Dehydration

I really want to get a food dehydrator to make jerky with. Any recommendations?

 

I saw the thread title and was about to tell you to drink some water

 

Yeah, thought it would get more attention that way! LOL...Thanks for your service...

 

I got the
Cabela's 80-Liter Commercial-Grade Food Dehydrator a while back and real like it. Have zero issues with it so far.

 

problem is getting a dehydrator that gets the temp up past the "safe food cooking range" I use my masterbuild smoker to make jerky

 

I don't suppose you need to reach safe temp range. The bacteria that does bad things needs water to survive and reproduce, and drying or salting the meat osmotically pulls water through the cell walls of those bacteria and kills them. That's why it preserves the food.

 

Made some jerky last weekend. Let it go to long and it tasted like dust. I have persimmon trees. My neighbor took some and dehydrated them. It was pretty good. So yeah, smoke your meats, dehydrate your fruits and veggies. Or deep fry them?

 

I have a Nesco dehydrator that has always worked well for me and won’t break the bank.

 

They're pricey, but I have an Excalibur dehydrator. Let's you dial in the temp and time, etc. It might be worth getting a more affordable one to try out dehydrator jerky to see if you want to get into smoking jerky instead

 

I had a ronco that sukd. I've used a few friends machines.

My favorite: An electric oven at 150 with the door cracked. Jerky will feel too dry on the outside when you pull it out. While hot put it direct into a ziplock or mason for a couple days and it will equalize into perfect leather.