The Jerky Maker’s Guide: Selecting Meat for Dehydration Success

If you are into making homemade jerky, then you already know this secret. The type of meat and tools you use plays a crucial role in determining your jerky. It is important to have the best food dehydrator for jerky. Especially if you want to make delicious jerky for various purposes like snacking, camping, or storing food for the long term.  

This piece emphasizes the essential components for making great jerky and discusses the importance of purchasing a top-notch dehydrator.

Best Meats for Jerky

Speaking of jerky, not all meats are equal and there is a difference and most people have no idea. You will want to try to find cuts that are lean that will not go bad in the process of drying out. Here are some top options:

1. Beef

Beef is preferred because of its taste and texture to make jerky out of. When choosing beef for jerky, make sure you choose beef with low fat content as this will reduce the amounts of fat introduced to the product. That is why fat not only does not dehydrate well, but can become rancid at some point. The best cuts for beef jerky include:

Top Round: This cut is cheap and is suitable for jerky.

Bottom Round: A slight cut above the top round; good for jerky meat also.

2. Turkey

Turkey jerky is entirely different from beef jerky and is leaner and healthier. You’ll like it because it’s also very simple to prepare if you’re using a dehydrator. Turkey tenderloins are the best to use in jerky preparation since they contain a minimal level of fat.

3. Pork

Thus, pork jerky could be quite tasteful for certain. However, tenderloin or pork loin should be preferred as it does not contain much fat content. If using pork, ensure you pre-dry, and well cook them to free them from their natural instructions.

4. Game Meats

Wild game such as venison, elk and other game meats are low in fat and well endowed with flavor.

Preparing Your Meat for Dehydration

So choosing the right meat, let us move towards the preparation of the meat for dehydration. Follow these steps to get the best results:

1. Trim the Fat: Eliminate all grossly perfused fat since it does not dehydrate and would turn rancid.
2. Slice Thinly: Cut meat into ¼ inch strips. Slicing against the grain creates the meat to have a chewy feel; with the grain makes the meat tender to bite.
3. Marinate: It’s placed in a marinade for a couple of hours or even overnight with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spices and salt for bright and preservation.

Best Food Dehydrator for Jerky

The model of the dehydrator you go for plays a major role in your jerky making experience. A good dehydrator is one that has even heat distribution and adequate ventilation as well as enough space in which to accommodate volumes of food. The Septree 8-tray food dehydrator is a great machine for the preparation of homemade jerky.

10 Trays for Large Batches: There is enough room to dry for a long time, meaning you can dry many at one time.

• Consistent Airflow:Thanks to this countertop dehydrator it is possible to configure and set all trays to dry and none of your food pieces is over- or burnt.
• Temperature Control: Enhancing the standard jerky preparation temperatures typically set between 160°F to 170°F can be achieved by adjusting the temperature control. 

For those looking to increase capacity, upgrading to a food dehydrator with 10 trays is recommended for enthusiastic jerky makers.

FDDSC-08A: 8 Trays Dehydrator

ST-01: 10 Trays Dehydrator

Dehydrating Your Jerky

As your meat gets cubed and marinated, it’s time to dehydrate. 

1. Preheat it: Set the dehydrator to 160°F.
2. Arrange: The lean meat is spread out even on the trays to facilitate processing this is where silicone mats come handy in cleaning the mess.
3. Dehydrate: Tent for 6-8 hrs, best done once an interval is exceeded.
4. Check: It was pointed out that jerky should be slightly tacky to the touch, Slightly crisp but not brittle.

Storing Your Jerky

Temperature is also important as it ensures that your jerky lasts for a long while in storage. After allowing it to cool, put it into airtight containers or better still vacuum sealed bags. In case you’d want to store it for a longer time, you can refrigerate or freeze the jerky. This prevents it from going moist and thus increases the shelf of your fresh home-made snack.

Conclusion

When it comes to home-made jerky, those procedures can be very interesting and the result can be very good if the proper equipment is used. With the right choice of lean meats, right techniques of meat preparation and proper selection of correct and efficient dehydrators including Septree 8-tray food dehydrator, you are most favorable in a position of producing wonderfully tasteful and healthful jerky for the whole family. Ready to start? Shop your Septree Dehydrator today!