Why do dehydration times vary so drastically?
Drying times vary due to several factors. The thicker the cut of beef the longer it is going to take to reach the desired result. Different methods of drying also vary the time. A dehydrator that circulates the air will work faster than an oven that does not. Different brands of dehydrators or smokers will also vary in performance which will affect drying time.
Do I need to buy a dehydrator to make jerky?
No. There are several different ways to make jerky. If you are just starting out, using the oven is a great way to start. You can also make jerky with a smoker. If you do want to buy a dehydrator, start with my reviews here on the Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Jerky.
Why is some jerky really tough and others tender?
This depends on how you prepare and slice your meat before making jerky. Visit my Slicing Meat for Beef Jerky page to learn more.
How long will jerky last before going bad?
It varies, anywhere from one week to several months. I have covered this in more depth in this post titled: Storing Beef Jerky
Can all of your recipes be used when making ground meat jerky?
Not every one, but a lot of them! I would use a recipe that does NOT have much liquid ingredients (soy sauce, worcestershire, vinegar…) Dos Pepper Jerky would be a good one to try. If the recipe calls for water, omit the water since you are using ground beef. I would also recommend using cure when making ground jerky since it will be handled more than whole muscle jerky (mixing the spices in by hand). Lastly, ground beef jerky sometimes requires more spices than whole meat jerky since you are mixing the spices into the meat instead of on the outside. If your first batch doesn’t have a really strong taste, increase the amount of spice for the second batch!
I also have more info on my How to Make Ground Beef Jerky page.
Can I substitute deer instead of beef on the beef jerky recipes?
Definitely! Deer would work great on these recipes. Feel free to switch out the beef for venison on any of them!
Why do some recipes have curing salt and others don’t?
I do about half my recipes with curing salt and half without to show that you do NOT need curing salt to make any jerky recipe. Cure makes the jerky last longer, gives it that red color, and also gives it that common “jerky flavor”. If you choose not to use cure, make sure that you heat the jerky to a temperature of 160F to kill any bacteria and eat the jerky within a couple of days. With that said, I do recommend using cure when making ground meat jerky because the meat has been handled and processed, making it more susceptible to having bacteria. So in short… No jerky recipe NEEDS cure as long as the meat is heated to 160F. But it is another line of defense to kill bacteria and allows your jerky to last longer. You can read more information on my Jerky Safety Page.
If using curing salt, how much table salt do I add to a recipe?
If the recipe includes curing salt, make the recipe as stated. If the recipe does NOT include curing salt and you WANT to use curing salt; subtract the amount of curing salt used from the amount of regular salt listed. Example: If a 1 pound jerky recipe calls for 1tsp of table salt and NO curing salt but you want to ADD Prague Powder #1 curing salt. (1/4tsp Prague Powder #1 per 1 pound of meat). Use 1/4tsp of Prague Powder #1 & 3/4tsp of table salt.
I want to make low sodium jerky, do I have to use salt or can I leave it out?
You can leave it out. The salt does add to the flavor, helps prevent bacteria growth, which in turn helps the jerky last longer after it is finished drying; but is not NEEDED. If you leave sea salt or curing salt out of your recipe, make sure to eat the jerky within a couple of days. Also make sure to heat the jerky to an internal temperature of 160°F to kill any bacteria. Storing in the fridge would also help it last longer. I have found that spicy jerky still tastes great without salt.
Should the jerky meat be cooked before drying?
This depends. For jerky to be safe, it should be heated to 160°F for beef and 165°F for turkey jerky. This is best to do at the beginning of the drying process in an oven, not after it is finished drying. If you have a dehydrator that will heat jerky to this temperature, you can bypass this initial heating stage. I have tested dehydrators and list which ones were able to get beef jerky strips to 160°F, you can check it out here. If your dehydrator does not get to 160°F, pre-heat the meat in an oven. I always pre-heat any turkey jerky I make as well as use curing salt to make sure it is safe to eat. I like being as safe as possible when using fowl.
I have found that to pre-heat 1/4″ slices of beef to 160°F, it takes about 10-12 minutes in a 300°F oven. To pre-heat 1/4″ slices of turkey to 165F, about 8 minutes at 300°F does the job. This time can vary if you are heating the strips directly on a baking sheet (will heat faster) than if heated while on a rack or hanging in the oven (will take longer). I have also seen that it takes longer at my house in Colorado than it does when I make jerky at work in Oklahoma. I recommend folding a strip of meat around an oven thermometer while heating so that you can take it out exactly when it reaches the correct temperature.
Why do you pat dry the jerky strips before drying?
It comes down to personal preference with patting down the jerky. On most recipes, I pat the jerky strips dry as long as it won’t rub off most of the ingredients. The reason I pat it dry is because I hate having jerky that is sticky and messy. I don’t want to have to lick my fingers or have a napkin near by after taking a piece of jerky. It also cuts down on the drying time by having less liquid to dry on the surface of the jerky strips.
Can I use one of your photo’s on my website or blog?
Sure! The only thing I ask is that you credit the photo with two links. One linking back to the recipe post and one linking back to Jerkyholic.com
Hi Will,
I found your site and love it, great job. My problem is I’ve tried to join and it doesn’t seem to be working, any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jeff
Hey Jeff. You mean you are trying to sign up for the e-mail list? I just tried it and it seems to be working. I would try it again. If it still isn’t working, let me know and I will try to figure it out!
Hi Will, my husband eats a lot of beef jerky!! a lot, and it is not cheap (as I am sure you know), so I got him a dehydrator for Christmas this year. So I cannot sign up on your blog for now. I have your information written down so my husband will be able to after Christmas. We share the same home email, so that is why, for now I just put my work email down to ask you a question.
Can you use a meat slicer to to cut the meats? If so, do you recommend using one, instead of using a sharp knife?
Meat slicers are great for getting consistent slices and helps when making a lot of jerky. If he is just starting off making jerky, a sharp knife would be a lot easier and less expensive. I make A LOT of jerky and use a knife to cut my meat. You can also ask your local butcher to slice it for you. I would wait on the meat slicer, and if he starts making a lot of jerky…. That’s a great Birthday present!
Hello Will! Absolutely love the site and thanks for all the recipes.
I was just wondering I was going through your recipes and noticed that most of them use soy sauce or worcestershire sauce. If I were to not add them to my jerky marinade (for less sodium intake) would it affect how long the jerky lasts since I believe the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce helps with the curing due to the salt.
Correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks
Max
Salt definitely helps the jerky last longer so leaving out ingredients that contain salt will make the jerky spoil faster. You can keep it in the fridge as well as vacuum seal it to help it last longer. Or you can make small batches and just eat it quickly! I normally make jerky in 1-2lb batches and eat it pretty quick!
I’m trying my first batch of jerky. Heated for an hour and a half at 160 on my Master built smoker, increased temp to 190 and added some applewood chips for 1 hour, turned temp back down to 160 for 3 more hours and it seems pretty dry. Any way to increase the moistness after its already been on the smoker for 6 hours?
I have never tried to re-hydrate jerky before. Possibly adding a little water to the water tray and keeping it at a low temp could give it back some moisture. Let me know how it works, I’m interested….
Obviously the goal is to not over dry the jerky in the first place but I have successfully rehydrated jerky. It wasn’t too overdone but overdone enough to give it a try. We just soaked it in a tub of water and tested over time. It didn’t take all that long if I remember correctly. Some of the smoke and marinade seemed to “leak” out of it so the flavor wasn’t as intense but it was still there and was better than crispy jerky.
Thanks for the info! I’ll have to try it next time I over dry my jerky.
My strips of venison fall apart. What am I doing wrong. The piece do taste good though. I take frozen venison from freezer to refrigerator over night. The venison is still “icy” but cuts easily. While mixing I end of with pieces and very few strips. Thanks
I am not sure, I have not had that problem to a big extent. I like using the round from the hind leg, I find that to be the best meat for jerky. I am not sure how you are slicing your meat, but try slicing the meat with the grain at about 1/4″ thick. Slicing with the grain should prevent it from falling apart. I didn’t make any venison jerky last year due to not harvesting a deer, but next week I will be making some with a buck I shot a couple of weeks ago. I’ll pay close attention to see if I have any of the same problems. If I do, I will try to figure out what is happening and comment back on this post. At least your jerky tastes good!!!
Operator error. Still being partially frozen, didn’t notice already cut in thick strips. Genius me cut again and made thick chunks and pieces. Problem solved. Just didn’t notice processor had already cut in strips. Thankfully it’s much easier now.
Haha. Glad to hear you figured out the problem.
Have you ever made pork jerky? If I was to grind my own beef, what cut would you use? With ground beef, should I cook it first and get it up to 160 or is my cabelas dehydrator set at 160 good enough?
I have never made pork jerky. Sometime here soon though I feel I should get a couple recipes going for some pork. If you are going to grind your own beef, I would just pick any inexpensive lean cut such as the roasts. Really the same cuts you would use for whole muscle jerky… Bottom round, top round, eye of round… Check out my page on Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky. I have never used or tested the Cabelas dehydrator, so I am not sure if it actually heats the meat to 160F. With that said, I would recommend heating it in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes first, then dehydrating. Ground meat is more susceptible to bacteria and requires more safety precautions. Hope this helps!
My dehydrator only goes to 155 degrees. Do you think its safe to just use curing salt and set to 155? Or do I need to put in the regular oven initially to get it to 160? Thank you sir.
I don’t know what dehydrator you are using, but it sounds like it won’t heat the meat to 160F. I would heat it in the oven for 10 minutes at 325F to bring it to 160F, then dry it in the dehydrator. Even when using cure, it’s good practice to heat the meat to 160F.
Its a Nesco garden master from about 8 years ago. 155 degree max. Thanks and great site!
Hey Will, just found your page. I’m in the military and will be coming home to San Antonio in about 10 months. In South Korea right now but I also love homemade beef Jerky. I have my Dehydrator with me and will be trying out your recipes. Maybe I can find some unique Korean spices to make Jerky!
Nice man! Enjoy your time overseas, but I’m sure you are ready to get back to Texas! I bet there are some amazing flavors over there for jerky!!!
Hi – love your site! Great recipe ideas. One question, I’ve been using the oven set to about 170 and putting the jerky on a mesh cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Have had some good flavor, but how do you get it to come out with more of the chewy texture that most of the commercial jerky has? Depending on cooking time, mine is either brittle or seems underdone. Does curing salt help? I have some on order but haven’t gotten it yet. Thanks!
Curing salt does help a little. There are a couple big jerky brands that I enjoy their “tender” jerky and have wanted to know how they get that texture. Unfortunately, they do not make their jerky making process public. I have been trying a couple things to try and figure out how it’s done. As soon as I figure it out, I’ll let you know!
Going to try making my own jerky tomorrow. The recipie I chose (Cajun Beef) calls for seasoning salt. Is this something you make or buy?
Seasoning salt is something you buy at your local grocery store. It will be in the same aisle that they sell all the other seasonings. (garlic powder, pepper…)
Thanks Will. Made my first batch, flavor was good, but too dry. Next time I’ll make the slices of meat thicker and watch it closer after the first few hours dehydrating. Even witht he errors, it disappeared pretty quickly… ; )
Glad the jerky went fast. Yeah, it’s easy to over dry jerky in a smoker. I have had my fair share of REALLY dry jerky!
Hello. Great site just started making beef jerky. Got tired of paying twelve plus dollars. Anywho was curious if you have used Tajin for seasoning? I’m thinking for two pounds of meat will need two tablespoons Tajin an 1/2 cup water. What do you think?
Just signed up and really loving the info. I’ve seen recipes using an oven but haven’t seen any comments with regards to convection ovens. Most of the recipes say to crack the door which shuts the fan down on a convection oven. Ever tried a convection oven? How about propping the door open and at the same time keeping the switch depressed with a wine Cork to keep the air circulation going?
I don’t have a convection oven and so have not made jerky in one. I would think they would be great for making jerky. The circulation of air is the reason the door is left open. This way fresh air can come in and moisture can exit. A convection oven vents the air already, so you probably don’t need to leave the door open. With the door closed it will blow air around and vent it keeping the moisture level down. Please let me know how it works, I’m interested in how it turns out!
I cooked the jerky at 200° for a half an hour with the door closed to get the temperature up quickly and try and inhibit any bacterial growth. Then I used a wine cork to keep the switch depressed that keeps the convection fan running, lowered the temperature to 170°, (lowest setting) and cooked it for another three and a half hours. The moisture content seems to be about right and I think it did an awesome job. The oven is gas and cracking the door allowed the convection fan to remove the moisture instead of just circulating air around it.
Prague Powder isn’t available here locally in Medford Oregon so I tried Morton’s TenderQuick. It seems to work great & it’s cheap!
Good! Yeah, the prague powder can be hard to find.
Amazon! that is where I got mine from.
I just made my first jerky, using your recipe for Simply Sweet Jerky, turned out fantastic. Can’t wait for Cherry season to start to make Cherry Jerky.
Question, do you have any recipes using Chicken?
Glad you liked it! I have not made any jerky with chicken. Mostly beef and venison. I will try and put some salmon recipes up sometime soon. When making any type of fowl jerky, you need to make sure you are extra safe due to the risk of salmonella poisoning. At some point I will venture into turkey and chicken jerky, just not sure when.
Dear jerky guy
I make jerky using 2 1/2 pounds ground turkey and mix curing packet and spices to 1/2 cup marinade and keep in fridge 48 hrs after mixing then gun out strips and dehydrate for 4 1/2 hrs moving trays every hr— then 8 minutes in oven preheated to 275 degrees
Everybody loves it! Okay??
160 degree for 4 1/2 hrs
I like to pre-heat the meat before drying that way I know that any bacteria is killed. Gotta love some turkey jerky!
Made jerky this weekend with 80/20 Turkey. I baked in the oven for 10 minutes to take out some of the excess juice and then into my commercial sized dehydrator. I had it in there for less than 5 hours but it came out with great flavor but the meat is literally like powder. It just falls apart. Is there anything I can do to salvage the batch I made? Is there anything to modify for my next round of making jerky so it doesn’t happen again?
Hey Chad! I have not made ground turkey jerky before so I am not positive how to fix this. I would say that at this point, there is probably nothing you can do to fix the already made batch. Other than that, I would try to incorporate a binding agent when making ground jerky. A good binding agent would be Corn Syrup Solids. I use this when making ground beef jerky and it works well. 1/2 tsp per 1lb of ground meat seems to do the trick.
enjoy your site.have been making jerky in smokers for years and decided to try dehydrator. used your cajun receipe and my own apple juice/cayenne receipe. for some reason it is not very spicey.marinated about 22 hours. i have two questions if i may. first: why do you say to pat with paper towels before dehydrating? spices were on meat but it stuck to paper towels when patting.and second: i like tapato hot sauce. nice taste and fire not unbearable. i would like to use it for my maranade in my next batch but i don’t know what to thin it with.should i use vinegar, wine, water or something else? thank you for the info.
Hey Bill! So some jerky recipes I dry with paper towels and other I don’t due to what you are saying. I would rather pat dry to prevent having excess marinade on the outside of the jerky making it “sticky” when I eat it. I don’t like eating jerky and having marinade all over my fingers afterwards. This step is not necessary, you can just strain it and place in the dehydrator. To answer your other question, I cut all spices with cold water. I feel like it doesn’t affect the flavor of the sauce I’m cutting down. Just mix and taste until it reaches your ideal spice level. O yeah, if one of my recipes doesn’t have enough spice for you, just add some more! Make it how you like it. I always recommend tasting the marinade before adding the meat. Thanks for stopping by man!
thanks for the reply, i’m going to make a batch friday with tapato marinade. being new to using a dehydrator i was glad to find your tip on using oven at 300 for ten mins. take meds for high bp and avoid salt. also stay away from worcester and soy sauce which i used all the time before. in the same boat as richard oct.25,2016 having diabetes. wonder if i could get by using brown sugar in receipes. thanks again.
Hi Will.
I just prepared a batch of Jerky Lovers…
I know it’s too late now but did you really mean 5 whole tbsp of liquid smoke???
Rob
Hey Rob! I made this recipe as is from All Recipes. This is not one of my own recipes. From what I recall, this was enough marinade to make about 5lbs of beef jerky. So the 5 tbsp didn’t hurt the recipe. Most of my recipes have just enough marinade for 1lb of jerky, making the amount of liquid smoke a lot less. Also, if you are using a liquid smoke that has vinegar and other ingredients (not just smoke flavor), you can get away with using a little more. Let me know how your batch turns out.
hi will. me again. made two batches last friday, tapatio marinade (heat lasts about 15 min) and your first light. i like the combanation of spice flavors and the rea pepper/cayene sneeks up on you. i strained and did not pat. turned out great. do you have any advise on doing fish? i smoked whiting a few years in my brinkman.first two batches i was told to soak in brine and another in teriocy sauce. nasty! threw both out. did it my way and was ok. not using cure does the fish have to go in the oven same as beef? any recipes for maranade? any type fish better than others? any help would appreaitiated!
can’t wait to try more of your jerky receipes but i have four types in the fridge now. thanks.
