml of a wet marinade, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. You are welcome to change the marinade’s proportions to increase flavor. After an hour, take out the meat and cut it into thin strips.
Make sure the strips are about ¼ of an inch wide. While thinner strips may dehydrate too quickly and crack, thicker strips may take too long to properly dehydrate.
Fill a bowl or zip-top bag with the meat strips, then cover the beef with the entire marinade. Inspect the wet marinade to make sure the beef strips are thoroughly and evenly coated.
Marinate the meat for 4 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. As you prepare your food dehydrator, take the beef out of the fridge. If you don’t already have one, you can order one from Amazon.
How to Dehydrate Jerky in a Food Dehydrator?
Before placing the meat strips on the rack of the food dehydrator, pat each strip of meat dry to remove any remaining marinade.
Make sure the beef strips are arranged separately and not overlapping. 165 degrees Fahrenheit should be the setting. The jerky should be ready in 4 hours.
How to Dehydrate Jerky in the Oven?
Set your oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit for internal temperature. Make sure the baking sheet is completely covered in aluminum foil by spreading it out. On top of the foil, set a baking rack and arrange the raw jerky strips in a single layer.
In a preheated oven, it will take 3 to 4 hours to dehydrate beef jerky.
Remove a strip of jerky and perform the bend test after three hours have passed. Allow the dehydration to continue for an additional hour if it is not completely dry.
How to Dehydrate Jerky Using An Air Fryer?
Although it is effective, an air fryer usually produces less jerky.
Strips of beef should only be cooked for three minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the fryer. The beef will rapidly dehydrate as a result.
Set the temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and select the dehydrator setting.
Jerky should dry in the air fryer for two hours. The drying process ought to be finished and the jerky ready to eat after two hours. Just to be certain, perform a bend test.
How to Check If Your Jerky is Done – Jerky Doneness Tests
Checking for “doneness” is to all intents and purposes a case of testing and sampling. Regularly, and especially as drying nears its conclusion, you must check the jerky’s progress.
There are a couple of common methods to check the jerky is dried that work quite well and they are as follows:
The Bend Test
The bend test is the most straightforward technique to use when you think you need to determine when your jerky is finished.
To perform the bend test, remove a piece of jerky from the dehydrator and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
When the jerky has cooled, bend it at a 90-degree angle to check if any moisture is being squeezed out. If there is the jerky needs to dry more
The meat should almost fray where it is bent in the case of properly dried jerky, but not snap or crack.
Chew Test
Give the jerky a chew once you’ve bent it and are satisfied.
It should have a chewy, almost leather-like texture without being soft or wet. It shouldn’t be brittle or pointy because those traits would suggest over-drying.
Can You Leave Jerky in the Dehydrator for Too Long?
More than five hours should not be spent dehydrating jerky.
The ideal amount of time, if you follow the above instructions, to dehydrate beef jerky in a dehydrator is 4 hours, or 5 hours if your raw meat was particularly succulent.
Any longer will completely dehydrate the jerky, making it hard and brittle. You have overcooked the jerky if a bend test shows that it completely breaks.
Keep this in mind when using your dehydrator:
- 1/4 inch thick beef strips
- Single layer – do not stack the strips on each other
- 160 degrees Fahrenheit
- 4 – 5 hours to dry
Can You Leave Meat in the Dehydrator Overnight?
Yes, leaving the beef in the dehydrator overnight is preferable if the strips are thicker than 1/2 inch and succulent.
It is best to leave the beef in the dehydrator overnight if the strips are stacked on top of one another.
How to Store Homemade Beef Jerky?
Airtight Containers:
When jerky is done, place it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. At room temperature, it can stay in this container for up to two weeks.
In the Fridge:
For three to six months, well-done jerky can remain fresh in the refrigerator.
In the Freezer:
In the freezer, beef jerky can last a year without going bad. If you want to store a large quantity of jerky, this is especially helpful.
Vacuum Sealing:
Your jerky’s shelf life will be increased by vacuum sealing because it allows you to remove all the air from the storage bag. This is a successful long-term preservation technique because most microorganisms need air to grow.
Is Beef Jerky a Healthy Snack?
Iron and protein are both abundant in beef jerky. It is a good source of both when consumed in moderation.
Because of the dehydration and marinating procedures, jerky has a high sodium content. Because of this, it is a long-term unhealthy snack. To stop the growth of bacteria and increase shelf life, sodium nitrite is also used to preserve store-bought jerky.
Even though the amount may be insufficient to have any effect, people with conditions like diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, renal failure, and liver problems should completely avoid the snack.
Conclusion: Dry Jerky Should Be Dried for 4 to 5 Hours in a Dehydrator
To ensure that it has lost two-thirds of its moisture content, dry jerky should be dried for 4 to 5 hours in a dehydrator. To find the marinade flavor that best suits your palate, remember to experiment with different ones. Bon appetit!
FAQs
Do You Have to Cook Jerky before Dehydrating It?
No. Cooking jerky before dehydrating might taint the finished product’s flavor.
What is the Best Meat for Making Beef Jerky?
Any type of meat can be used to make jerky, but lean beef yields the best results. Because fat cells cannot completely dehydrate and beef that is too fatty to dehydrate, the final product will start to go rancid when stored.
Although some commercial brands use ground beef, it is practically impossible to do this at home using a food dehydrator or any other method.
Using fattier cuts of meat is acceptable if you don’t plan to store the jerky meat.
Can You Make Jerky from Chicken Meat?
Yes, you can.
Like with beef, you can dehydrate chicken to make jerky in a dehydrator, an oven, or an air fryer. To ensure that those nasty pathogens are destroyed, follow the above instructions and maintain a steady temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for the chicken.
