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. (¼tsp Prague Powder #1 per 1 pound of meat). Use ¼tsp of Prague Powder #1 & ¾tsp 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 ¼" slices of beef to 160°F, it takes about 10-12 minutes in a 300°F oven. To pre-heat ¼" 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
Billy Wyatt says
Hi Will,
I noticed all your recipes are made for one pound of meat, if i wanted to make five pounds of jerky would you just make five times the recipe? Including curing salt?
Thanks,
Billy
Will says
That is correct. Double check the curing salt you are using, but it is normally 1tsp per 5lbs of meat. The only thing you might not want to multiply by 5 are hot peppers. Maybe put a couple extra and taste the marinade, then adjust as necessary. Thanks for stopping by Billy!
Till says
Hi Will!
Thanks for your awesome content!
I am from germany and i do have a general site about dehydrating. I just recently got into jerky and started to create some content. I even used a picture from your site of a jerky gun (because i dont have one). I of course created the credit links you asked for: https://richtig-dörren.de/jerky-gun/
I am planning to make an (e)book about jerky in german as well. May i also use a photo from your page (of course with giving you credit the same way!)?
Greetings from germany 🙂
Till
Will says
Very cool Till. Yeah, you can use a picture. Hope the book turns out great!
Till says
Thanks Will,
wish you all the best!
Till
Raine says
Hey Will,
Great post, and thanks for all the recipes!
If I may, one more detail to consider is the type of packaging material. You want something with a Nylon layer for added resistance to punctures and tears. Otherwise, jerky tends to be hard/sharp and can put little holes in the bag. When that happens, your product is exposed to oxygen and goes bad pretty quick.
Here's a little video about using Nylon for Beef Jerky and how strong it is:
https://youtu.be/ODSjgaxpLHo
Would be awesome to link to this video here 🙂
Thanks!
Paul Brennan says
Why is my eye round always have a thin layer of membraine fat that yo can't really cut off without losing ALLOT of meat
Will says
Yeah, there is normally a layer of fat on top of the meat. Definitely lose a lot of weight that way. It's just the way it is..
Craig says
Has anyone here done bacon jerky at home?
Brad says
I love your book and your recipes are great. I love my Traeger and do jerky weekly. I have researched marinating times and i usually see 24 hours max. Do to work schedules and timing will it be ok to marinate more than 24 hours. I have a batch ready for saturday but it will be in the amrinate 38 hours or so.
Will says
It's fine to marinade more than 24 hours. I don't think you get that much more flavor out of marinating longer than 24, but it's perfectly okay to marinade in the refrigerator for several days. Thanks for the kind words about the book, I'm glad you are enjoying it!
JoAnne says
Wow, what a great resource, thanks! Question I've not really seen addressed- how about using one of those bottled marinades, besides the Dales mentioned? I have the Iron chef Sesame Garlic, calling my name. Maybe adding some salt to it? I do understand it may come out a little stickier, as it has a thicker consistency. I'm also using my Foodsaver marinating bowl to punch flavors in in a shorter period of time. Thanks for your time...
Will says
You can totally use bottled marinades for seasoning the jerky. Most of those already have A LOT of salt as well, just check the sodium content on the bottle. If it has a thick consistency, it will come out stickier. Pat the strips dry with paper towels after you marinade them and before you put them in the dehydrator. Let me know how it turns out JoAnne!
LARRY FOWLER says
where to buy beef round inexpensively?
Like @ $.99/lb... ?
Bob says
I have another question about using Prague Powder #1. Do I simply add it to the other marinade for whole meat and to the other flavor mixture for ground beef jerky?
Will says
You just add the curing salt to the other ingredients. Most whole meat recipes have some liquid ingredients that will absorb the salt. If you are making a ground meat jerky that does not have ANY liquid ingredients, add the curing salt to a 1 tbsp of water and mix until dissolved. Then add it to the other dry ingredients. Thanks for checking out the site Bob, hope you find it helpful. Sorry it took so long to respond, I've been super busy!
Blaine Yuen says
Hi Will, thanks for sharing your jerky adventures. I was just looking at your Tropic Thunder jerky recipe & saw in your comments that you wished the pineapple flavor was stronger. I had a thought, what if you used frozen pineapple concentrate instead of straight juice?
Will says
That might give it more of a pineapple flavor, that's a good tip! I will try that next time Blaine!
Darrell P. says
I wanted to just thank you for this awesome site. It has helped me make a ton of jerky in my Ninja Foodi. I think I have made at least 8 of your recipes so far. It even helped me come up with one of my own using a random seasoning my co-worker wanted me to try. Im not much of a cooker so its all been a learning experience but very fun and tasty! 😉 Im not sure if you could do it or not but having a place for people to submit recipes to you might be a cool idea to give you more things to try.
Will says
Glad you have really utilized the site. I have thought of ways to have people submit recipes. I am still trying to find the best way to do it, but think it would be a great way to have people contribute and put up some new great recipes. Hopefully in the near future I will have something like that available!
Michael says
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?
Will says
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.
LucySunshine says
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.
Will says
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!
Tony F. says
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
Will says
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!
Joann says
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!
Will says
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!
Linda says
I see you have recipes that include tequila and whiskey. Can rum be used or does it have too high a sugar content?
Will says
Rum can definitely be used! Sugar is used all the time in jerky, so no worries there.
Steve Risse says
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
Will says
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!
Bruce Kelly says
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?
Will says
I used pork tenderloin. I'll change that on the website, thanks for pointing it out!
Charles Decker says
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?
Will says
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.
Sandy McBee says
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
Will says
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!