Hey Bill. Glad it turned out tasty. I wish I had more information on fish. I was trying to smoke some jerky out of Salmon I caught in Alaska last year, but never got a chance. Sadly I don’t have any first hand information for you. I do want to get into making fish jerky. When I was in Alaska on that fishing trip I bought a lot of salmon jerky and tried to get as much information as possible. My understanding is that most of the salmon jerky I bought was marinaded in a brine then smoked; or sat in a brine overnight and was brushed with a glaze before smoking. All were very salty, but tasted great! I am not sure if fish needs to be heated to 160F. Hopefully here in the near future I will get into making fish jerky, do my homework, and have a plethora of information for you guys!
When you get around to doing your homework on making a fish jerky, definitely check out recipes like carpaccio, ceviche, gravlax and similar first to get an understanding of them: from all I’ve read, it sounds like fish jerky recipes start off with one of these traditional no-cook cure strategies (acid, salt, sugar, etc) to make it safe to eat, and then afterward add a drying step via dehydration or smoking to turn it into jerky.
Just so you know, 160F will cook your fish, and not just dry it; I don’t know if that’s something you’d want or not.
But whatever you do, hard freeze your fish — −20C/−4F — for at least a week before you thaw and use it, because freezing kills the parasites.
Never made jerky before, but I am a cook — in fact I’m here because my partner loves jerky and I want to make some for him. Great site! Thanks for all the work you’ve put into it!
Thanks for the info Daisy. I have made A LOT of ceviche in my day while living on the coast in Texas. I LOVE ceviche! I have yet to make a lot of fish jerky, but most of the salmon jerky starts with a salt/sugar brine and then smoke. Hopefully soon I will be able to get some good fish recipes on the site!
will, thanks anyway, i guess i will try some and see how it turns out. now i’m paranoid about drying at low temp’s and the bacteria. i’m leary of putting in the oven like the beef and cooking too much. if i try it i’ll let you know. happy jerking.
Greetings Will, Found your site today, and I live in Aurora, CO. What part are you in? I made a couple of Ground beef batches in my Green Mountain Daniel Boone Pellet grill. I smoked them for 2 hours at 190 deg, then about 4 1/2 hours at 170. Must have been good because all my friends and family jumped on it like Ducks on a June Bug. So, now I’m going to make about 2 or 3 lbs more with Ground Beef and want a Garlic, Black Peppery Jerky. I want to make my own seasonings because I hate MSG and so many of the purchased mixes have the MSG. You’ve convinced me that the curing salt is necessary. I welcome any input you might have. I will say I have made other Jerky with my Dehydrator, but LOVE the Pellet Grill. Great Smoke and set and forget.
I’ve looked through your recipes and will probably make one up from them unless you have something else to add.
Best Regards,
EKW
Hey Keith, thanks for stopping by! I recently moved to Broomfield and have been loving it. A lot cooler than Austin, TX! You are right, smoked jerky is just great. The real smoke flavor really ads to the jerky! I would say browse the site and find recipes that have little liquid ingredients. I really love the Dos Pepper Jerky. I have yet to make it with ground meat, but it should work great as it has no liquid (if you omit the water, which is there just to help marinade whole muscle jerky strips). It doesn’t have a big garlic flavor to it, but you could easily add more garlic if that’s what you are looking for. Keep in mind that when taking a recipe that was written for whole muscle jerky that you plan on making ground jerky with, you normally have to add a little extra of each spice to achieve the same final jerky flavor. Let me know which one you end up trying and how it turns out!
Thanks Will. I’ll sure let you know. Is it a fair statement that when using ground meat, you can skip the “overnight in the Fridge?” Just mix and go?
Thanks,
Keith
You got it Keith, no need to ‘marinate’ it. Just mix and go.
Well, like all great Scientistific experiments, (ha ha), the Jerky was not a total success. It is ok and will all be eaten, but I put way too much ground Pepper on the strips and ended up brushing it off after drying, at least all I could. The Jerky was not salty enough so next time I’ll add some Himalayan Salt to the mix. It was more crumbly than the last batch and I’m not sure why. Anyway, on to the next batch. I’m even thinking of trying some Sliced, across the grain lean muscle meat. Like an old Dog, I need something easier to chew. But I do love my Jerky. Love your site, keep up the good work.
Keith
Well I am sorry to hear it didn’t turn out all that great. Slicing across the grain and tenderizing with a meat mallet before marinating also helps make the jerky a little less chewy.
good morning. i just got off the usda site ,ask karen,about jerking fish. their info is geared more towards meat and poultry. going by the info i got, it seems the same thing goes for fish. not using cure salt i’m going to put it in the oven first. if i find any more info i’ll let you know.
I bought 4 lbs of top Round and didn’t have time to get to it right away. I started the marinade the day of expiration and it sat counter top about 2-1/2 hours before marinade and refrigeration for about 18 additional hours after date of exp…cooking to 160 in oven before smoking and then will finish with a 4-5 hr smoke(Until done obviously)…I’m going for it….What do you think?
I would go with the saying: “When in doubt, throw it out”. If it was only marinating it on its expiration date, I wouldn’t be too worried. These dates are not an exact date where the meat will go bad. I am concerned however about it sitting out for 2.5 hrs on the counter. The meat should never sit out like that. If you slice it and the marinades aren’t ready, put it back in the fridge until they are. It’s up to you, but I don’t gamble with my health. Just make another batch and make sure you are healthy!
hey will,
great site! question for you – what is the rule for using oil in marinades? e.g. olive oil, sesame oil, etc. i know, like fat, oil doesn’t dry out, so i’m trying to figure out how this impacts the beef jerky, other than reducing the overall shelf-life.
thanks,
-dan
Hey Dan. I try not to use too much oil in my recipes. It seems like most of the oil I use is when I am making some sort of Asian recipe. I used a very little amount of sesame oil in my Teriyaki II recipe. I didn’t notice any negative affects like it being oily or greasy. I also used some vegetable oil in my Vietnamese Jerky recipe. I used oil because I didn’t feel like water would work as well binding the ingredients together and allowing it to stick to the jerky. I also didn’t notice anything negative in this recipe. It might make the shelf life a little shorter, but I haven’t had this be a problem since I eat my jerky fairly quickly. Haha. So when it comes to oil, just keep it to a minimum and it shouldn’t have a negative impact on the jerky.
I like the content of your website but hate all those ads! One more thing, I tried printing two of your recipe on ground beef and all I got was a blank page. I have not had any problems else where.
Hey Mike, thanks for stopping by. Right now I am away from the house (and printer) until next week so I can’t check to see why those recipes aren’t printing right now. I will check it out when I get home though and let you know. I am guessing you were checking the site on a desktop… About a month ago I changed my ad frequency settings from ‘normal’ to ‘low’, but apparently that was only for mobile. I changed the desktop to ‘low’ as well now. So hopefully from now on there won’t be as many ads. Hope you are enjoying the site otherwise!
Hi Will, I hadn’t made jerky for about 10 years. So I decided to “bone up” a little before making a batch.
I am very pleased that while checking the internet, I came across jerkyholics. For the past few weeks, I have made AT LEAST one batch a week. After I made 3 batches using my original recipe, I started trying some of your recipes. First, I tried Dr Pepper Jerky, followed closely by Slap Ya Mama Jerky.
When I share the jerky with a good friend, his, (and mine), new favorite is the latest one that I made!
Now, I have a “great idea”. We like the Dr Pepper and the Slap Ya Mama, I thought why not try the Dr Pepper for the liquid, and Slap Ya Mama for the seasoning.
I am also planning ub naking a number of your other recopies
Thanks for this website Will. I am really enjoying it.
Great to hear George! Glad you are liking and enjoying the site. I love hearing about people mixing and matching and trying new recipes. There is nothing better than finding a new favorite recipe!
Hey Will!
Just found your site and purchased a nesco dehydrator through it this morning. Thanks for the reviews. I’ve been doing jerky on my Traeger smoker for the past few years and my friends and family all love it! I’m usually around 180/190 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. I try to pat down the meat with a paper towel before going on the grill but after a few hours ( and once I’ve let it cool) the meat still seems to have a wetness to the touch. The flavor is spot on but I hate having to constantly wipe my hands. This is why I decided to get the dehydrator cause I want to take more moisture out of the meat. Would you recommend 90 minutes or so and then the dehydrator to finish it off?
Thanks!
Hey Matt! Congrats on the new dehydrator, I’m glad I could help! I also hate sticky and wet jerky, so I feel your pain on that one. You have have it spot on though, smoke then dehydrate. Dehydrating should help prevent that sticky feel on the outside. Also, make sure you are using a real lean meat with almost no fat because a fatty meat will also make it very wet to the touch no matter whether you smoke or dehydrate. I would use the smoker just long enough to give it the amount of smoke flavor that you like (60-90 minutes usually does it), then move it to the dehydrator and finish it off on the 160F setting. Let me know how it turns out!
Cool! I’ll keep you posted! Thanks!
