quick question about making jerky

[elijahboy]

i want to make some turkey jerky in the dehydrator

i read the directions and it doesnt say cook the meat first at all

so do you just put raw meat in the dehydrator

sorry for the question

i just got my $5.00 dehydrator today and im doing banana chips to experiment but i really want to do turky because my store here has turkey for .49 a pound right now and my son goes through jerky like crazy

if you also have a great recipe pls share

 

[dacjohns]

You don't need to cook it.

 

[FarmerChick]

almost everything is dehydrated from raw.

there is a dehydrating thread somewhere on the forum with great info.

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2788

might help with some questions down the road.

 

[Cargo]

When making jerky the meat is "cooked" in the salt brine.

 

[Farmfresh]

Cargo

Yes, the marinade is responsible for the preservation more than the dehydrator is. There are lots of good recipes out there.

 

[Neko-chan]

...

 

[abifae]

My fave is a thai marinade before I dry mine...

Shoyu, rice vinegar, red chili paste, ginger, lime....

 

[journey11]

The dehydrator will to some degree cook it, albeit at a very low temp. It is the salt in the marinade that preserves it. If you use a low-salt marinade or seasoning (particularly if you mix up something homemade or use something not made just for jerky) you will need to consume it within a 2-3 weeks or keep it in the fridge because it will go rancid after awhile.

 

[AnnaRaven]

i want to make some turkey jerky in the dehydrator

i read the directions and it doesnt say cook the meat first at all

so do you just put raw meat in the dehydrator

sorry for the question

i just got my $5.00 dehydrator today and im doing banana chips to experiment but i really want to do turky because my store here has turkey for .49 a pound right now and my son goes through jerky like crazy

if you also have a great recipe pls share

According to Phyllis Hobson's Making and Using Dried Foods:

4 pounds turkey
1 cup bbq sauce and 2 tbsp liquid smoke (or use garlic powder or season salt)
1stp chili powder
1tbsp worcestershire sauce
dash cayenne pepper

Freeze meat unti firm and solid enough to slice easily. Cut into 1/8inch slices with sharp knife then cut slices int strips 1 1/2 inches wide. Blend remiaining ingredients and pour over meat strips and marinate overnight in refrigerator. Drain well. Dry in deydrator for 4 hours at 140F. Strips should not be overlapping. Well dried jerky should be dark and fibrous looking and brittle enough to spinter when bent in half.

Basically: marinate the meat overnight, then put it in the dehydrator at 140F.

 

[mandieg4]

I put it in the dehydrator raw, although I do have a recipe from our extension agency somewhere that says to boil it first for a couple minutes because the dehydrator doesn't get hot enough. DH did it that way once, but the meat all fell apart and it was a huge pain. This last time I made jerky I found another site that says to put it in the oven at 200* for 10 minutes after it comes out of the dehydrator. Honestly I think it is just fine straight out of the dehydrator, but there are some people like my DH who are a little more cautious than that.