Few Jerky questions

[Davidtxs]

Well in watching the other post about dehydrators I have always wanted one but didnt want to spend the money lol so I got to lookin on CL and found one that was used twice and got it for 10.00 its not a great one but I think it will do the job
http://www.nesco.com/category_449f7f01f1ea/subcategory_39febe0b9343/product_91d5b1c5e8a9/session_879324e4a717/ I have some zucchini on it now and it seems to be cruisiin along at 140

That is the one. I have been googlin for jerky info and found the info below on 3men.com

"Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 from homemade jerky raise questions about the safety of traditional drying methods for making beef and venison jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline’s current recommendation for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F before the dehydrating process. This step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by wet heat. But most dehydrator instructions do not include this step, and a dehydrator may not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F.

After heating to 160 °F, maintaining a constant dehydrator temperature of 130 to 140 °F during the drying process is important because:

the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoils; and
it must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow."

I will probably use a sirloin or top sirloin cut across the grain so do I saute the meat to get it to 160 BEFORE the dehydrator ??
Thanks in advance

[DATsBBQ]

Well the food police are everywhere these days. I bet mayo would be illegal if it were just invented. Darn near have to sign a waiver to get eggs cooked over easy these days. Remember the fiasco over coconut oil and pop-corn? Alar and apples- turns out that was a bust but ruined an industry in the meanwhile. And now E-coli and jerky! Personally I think cooking red meat to 160° before putting it in the dehydrator is silly at best. You won't see me doing it.

When making beef jerky the key is to use lean meat, no visible fat. If left, the fatty areas will go rancid. Note, the marinades have salt in them, either straight up or hidden (EG soy sauce) which retards bacterial growth. Keep the meat cold until it goes into the dehydrator and I bet you'll be fine.

[Harry Verdurchi]

I couldn't agree with you more (DATsBBQ ). Some bacteria are actually needed in the process. Thing is today people get Curing ,Drying , Smoking ,and Preserving all mixed up. My Grandad use to Cure Hams, and other meats in a Smoke House that in July would never see 160 degrees. The eskimos dry their fish in the sun ,(they seem to live ok after eating it ).
To me a dehydrator does JUST that. It DEHYDRATES which removes all moisture thus preserving the product to reconstitute at a later time with water . Preparation is the KEY to any food curing,canning,smoking, boiling ,sauteing, pickling etc. To me the crap they sell in the store as Jerky is not Jerky at all but what the ol Cowboys called Hard Tack .That stuff you can use for a Mud Flap or a shoe sole repair if needed . Jerky is made by slow smoking the meat with previously curing it in a brine . Ever see a Ham that has been Cured ???
They store in a cool environment not HOT for years sometimes and then Scrape the Green Scum off the outside then eat it. I make Jerky on one of my Traegers by just soaking 2 inch wide strips of Lean meat in my seasoning brine overnight then smoking it 10 to twelve hours and it's tender not Tough . Store it in bags in te fridge for daily use or Freeze it for months later . What we do today with our big Smoker/BBQ Rigs is really a combination of all the processes above if you get right down to it .

[Davidtxs]

Ok thanks guys I ended up getting some eye of round steaks REAlly lean cut into strips and marinated all night Im fixin to put them on
thanks again

[Signalguys]

I have not had an issues yet by not heating first. Keep the meat cold and get it into the dehydrator right away.

[Signalguys]

I just read the link you posted. The unit is only 425 Watts. Does it have a temp setting?

[Papa Tom]

Well the food police are everywhere these days. I bet mayo would be illegal if it were just invented. Darn near have to sign a waiver to get eggs cooked over easy these days. Remember the fiasco over coconut oil and pop-corn? Alar and apples- turns out that was a bust but ruined an industry in the meanwhile. And now E-coli and jerky! Personally I think cooking red meat to 160° before putting it in the dehydrator is silly at best. You won't see me doing it.

When making beef jerky the key is to use lean meat, no visible fat. If left, the fatty areas will go rancid. Note, the marinades have salt in them, either straight up or hidden (EG soy sauce) which retards bacterial growth. Keep the meat cold until it goes into the dehydrator and I bet you'll be fine.

DATS you forgot 1959 Cranberries!
E-coli is a fecal contamination that would not be present in whole muscle tissue to start with. If you use the proper cure you probably could hang the meat out in the sun without worry. I do jerky on my Traeger at low temp typically 125°F.
One of the ways our forefathers preserved meat was to layer the raw meat in wood ashes or salt and we are here to talk about it. If you check the Alton Brown technique there is no heat involved. furnace filters and a fan. If there was significant risk I do not believe the TV legal guardians would allow that episode to air.

[Davidtxs]

I just read the link you posted. The unit is only 425 Watts. Does it have a temp setting?

Nope no temp setting I use stuck my remote in it to find out what its running at

[Davidtxs]

I know one thing the NEXT batch is gonna dry in the garage lol darn that thing sure heats up the kitchen lol

[Signalguys]

Interesting. I have mine set at 160 degrees pretty much all day and only the sides get warm. Not much noise either.

C

[Davidtxs]

If I keep doin the dehydrating thing I will invest in a better one for sure its been on since about 11am how do ya tell when its done it seems pretty dry now I dont want to end up with shoe leather lol

[Signalguys]

Don't over dry. It is always best to test a piece that has had some time to cool. The product should still be bendable but not sticy or moist to the touch. Length of time to dry depends on the humidity level where you are, the thinkness and type of product you are drying.

C