Hi Will
I just finished my first batch- with the lime and habaneros marinade in a kamado style cooker. Thanks for your helpful web site
Any suggestions on how to reduce the smoky flavour next time? It’s just an bit too bitter, and overpowers the marinade. We’re using a some kind of hardwood lump charcoal , and a small handful (3 small pieces) of apple wood chunks at the ‘smoking’ phase
Thanks!
Hey David. I have never used one of those grills before so I am not sure if it’s the charcoal or the apple wood chunks that is making it bitter. Make sure you keep the smoking phase with the wood chunks to only about an hour. If you are already doing this, then I would try a different type of charcoal when making your next batch. I really wish I could help more. Let me know if you figure out what the problem was, I’m interested in knowing if it’s the charcoal.
i thought i’d pass this tip along.
Drying Ginger. Buy 2 or 3 ginger roots, no need to peel, slice it with a mandolin, dry for 2 – 3 hours, check after 2, at 150 degrees, grind it in a coffe grinder, then run it through a sieve.
Garlic takes 10 – 11 hours at 130. Onion takes about the same time and temp, but dehydrate outside.
Make your own brown sugar. 1 cup of white sugar, 2 – 4 Tblsp of Molasses (depending on how dark you want it). Mix until molasses is mixed throughly. Hint, doing this by hand takes a long time.
Thanks for the tips Dave!
Helluva job big man , great site, Cajun beef jerky was spot on first batch but I amped up the horseradish and red pepper flakes second batch , Omg, it’s to die for, can’t make enough , lol , buddy’s wanting to buy it but nope she is all daddy’s, but did turn them on to your site , lmao, here’s to you , Captain Morgan, 7 up and Cajunderstand beef, I can now die peaceful, Good work ,your a treasure in the captains journeys
Haha. Thanks man!
Will,
I was giving some Teriyaki jerky to a friend to taste, and he mentioned to add a dash or two of bitters. Have you ever heard of bitters? I did a google search “bitters” and came up with at least three if not four on Amazon. Fee Brothers Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters, The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters, Angostura Aromatic Bitters, Peychaud’s Bitters, Hella Bitter Five Flavor Bar Bitters Set.
I read that it is used for alcohol drinks as a mix. What do you think for the Teriyaki II Recipe, how much would I use per pound?
I am leaning towards the Peychaud’s, or the five flavor set.
Hi Will, already loving your site. I’m pretty new making jerky, but I’ve done a lot of research. Bought an Ezidri ultra fd1000 with 1000w and it only reach 150F. Is it safe if I only use curing salt?. I’m a little skeptical about putting the meat on the oven, does this process affect the quality (tenderness) of the jerky?
Thanks!
I always recommend heating the meat to 160F, even with curing salt. It will feel a little different after heating in the oven, but not much. I don’t feel like it makes it tougher.
Hi Will sorry to bother you again.. I followed your instructions to kill the bacteria, but after I pre-heated the meat (1/4″ slices) on the oven for 20 min at 300F, the meat looked cooked, like it was fried in a pan. And the result after the dehydrator was a Jerky that cracked pretty easy. Maybe the preheating process in the oven was too aggressive?
Thanks!
Hey Ben. It should only take about 12-15 minutes at 300F to bring the beef strips to 160F. It will cook the meat, but should not be over cooked. Just enough to reach 160F and no higher. I am guessing the meat was over cooked and that’s why it was brittle. I am not sure why, but the venison I’ve heated seems to take 20 minutes at 350F, especially after I moved to Colorado (high altitude).
My marinade was
1 cup of soya sauce
1/2 cup of Whorchester Sauce
2 table spoons of paprika
2 tbps of garlic pounder
2 tsp of the keg steak seasoning
Honey
Salt and pepper to taste…
Now with that all said. Is that enough sodium context to consider my beef cured ?
The soy sauce and adding more salt will definitely help preserve the jerky. Even though that is a lot of salt and will help, I normally don’t call anything ‘cured’ unless curing salt (Sodium Nitrite) is used.
Sir….
Just received ur Cajun beef recipe. You talked about an instant Marinator. Never dreamed they made something like that. How much meat does the container hold in order to marinade the beef? Can you use ground beef with this device?
Thanks for your time and assist!
vr
Ken
I know, the stuff they come out with is amazing! A lot of the big jerky companies use these marinators (not this one of course, but huge commercial ones). I have not used ground beef in it, but break up the ground meat before putting it in and it should work the same magic. It holds about 5 pounds of meat with enough space to spin and mix up the marinade well.
Hello Will,
Read with interest the use of a vacuum marinator. I am wondering if you could put the meat and marinate in a large vacuum sealer bag and then use the vacuum sealer to vacuum out the air and infuse the marinate. It would not rotate and turn the meat, but if the meat was well saturated, looks like it might work.
Thanks for the great recipes,
Leroy
Great site, Will – you’ve got me dreaming about my first batch – probably the Mexican Heat.
If making, say a 2lb batch and the recipe, is it ok to just double the ingredients? It may seem like a dumb question, but I’ve noticed in the past that it isn’t always as simple as that.
Thanks for any advice you have.
-darryl
Definitely NOT a dumb question. You should be able to double that one and be good though.
Thought this may be of interest.
I’ve made venison jerky for many years using the oven method. Recently I was given a NESCO FD-37 a friend wasn’t using so I gave it a try.
I used moose rump I had from a hunt, trimmed and cut it, marinated half in a Southwest style using hot sauce and dried chili powder, the other half was done Asian style with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, etc.
I did the Asian in my oven at 160-170, the Southwest in the NESCO, which also got to 170.
The Asian is delicious, just the right amount of give, turns white when bent but very chewable
The Southwestern from the NESCO however, looks great, also white when bent, but is tough as nails, jaw gets tired chewing. Can’t be the meat, all from the same batch. Might be the marinade but I’m thinking the drying process has something to do with it.
Your thoughts?
Using different drying methods can change the texture. I have found when I smoke jerky it is a little tougher, but haven’t found the dehydrator to make it more tough than the oven. Maybe over dried a little bit?
I have always made whole muscle jerky and want to give the ground beef method a try. Looks like everyone doing this method I sent using a dehydrator….any thoughts on trying it in a smoker, and if so, any suggestions on temps/Times
Thanks
Bill in Michigan
Most people do use a dehydrator because the trays make it easy to hold the ground jerky. If you use a smoker, just make sure to have some sort of metal screen that can hold the jerky since you are going to be unable to hang it. The temps are the same for ground as it is whole muscle. When using ground jerky there is more of a chance of the meat having bacteria, so make sure that you heat the jerky to an internal temperature of 160F at the beginning of the smoking process. I do have a page on smoking beef jerky you should check out. Hope that helps Bill. Sorry for the delay in answering, the holidays have been crazy! Merry Christmas!
Will, Thanks for the reply
Oh, I’ve definitely checked out your page on smoking jerky….I’ve used many of your recipes in the smoker and they all turn out GREAT.
I just bought a jerky cannon and thought I’d give the ground beef method a try.
I will definitely use the cure and I’m going to use the reusable non-stick grilling mats that I use for grilling salmon, to hold the strips of beef on the racks, I figure that should work fine.
I hope you are having very happy holidays.
Thanks again,
Bill C
Will,
I’m going to start making jerky in a smoker and was wondering if you had any insights as to a good smoker? I’m leaning towards the Masterbuilt sportsmen elite 40″ right now. Thanks in advance
I only own a masterbuilt, smaller than the 40, but like it I like the electric smokers because they’re less hassle. I don’t really have anything to compare it too though. I get a lot of comments about guys using their pellet grills, but they’re expensive!
Have several large beef briskets in my deep freeze. How are they for making jerky?
My son eats a LOT of jerky so looking into making my own
You can totally use brisket. Just trim the fat and slice! He will soon be a very happy guy!
Thank you! The boy is costing me a mint in store bought jerky!!
My family loves Old Bay. Can I make beef jerky uding just Old Bay seasoning?
Thank you for your site. I’m excited to try some recipes.
Great information. Thank you.
You can make jerky with any flavor! I would add some water or vinegar to help make a wet marinade. Could also add some liquid smoke for a smokey flavor if you wanted. Sounds like a good jerky, I also love the stuff!
Hey Will,
I found your website a few weeks ago, Great site with lots of great information! I have always wanted to make my own jerky, just didn’t know how to go about it, and just thought it would be too complicated. You have change my mind about that. I read your reviews on the dehydrators, and decide to order the Nesco Snackmaster Pro, it arrived yesterday. By tracking it, I knew when it would arrive, so I already had the Gold Buckle Brisket Beef Jerky Recipe ready to go, made it last night. First, the Dehydrator is awesome, quiet and easy to use and not too bad to clean up either. Second, the jerky turned out fantastic with great taste. Took some to work today and everyone loved it, such an easy recipe to start with. Going to try Teriyaki II Beef Jerky tonight, can’t wait! Thank you so much.
Steve C
I love hearing about people getting into making jerky. Welcome to the club Stephen! Your friends are going to start hounding you for more now…
Having a great time making Jerky, but hate cutting it with a knife. Can you recommend an electric meat slicer, don’t want to spend a fortune, but do want a good one? I bought one and sent it right back, just flimsy right out the box and didn’t even use it.
Thanks!
I hear you Stephen. Cutting with a knife can be a pain if you have a lot of meat or just getting even pieces in general. I have not used any electric slicers because I have heard terrible things about them trying to slice fresh meat or anything that is not hard like turkey breast or salami. I do use a Weston Manual Jerky Slicer and really like it. It is made very sturdy (no plastic) and is extremely smooth and effortless when operating. I use it when I make a lot of jerky. If I am only making 2 pounds or so, I normally slice by hand because by the time I take out the slicer and put it together I could have already finished slicing it by hand. It is dishwasher safe which is nice because trying to clean in between the blades would be a huge pain in the ass. You do have to slice the roast into 1 1/4″ slabs in order for it to fit into the slicer. It’s the best one that I have found for slicing jerky so far and it’s not too expensive. Hope that helps man. If you do end up getting an electric slicer, let me know how it works out!
just started to get into jerky making, I have used the high mountain brand kits but I am now going to try other recipes and I always make batches of 5 lbs or more do you have a basic table to change the measurements from the 1 lb listed to this higher amount. don’t want to over salt or add to much and ruin a hole batch, and is the measurement for prague powder and mortons tender quick the same?
When it comes to the original ingredients, just multiply by the increase in meat. You can always start with a little less salt and add more if needed by tasting the marinade before adding your meat. Prague powder and TQ are NOT the same amounts. Prague Powder is 1 tsp per 5lbs of meat and TQ is 5 tbsp per 5lb of meat (always double check with the brand you are using). If you use TQ, do not use any other type of salt in the recipe as it might turn out too salty. You can still use other salt when using Prague Powder.
I just found you website awsome. Got drawn for elk this year. Can’t wait
When using a smoker, should the water pan be removed? Thanks
I always have smoked jerky that was made with recipes marinated in a wet marinade. Since the jerky was so moist, there was no need for the water pan. There was enough humidity from the strips at the beginning of the heating process. If you are using a dry rub, leave the pan with water or vinegar in for about 2 hours then remove the pan and finish drying the jerky.
I have a convection oven that heats as low as 170 degrees. Do I still need a dehydrator.
You should be able to make great jerky with your convection oven. I wouldn’t run out and buy a dehydrator.
I saw your dale’s jerky recipe and wanted to provide a tip. I’ve been making dale’s jerky for nearly a year now and I would suggest adding some fresh ground black pepper to this. I share a lot of jerky at work and most people prefer it with at least a little.
Dales is super salty and it helps to counter it. I add some when I marinade and then sometimes I will add more after drying it with paper towls I rub a *small* bit of fresh ground black pepper onto the strips of meat, just be careful not to overdo it and overpower the dales flavor.
Thanks David!
Awesome site! Quick question… Do you have any recipes that do not use sugar or use very little?
Yep. Most of the spicier jerky does not have sugar, Dos Pepper & Habanero Tabasco are a couple that I really like.
I have a lot and I mean a lot of left over deer. Can I use this for the recipes instead of the beef? I know deer is lean but can it replace the beef in all of the recipes?
Definitely Mike. Deer is great for jerky, because it is so lean, and these recipes would work fantastic with venison. Feel free to switch up the meat on any of them.
Hey Will! I have been making the dales jerky for some time now. A friend I work with got me started 9 years ago on regular dales by itself. Now I use the Dale’s low sodium, liquid smoke, and honey! Makes a great jerky! Also A1 Cajun makes for a good marinade, but leaves it saucy. So don’t make to much at once and refrigerate it. You need a Facebook page for this.
Thanks for the tip on the Dale’s marinade. I’ll have to give it a try! I should start a Facebook page…
Hi Will,
Tried the Dales’s steak marinade jerky using eye of round in my smoker and it turned out very good.
A couple of tips.
I added a couple of tablespoons of dark brown sugar to the recipe along with some red pepper flakes. This not only killed a little of the saltiness, but also gave it a little kick.
I also purchased a bag of the little oxygen absorbers that you see in the store bought bags of jerky. A bag of 50 sells on Amazon for just a few dollars. I drop one in each ziplock bag of my jerky.
Keep the recipes coming and I hope you and yours have a Very Merry Christmas!
I got the butcher to slice the meat and most of it came out too thick so now i just hit the 4 hr mark and about 75% of the pieces feel like they are still too soft and not done yet… when i bend them the outside cracks but the inside is still so soft the pieces wont even rip apart. Should i just keep cooking them? How much longer? Will this ruin them?
Thanks, Dennis
I’m not sure how thick the butcher cut them, so 4 hours might not be long enough. Keep drying until the jerky is done to your liking. Make sure to take it out of the dehydrator and let it cool off for about 5 minutes before you check to see if it is done.
Hey Will,
For Christmas I got a jerky cannon. I was wonder if you have to put cure in the meat. My father has a recipe that we have always used for venison muscle jerky. Can I use that same recipe for the ground meat and not add cure or does it need cure.
Any Help would be great.
There is more of a chance of ground meat having bacteria which makes using cure a good idea. You don’t have to, but I recommend using cure and also heating the meat to 160F when using ground meat just to make sure everything is good to go. I am not sure what recipe your father has, but if it has very little liquid marinade (about 2tbsp) it should work fine. Just dissolve the curing salt in the liquid and add to the meat. Check out my page on making ground jerky. Hope that helps Matthew!
I am not sure if this is the right place for questions or not but here goes : Am I safe to assume that your one pound recipes can be enlarged by using the amount of ingredients X number of pounds being made ?
That’s pretty much right Keith. Just taste the marinade before adding meat to make sure it doesn’t need any adjustments.
Hi, I have a steak marinade that I would like to try on jerky, but the marinade has olive oil and vinegar in it. Will these two ingredients be an issue with making jerky? I was thinking the oil would introduce more fat, and not sure what kind of issue the vinegar will introduce. Thanks!
There is no problem with the vinegar, many recipes have it. The oil will add some fat and I would just keep it to a minimum.
I read your jerky safety and I have a question. It says to preheat the jerky to internal temp of 160 degrees. How long do I leave it at 160 degrees once the meat reaches that temperature, and do I leave the dehydrator at that temp for the whole drying time, or lower it to the regular 140 degrees for the remaining drying time?
The meat just has to reach 160F, it does not need to stay at that temp for any amount of time. Once you achieve the internal temp of 160F, you can lower the temperature back down to 140F, but I wouldn’t go any lower than that.
You mentioned you had just made some Elk Jerky. The you mentioned you visited ‘Savory Spice” , assuming it’s a spice outlet etc. I tried to punch up Savory Spice.com but the place has no website yet….altho it’s registered. I have been getting my spices from AtlanticSpiceCompany.com. I’m always looking for a site that carries a variety of spices at a fair price. Any ideas on how to go about getting hold of Savory Spice? I live next to Galveston,Tx., so driving there is out of the question !! Keep Jerkin’
Hey Ed. I visit the Savory Spice shop here in Boulder, CO and in Oklahoma City, OK when I’m at work. It’s a good place to get dried peppers that are hard to find in everyday stores. I know they have some 40 locations or so around the country, one is in Houston. You can visit their website at Savoryspiceshop.com.
Doh! I Didnt read carefully. First jerky batch, used the jabenro recipe. After marinade to meat had lots of large clumps of the jabenero and marinade on it. Not knowing better when i patted them dry i took off must of the seasoning not knowing any better! Fortunately I marinated about 14 hours so hope some the flavor made it in. But in general, for marinades that leave some solids on the jerky the general idea is to leave it on correct? I food proccessed the marinade but still had a lot if solids to it. Live and learn. In Nesco now. Will report how it turns out even though, as my son said, you brushed off all the good stuff 🙂
Those little pieces of habanero really make the jerky extra spicy. If you blended it pretty well, it still should have a good flavor to it. I try to blot the jerky very carefully so I don’t remove the big pieces of pepper. Looking forward to hearing how it turned out.
Will,
Can I make up a big jar of marinade in advance for making jerky? That way, when I want jerky, all I have to do I buy the meat, slice it and pour some marinade on it over night.
Thoughts?
I don’t see why not. You making your marinades is just like the ones bought in the store. Go for it!
Can I substitute turkey for beef or pork successfully in most recipes, or do some lend themselves better to turkey than others? I made the Koren BBQ recipe (loved it) and now have turkey on hand – wondering if it would be a good match. Have three boys to keep in protein…
I love that recipe too Nan! You can substitute pretty much any recipe. Normally turkey jerky doesn’t have real bold flavors such as soy sauce, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it that way!
hey i was wondering i recently bought a cheap charcoal smoker ik electric are easier but i enjoy the work with charcoal smokers do you have any suggestions for charcoal smokers
Edit: as in ones good for jerky
I have not used a charcoal smoker, but the temperature and premise is the same. Check out my Smoking Jerky page. A lot of people do use charcoal smokers when making jerky with great results, so it can be done!
I tried the Jerky with dale’s steak sauce. I would not recommend this one unless you need salt . It’s initial flavor is good but at the end of the chew it’s super salty
Hi Will,
if i make ground beef jerky with 96% lean, can I use Kosher salt instead of a cure as long as its eaten within a few days and refrigerated?
Hi Will,
Have you tried a vacum marinater?
Yep! I use my STX Marinator all the time. I run it about twice as long as it recommends, but it gives a great flavor in a short amount of time.
Will,
Brand new to making jerky, even now just writing a shopping list. Just curious about recipes with sugar. Is there a way to guestimate how much sugar is actually in the final product? Obviously not 100% of what is in the recipe is going to end up in the meat. Just curious if you have an idea.
Thanks
Eric
Oh man, I would really be guessing on this one. I like making recipes that do not have a lot of marinade left over. Not a big fan of marinating 1lb of meat in a gallon of marinade. So I would say that in most of my recipes about 1/2 of the sugar actually sticks to the meat.
Hey Will, Great site, Lots of great info. I’m using a Bradley smoker and trying to figure out the best wood for Jerky. I’ve used Mesquite and find it overpowering. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Mesquite can be overpowering for sure. My favorite wood is hickory when using my smoker. Can’t go wrong!
during the smoke with the masterbuilt smoker ,how should the vent be set? talking about the actual smoking not the drying.
About half way shut does the trick.
Hey I make great jerky but after it gets older it develops a soapy taste any help I can thank you
soapy taste? Not sure I have had that happen… My jerky normally doesn’t last too long either. Ha. I would vacuum pack and refrigerate any jerky that you aren’t going to eat within a couple days. Sorry I can’t be of more help…
I’ve made jerky with ground meat a number of times (I know, jerky purists are probably aghast) with the seasoning kits I find in the sporting goods section of shopping places. I’ve also tried to find recipes for ground meat jerky and tried to adapt some recipes meant for jerky made from sliced meats, but I haven’t been happy with the flavor. Usually it’s too light. Do you have any jerky recipes for ground meat?
We also tend not to like soy sauce.
Yes. I have several recipes on my recipe page that state they were made with ground meat. But if you read above, most of the recipes can be made with ground meat.
I usually only have kosher salt (Morton’s) on hand. How would the measurements for ks be different than table salt or sea salt? What would the salt weight be (in grams) per pound of meat with the different salts?
How much ground celery seed (per pound) would be a decent replacement for curing salt?
Thank you for all your awesome information!
Hey Bri! I would use a little more KS than sea salt. So if the recipe calls for 1tsp of Sea salt, use 1 1/4tsp KS. I do not know the weight in grams for that… I recommend buying a celery juice powder made for curing meats, this is not the same as ground celery seed. The package will tell you how much to use. Here you can buy some Celery Juice Powder that recommends using 3 1/2 tsp per 10lbs of meat. Note that it might clump up/harden, this is okay.
Hello Will,
I made a batch of the Dr. Pepper came out kind of tasteless, can I make a batch of Teriyaki II marinade soak the dried batch of Dr. Pepper in it for a bit then put in the dehydrator?
That sucks Bill. Sorry the jerky didn’t turn out that great. I have not rehydrated jerky before but have had many people comment on this site that they do. So I would think it to be fine to re marinate and dry again. Let me know how it turns out. I’m interested to know…
Will,
Just saw your salmon jerky recipe. Anxious to try! But curious as to if you left skin on the fish. I usually take it off when cooking on the grill.
Thanks!
Albert
Hey Albert. I really liked that recipe. I mention in the post that it’s better to leave the skin on. It helps prevent the fish from falling apart when marinating and peels off easily after you are done drying. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi Albert, I immediately ran out and found some wild salmon and tried the salmon recipe. It came out almost perfect! The only thing I need to adjust is the saltiness. It is too salty FOR ME. This is just me, because my family did not think so. I might be more sensitive to salt, so this recipe is awesome for most people. I agree with Will that leaving the skin on helps keep the fish together during dehydration, and it easily peels off when eating. I am having some as I write this!
Hi, is there a way to cut down on the saltiness of the jerky I make? Most recipes I like have soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sometimes other ingredients that may have salt. Is it the amount of marinade, or the time I marinate the meat that I should cut down on without compromising the flavor? I usually marinate for 18 – 24 hours.
Thank you!
Hi will. Posted a message after Dragon Fire receipe but didn’t see it and don’t know if it got to you so trying here. Anyway, haven’t made jerkey in a while and was going to make Habanero Tabasco receipe but thought I should check your site first. Saw the Dragon Fire receipe and changed my mind real quick. Question, if I use Habanero sauce rather than whole Habaneros how much sauce do you think I should use to retain the heat? I see lots of new receipes since last time I checked your site. Making vinegar horseradish also. Thanks for any reply. Can’t wait to see what else you come up with.
Will,
Have ever tried just a dry rub and skip the marinating part? I just got a Woodwind smoker/grill and I’m excited to try some of your recipes. I tried making jerky years ago in my oven and while it turned out okay, it wasn’t the best based on the recipes I was using.
The best jerky I ever had was from a small market in Georgia near Lake Lanier called Pop’s Stop. It’s still there and they are still making jerky, but I don’t think they’ll ever give up any part of the recipe. I feel like they don’t use a wet marinade but I’m not certain. I want to try your Dragon Fire recipe as that sounds and looks similar to what I like. Pop’s jerky does come out with the red color so maybe they are using a cure and a marinade.
Anyways, sorry for the long post, just wanted to get your opinion on a dry rub as I’ve seen some of those recipes and I’m sure you’ve tried it at some point. Thanks, Chad
Hey Chad! I have done dry rubs before, I just prefer using liquid marinades. I feel like the flavor get down into the meat instead of only on top. Another reason is because when using a smoker you want to have some humidity at the beginning to help kill bacteria. If you use a dry rub, make sure to put a pan of water or vinegar in the bottom at the beginning of the heating stage. You can take it out after the jerky has reached an internal temp of 160F and let it dry. If Pop’s has a red color to it, they used cure.
After more research, I learned that dry rubs can have a cure in them too. I’m going to start with Dragon Fire and go from there. I’ll keep you posted on my results! Thanks for the response!
I’ve been reading all your blogs and following all your suggestions on how to make jerky and have started my own company. My problem is getting the correct labeling from the USDA for my packaging. Do you have any suggestions?? I haven’t test my jerky to the public yet because I don’t have the correct labeling yet. I’ve gotten the oxygen absorbers, nutrition labels, Logo.
Thanks for the great web site and my inspiration.
Amy Dodge
Unfortunately I do not have any info on USDA labeling. I have not sold jerky and am not sure what the requirements are for labels. I am pretty sure that to sell jerky to the public in the U.S you need to make the jerky in a USDA approved and inspected kitchen. I would ask the inspectors what kind of label requirements are needed. They should be able to help. Good luck!
Hey Will,
What do you use to put the meat on for drying such as the photos in the Korean recipe
Hey Scott! I dried that jerky in my Excalibur Dehydrator. The picture shows the trays that come with that unit.
I would like to be able to follow on Facebook but haven’t been able to find a page. Is there a Jerkyholic page?
Unfortunately I do not have a Facebook page. I do have an Instagram and Pinterest account though!
i’m about make your sweet and sour using rose’ rainier wine , if you never had it, it tastes like fresh picked grapes. i’m using 1 heavy teaspoon powdered red pepper flakes and 1 heavy teaspoon of red pepper flakes. cutting top round london broil heavy 1/4″ thick. everything else the same. i’ll post my beef jerky critics opinions. i just wish my uncle who was born in france and trained there to be an executive french chef was around to see my training from him being put to good use. i served a sort of apprenticeship with him in floridia at his restaurant in miami beach back in the 1960’s.
i think he bought butter by the truck load. paying for it now. was it worth it? you’re darn right it was.
Hi, can the Malaysian pork recipe be used for beef?
Definitely!
Finally got the final pieces I needed for my Magic Chef Dehydrator 470. They can be found on eBay for around $30 and below. You will pay for shipping. Put 3# of Top Round on it and have been marinating it in Jack Daniel’s Honey Teriyaki marinade for about 2 1/2 days. It has been going since 3:30 – 4 pm today. Wish I could post you a pic but will give you the link to my FB page. I have lots of trays (more than 5) due to combining units. I really just needed the lid which I lost somewhere along the way. This is an older model (over 20 years) but it still works well. BTW, have you ever used a Flavor Injector to marinade the meat before you cut it into strips??? These can be obtained on Amazon.com for about $7 min. Bed Bath and Beyond sells them as well. Thought you might want to try and rate the Magic Chef 470 since you have done 4 already.
Love the site Will! The kids and I think you are a heaven sent jerky savant with great character, easy manor and the heart of a teacher, the wife is still undecided, being not into jerkey at all and watching her roasts get cut up and dried while the four of us rub our hands and wipe our drool. There is so much information I’m not sure if these questions have been asked/answered before so pardon if I make you repeat. Which flavor Liquid Smoke do you use? When I bought mine at the store there was only one bottle so I assumed that was the one and only till a week later I was in another store and saw three “flavors”. The other question is I ordered some Prague powder #1 and was wondering about the texture. I was expecting dry similar to salt. What I got was almost moist like wet sand, is this normal? Best I could tell it was still factory sealed. Thank you in advance for help with this and all future additions to your site.
Thanks for the kind words Jeff (and gang)! I am glad you guys are enjoying the site. There are several wood flavors that you can get. I use hickory smoke the most and mesquite second. There is also applewood and pecan, but you probably need to order it online as I have never seen it in a store. Mesquite is pretty strong and the hickory a little milder flavor. Also check the bottle to see if there are a lot of additives or if it is just water and smoke concentrate. Colgin normally has more additives, Wright’s does not. I’m a fan of Wright’s. The prague powder should be dry like salt, not wet.
Will,
Thanks for putting this site together. It is fantastic. I have a marinade question. My vacuum sealer came with a marinade dish that it connects to. I have used it for steak. Do you think the marinade time could go to a few hours instead of days using this device?
Thanks
Yes. I have used a vacuum marinator before and cut the time down to an hour. A few hours would be better than 1, but it will significantly cut down on the marinade time! Sometimes it’s hard to wait several hours before starting to dry your jerky!
Will:
A newspaper article about making jerky in the oven inspired me. Your site has given me the know-how to be quick a jerky making chef. I have tried many of your recipes with good results. Now I am making modifications and again so far good results. I blend every marinade and I only use eye of round beef (just my preference). On the Dr. Pepper/Jalapeno jerky for example, I chop and then blend the pepper in the marinade that enhances the taste without overpowering it. I made the Duke recipe and doubled the hickory liquid smoke and added two tsp of smoked paprika. Fantastic.
I have gotten several requests from my tasting crew about making a cinnamon based marinade. I have looked in several other forums and websites without much success. Have you made a cinnamon jerky?
FYI…I have turned on several friends to your site who have tried their hand at jerky, but to date they keep coming back to mine. Keep up the great blog.
I tried the sweet jerky recipe and added 1/3 cup of Jack Daniels Cinnamon Whiskey. The jerky had a distinctive cinnamon flavor to it and a touch of heat on the back end.
HI Will I wanted to try the Korean Bbq recipe but can’t find rice wine. Would it be rice wine vinegar or are they two different things.
They are two different things with totally different flavors. Rice wine is a Chinese cooking wine that is sweet. You will probably have to find an Asian super market and buy it there. Totally worth it though, that recipe is very good!
Kerry, I have found that some grocery stores have a product called Mirin in the “International” aisle that you can use.
Hi Will,
I made the yuzu marinade to try the yuzu recipe. I tasted the marinade and although I tasted the various flavors in the marinade, it was still kind of bland. I added some salt which gave it the flavor pop I was looking for. Was this a bad choice? After I added the salt, I thought to myself maybe there was a reason you left it out. I am used to the soy sauce based recipes and their saltiness. Otherwise, I’ll see how the jerky comes out. Thanks!
Hi Will. So I just got a Nesco Snackmaster Express FD-60 recently. Before that I used to just make jerky in my convection oven at 175F for about 2.5 to 3 hrs. I like to slice the meat extremely thin and it worked out great. The only issue was that i dont have a nice large wire rack for this, I used 3 smaller racks which was a pain and hassle, lots of cleaning. So now I have this dehydrator that only goes to 155F. I would prefer to not use my oven, but if I had to, could I just oven it after dehydration. I like using a wet marinade, so if I needed to “cook” it in the oven prior to dehydrating, do i have to pat it dry then oven, then pat it dry again, then put it into the dehydrator? Seems like a lot of work, when I can just go buy stacking wire racks and go back to just using the oven. What would you recommend the best process for me to do. Great site. Thanks for you time.
Hey Rob! Thanks for checking out the site. So I have never used that dehydrator and am not sure if it reaches more than 160F, I’m guessing no if the dial shows only 155F. The FDA recommends that you heat it in the oven BEFORE drying to 160F to kill any potential bacteria. When I have pre-heated meat, I tend to pat dry before heating in the oven and then pat it again before putting in the dehydrator. Like you said, it’s kind of a pain in the ass. I would say go back to using your oven and buy racks, or purchase a dehydrator that will heat the meat to 160F and avoid the pre-heat step when making beef jerky. Here is a link to some dehydrators I use and have tested. (I do pre-heat any fowl jerky to make sure it reaches 165F in the oven before drying though)
Hi, got jerky on the road 🙂
I try the Sweet Maple Pork Jerky and the malaysian pork jerky.
Put the 2 recipes in my nesco at the same time,
Do you think the flavor gone mix ???
Thank for Your website .
A french guy from Québec
The flavors won’t mix. I normally make three different recipes at a time and have never seen any negative affects. The only problem you could have is if you don’t pat the strips dry and have one recipe that drips onto a different batch below it. I pat the strips dry with paper towels and have not had this problem! Let me know how it turns out French Guy!
Hi, two part question. I hunt and I currently have a lot of meat already in the freezer. What would be the safest way to thaw out meat that has been frozen for a few months? Also do you have any good recipes that would work with bear, duck, and quail? I also have venison and goose in the freezer too that I’m planning on using. I hate having to spend an arm and a leg for wild game jerky and I have all this meat already at home so why not use it! I already have curing power and a dehydrator at home.
The safest way to defrost the meat is in the fridge. So make sure you give it a couple days to thaw in the fridge before you plan on making it into jerky. I have never made any jerky out of bear, duck, or quail so unfortunately I do not have any recipes. I do make a lot of my recipes with deer, the beef jerky recipes work very well with venison! Sounds like you are ready to start making some jerky!
Hi mate, coming from Australia!
Quick question, I added all
Ingredients into MyFitnessPal and put the serving sizes as on recipe, my only issue is that’s raw meat, is the serving sizes you have the dried meat or raw meat? I’m assuming it’s the dried weight.
Hey Ben! I love Australia! Lived in Bondi for several months about 10 years ago. Didn’t realize it was so long ago, I’m getting old….Ha. To answer your question; I input all the ingredients and the 1 pound of beef into a nutrition label. I then put the serving size as 5 (this is based on me believing that there are about 5 servings of final dried jerky after it is finished). The program is running 1 serving as 3.2 oz of meat and 1/5 of the marinade ingredients. However, don’t weight 3.2 oz of finished jerky as a servings. Weight all of the final jerky once it is done drying, then divide by 5 for 1 serving (might only be 1.5 oz).
Hi there,
I’m new at this jerky making. I’d like to make jerky to send to my son-in-law who is serving in Afghanistan. I’ll need it to last long enough to get it to him. I do have a food saver. Any suggestions or will it not last long enough?
That’s a great idea! I am sure him and his buddies will love it! It can definitely last long enough. I would use the food saver and also use Curing Salt. You can see more about storing beef jerky here.
Will,
Just started making my own beef jerky and your site has been my go-to for recipes and information. Thanks for making such a great, simple, and easy to use website for us novices.
Thanks Shad, I’m glad you are finding the site helpful!
Hello, I live in the Dominican Republic and want to make beef jerky here.
Problem is, the ovens I have available are all low temperature of about 300F
Buying a dehydrator is possible, but on the coast the electric is very expensive.
Can you think of a way to use an oven still (perhaps prop door open?) How will I know if the meat is “drying” instead of “cooking” ?
thanks in advance
Check out my Using an Oven page. That should have the info you need.
I live in Colorado too and just got into making jerky with a co-worker! We decided to go all out and do some bison jerky. It’s absolutely delicious but ended up way saltier than I thought it would and I definitely chose a fattier cut not knowing better. Any bison specific advice for next time?
I wish I had some great Bison advice for you, but I don’t. It should come out tasting great using most of the recipes on the site. Just treat it like any other red meat.
Can I use my Nesco trays to preheat my jerky in oven at the 300 degrees for 10 minutes ?
You can not put the nesco trays in the oven. They are made of plastic and can melt. Use a oven rack, or commonly called cooling rack, to heat the meat in the oven and then transfer it to the nesco trays to dehydrate.
Hi Wil, was wondering if you could recommend a good external smoker chamber air temperature thermometer? I have a Dyna Glo offset smoker and would like to check chamber temp from the outside , do not trust the one that came with it.
I don’t have a thermometer specific for a smoker, but you might check out this website I found that talks about great thermometers for smokers. I use a Polder thermometer and really like it. It doesn’t have a wireless reading so you can see the temp while your sitting on your couch like some of the top dollar ones made for smokers. Hope that helps Warren!
Hi,
Thanks for a great site.
I’m using a masterbilt smoker, slices a little under a 1/4″ on my slicer. I have some confusion on what you put under the smoker – how long does it usually take to dry after the 1.5 hour at 170 plus 1 hour smoke (I do 200). I’ve been a bit all over the place and would love some guidance so I could leave it in overnight. Thanks.
Thanks Charles! My jerky normally takes about 7 hours total in the smoker. So another 4.5 hours after the smoke, but I would definitely check it before that. Different locations, temperature outside, humidity, wind…. everything could change the drying time.
Curious question I’ve been doing some research. I got a Traeger for my birthday and want to do more with it. I’ve done some research on using the Traeger to make jerky. Ive read you essentially leave it on smoke mode which is approximately 180°. Do you have thoughts on the use of a Traeger for jerky making?
Thank You
I have never used the Traeger Zach, but did just have someone comment about it. They said it was on the smoke setting for 4 – 4 1/2 hours and he used the gourmet blend of pellets. He mentioned that the smoke setting was between 130-150F and mentioned that you might want to pre-heat it in the oven to reach 160F internal. You could always increase the temp and heat it at first in the grill. Let me know how it turns out and what setting/temp you used!
I recently purchased a Nesco FD75a and I’m only getting a max temperature of 145°. I’ve tested it with the machine unloaded, loaded, and with thermometer inserted into the meat. I used a corded oven thermometer, digital pocket thermometer, as well as an instant read thermometer. Tested on both top and bottom trays (a few degrees difference between locations). Should I get a replacement?
I would definitely contact them and let them know that your heating unit must not be working properly and ask for a replacement. There will be a couple degree difference between the top and bottom, but the unit should reach over 145F. How long did you have it running? I believe it took 2.5 hours for my meat to reach an internal temp of 160F in my Nesco.
Over 5 hours for each test. I will contact them.
Will I just discovered your site, it’s fantastic! I especially like the nutrient values included with your recipes. I will be trying the lower sodium recipes for sure.
My question relates to serving size. Is your serving size measured using raw weight or dehydrated weight? I know you lose about 60% weight in preparing jerky so it would make a large difference for me. Thanks!
Great question Brad. My nutrition app/plugin calculates the calories and nutrition with the full weight of the meat. Hope that helps!
Hey Will, just noticed after I sent last comment that you got married in 2015. Still getting used to your site. Hope your marriage is still going well!!
No worries Mark, still going strong! I’ll answer your questions here. If you want to make 3lbs, just triple the recipe. When it comes to peppers or hot sauce, I recommend increasing a little bit and tasting the marinade. Sometimes the peppers do not need to be tripled. Prague powder #1 is regular beef jerky cure. That is what is used when making beef jerky. It also is called curing salt or pink salt. There are several names, but prague powder #1 is the most commonly used curing salt when making beef jerky. Make sure you leave a review or shoot me an email letting me know how you liked the book!
Hi Will,
Just got my new Nesco dehydrator, thanks for the recommendation it works great!
I had a question about temperature selection. I notice in some of your recipes you start at 160 degrees and then lower the temperature to 140. Should I follow this method if not using a curing salt?
If using a curing salt should I start the process at 140 degrees?
Thanks
Andrew
I always start the dehydrator at 160F and let it run like that for 3 hours or so, that way the jerky will reach that internal temperature. After it reaches that internal temperature, you can lower it to 145F or so for the rest of the dehydration process. Whether I use curing salt or not, I always start at 160F for that 3 hours. Hope that helps Andrew! Congrats on the new dehydrator!
First I am not making my own seasoning, I am using Hi Mountain brand. Based on their instructions I use a specific amount of cure and seasoning based on the weight of the meat after trimming. My issue is I like paper thin jerky and 1 pound in 1/4″ versus 1 pound in 1/8 or 1/16″ strips has vastly different surface area and I run out of seasoning.
Do you have any recommendations or do I just need to use more seasoning?
Thank you,
Matt
It has been a while since I have used Hi Mountain seasonings, but it sounds like you just need to use more seasoning. As cure goes, I would not increase the amount of cure. It is per pound and I would be hesitant of using more than recommended per pound.
Will,
I purchased your book & it arrived yesterday. I have also ordered one of the dehydrators you recommended. I have a Rec Tec pellet grill. I also wanted to try some jerky on the grill. What temperature do you recommend I set:
Thanks,
Sandy
I hope you enjoy the book! Leave a review if you like it! I have yet to use a pellet grill (ordering one soon though). I would stick with a low temperature around 180F. I have heard from readers that they get great results with pellet grills. Let me know how it turns out!
When making ground beef jerky, can I mix 20 lbs at a time, cook 10 lbs and freeze the uncooked for use at a later time?
That shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure to thaw the ground meat in the fridge and not on your counter when you go to make the saved 10lbs.
Hi, in your recipe for Malaysian Pork Jerky you say to use pork loin. The pictures all seem to show pork tenderloin. Which one is it?
I used pork tenderloin. I’ll change that on the website, thanks for pointing it out!
Hey Will:
Looking to order the Weston Jerky Slicer. Looks like it is a good piece of equipment to have. What do you think of the cuber/tenderizer blades as an accessory? I was thinking of tenderizing the “along the grain slabs” then swapping out the tenderizer wheels with the slicer blades and running the tenderized slab back through for the slicing. Would this be worth the extra effort or is it a PIA to swap out the blades?
Thanks,
Steve
I love the Weston Jerky Slicer and think the tenderizer/cuber would be a great addition. The blades are very easy to change out! Loosen 2 screws with an Allen wrench, the top comes off, and pull out the blades. Go for it Steve!
I see you have recipes that include tequila and whiskey. Can rum be used or does it have too high a sugar content?
Rum can definitely be used! Sugar is used all the time in jerky, so no worries there.
Hi Will, I am about to buy the meat to make some jerky, I’ve made it a few times but I never know how thick to tell the Butcher to slice it. I know you recommended a quarter of an inch when cutting it by hand but this will be by machine and by the butcher, So does it need to be a quarter of an inch still? Is that the *best thickness? Also thank you for all of the tips on making beef jerky it is very much appreciated!
You can go a little less than a 1/4″ if the butcher is slicing it. 3/16″ or 1/8″ would even work well. It really comes down to your preference on whether you like thicker or real thin jerky. Thanks for stopping by Joann!
I just got back into hunting and got a large deer/plenty of meat last Saturday. Found your website and love it! Thanks for the resources and I’ll check out your book.
I’m trying to determine if I did ok with my 1st run at jerky. I followed a recipe that included soy sauce (salt factor), orange juice and spices/brown sugar/red pepper flakes, etc.
1. Marinated for 36 hours. Strips cut ~1/4″ thickness.
2. Using Nesco snackmaster set to 160F, cooked for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Meat was pliable, a dark to rich wine colored red inside and starting to show fine white fibers.
3. I had to got to a meeting so refrigerated the meat.
4. Returned home, cleaned dehydrator and ran it again with same meat for another 2 hours at 160.
It is still red inside but firmer and tears nice, tastes good. I just don’t know from reading it there is a minimum time to keep at 160 and if the red is ok. Also, was it stupid to run 2nd time (did I make super bugs)?
Thank you again,
Tony
Keeping it going for 2.5 hrs should have gotten the meat to 160F. Putting it in the fridge and then finishing it off later would be just fine. Glad the jerky turned out tasting good. There are a lot of recipes, try a bunch of them! Thanks for leaving a comment Tony!
Hey ho! So my son is a big outdoorsman; hunting fishing etc and we would like to gift
an excellent dehydrator to convert his harvest. I don’t mind spending extra if I get extra. I am not sure how long this page has been here but before I do something stupid, I wanted you recommendation on the *best* machine to gift him (and of course your book would be part of the package 😉 . Thank you in advance.
Hey Lucy! If price is not an issue, I would definitely go with the Excalibur Dehydrator. This is my favorite dehydrator that I own. I am sure he will love the book too! Thanks!
I’m getting ready to start a home jerky business, is there a specific packaging technique I should incorporate or would a zip top bag suffice?
I would check out my page on storing jerky. You are probably going to want to at least vacuum seal the packaging and add oxygen absorbers. Flushing the package with nitrogen before adding the jerky to push out all oxygen in the package is best.