Purchased myself a food dehydrator (finally)

[Nugget]

It's only taken me 2 years but I did it, I finally purchased a food dehydrator

I'm currently dehydrating banana and apple but plan on making up some beef jerky on the weekend. One thing I noticed in the manual was that you should store home made jerky in the fridge or freezer to prevent bacteria growing on it, this is contrary to what I've seen other guys doing.

So my question/s to all the jerky makers out there is, how do you store your jerky for and how long?

P.S. I went with the Sunbeam Food Dehydrator as it was the only model immediately available to me.

Cheers,
Nugget

 

[Sa_bogan]

its funny that you should mention this as i will be buying a better dehydrator as the one i got is a $50 cheapo from ebay. I know that the fat in the meat can spoil but the reckon you can keep it out for a few weeks before it gets bad or vacuum seal it

 

[Nugget]

A guy at work brought in a bag of home made jerky today and I was surprised at how good it was, immediately thought stuff it I'm getting a dehydrator this afternoon :lol:

The Sunbeam dehydrator doesn't seem too bad, it's a simple turn on, select a mode and away you go job. It cost $120 at Harvey Norman so you could probably buy it cheaper elsewhere.

My next purchase will be a food thermometer and a vacuum sealer so I might do as you suggested and vacuum seal anything I don't plan on eating within 24 hours.

 

[loamer]

Prepping for the Zombie apocalypse Nugget?

 

[nuggetino]

Depends how you make it. If it's salted and dried 100% then bacteria won't grow on it and it'll be fine for weeks if not longer. Google some jerky recipes. I'm tempted to do the same considering how expensive roadhouse jerky is and the amount of the stuff i chew on when driving through the outback.

 

[Nugget]

Prepping for the Zombie apocalypse Nugget?

You can never be over-prepared for these sort of things loamer :lol:

 

[Nugget]

Depends how you make it. If it's salted and dried 100% then bacteria won't grow on it and it'll be fine for weeks if not longer. Google some jerky recipes. I'm tempted to do the same considering how expensive roadhouse jerky is and the amount of the stuff i chew on when driving through the outback.

I'll be sure to dry it well, though I expect a bit of trial and error to start with (i.e. if I get sick from it then I should probably dry it some more :lol. The plan is to use corned silverside with hickery smoke bbq sauce

 

[LC76]

Iv done heaps of jerky in the dehydrator.

I like mine with a little bit of moisture still in it but that means i have to store it in the freezer until i want it.
Soaking the strips of raw meat in marinade like teriyaki or BBQ is really nice.

Cut out as much fat as you can though before dehydrating because the fat wont dry out and will go rancid if left out for too long.

 

[dwt]

Prepping for the Zombie apocalypse Nugget?

You can never be over-prepared for these sort of things loamer :lol:

SEE, and i warned the mrs about this and she just laughed at me, LAUGHED I TELL YOU!!!! 8.(

 

[Nugget]

Thanks for the tip LC76. I too prefer jerky with a little moisture in it.

 

[loamer]

Nugget - I use this as a knuckleheads guide. We good preppers always have a supply of jerky. Good for those long nights manning the towers.

http://www.nwedible.com/2014/01/beef-jerky.html

 

[banksy]

Nugget got my dehydrator a couple of weeks ago, Used this over the past 2 weeks 'not bad' go less pepper if you don't want it hot' got it from: jerk n pickle.

Biltong: Black Pepper Jerky

Ingredients

black pepper
5 lbs all-natural inside round beef 'no fat' cut into 1/8" slices, Semi freeze to slice easier.
Combine wet ingredients:

2 cups and 2 ounces (18 ozs) soy sauce
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 lb carrots, juiced
1/2 lb celery, juiced
Fresh ginger, juiced yielding 1 1/2 tbsp
1 1/2 tbsp garlic cloves, finely diced
Blend the following in a spice grinder or blender:

4 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper corns
1 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Step One
Thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

Step Two
Add sliced beef piece by piece and massage into marinade to allow for even distribution of ingredients. Refrigerate overnight (10-12 hours).

Step Three
Place into home dehydrator or oven at 150F for approximately six hours. Check and rotate as needed. Remove at desired texture and doneness.
just finished some today

 

[Reeks]

If your looking for a quality vacuum sealer, i purchased a 240v/12v Dometic brand from Anaconda. It is awesome. Take it away on fishing trips and vac sealed fillets go straight in the Engel.

I vac seal all my meat into single night meals and there is no chance they will leak through my 40l Engel when im out camping.
Great quality unit, but you pay for it. Was happy to, hate junk.

 

[Westaus]

My next purchase will be a food thermometer and a vacuum sealer so I might do as you suggested and vacuum seal anything I don't plan on eating within 24 hours.

Hi Nugget, see that you are looking for a thermometer as well. I purchased one of these, may not have been from this seller but same style. It seems to work pretty well and super easy. Plus a long needle means you don't have to get too close.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DIGITAL-...0917536447?pt=AU_Utensils&hash=item20cf56f6bf

If you have a multimeter, some of these you can add a thermo couple which can give you temperature. Just looked and looks like you can get real cheap ones as well, this would be handy if you are doing any smelting and wanted a temperature. This one goes to 1300'c I am sure you could get higher if needed as well.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TM-902C-...Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item589ac0c793

edit - Damn just seen this infra red one as well, cheap as chips as an example - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/13056093...l?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=130560939003&_rdc=1

 

[Beagleboy]

You guys inspiring me to make some. I like jerky and it's a great food for camping. I usually buy it from Costco but home made one must be better. Can you make Jerky in the oven if you don't have a food dehydrator?

 

[Reeks]

You sure can beagleboy.
Problem is it takes around 12 hours or longer so you need to be home the whole day.

 

[LC76]

If you make it in the oven u need to leave the door open a tiny bit to let out the moisture.
And use the smallest flame possible because you don't want to "cook" the meat you want to dry it out.

 

[Beagleboy]

I am not the most patient person at best of times so dehydrator sounds like the better option. I have to look for one next time I am around the shops. Is there any particular one that works the best?

 

[stevo]

Best jerky is tough as leather and you can keep it in your saddle bags for weeks on end.

 

[Nugget]

So I have to say the Jerky has been a complete success. The wife has always hated the stuff and in the past would stay at least several meters away from me while I ate it, but since making my own she now quite often raids the freezer for a piece of marinated dried meat, women hey :lol: