Nesco Food Dehydrator manual Meat Jerky, Selection, Preparation, Drying Jerky

Drying

Jerky

erky is a favorite snack for school, Jlunch, trail or just about anywhere!

It is made by seasoning raw meat in a salt mixture, and then drying it without cooking. The finished product is an exercise in chewing and ever so delicious!

Meat Jerky

You won't have to pay the exorbitant prices for jerky slices or sticks at the supermarket. Most lean meats will yield about 1 pound of jerky for 3 pounds of fresh meat.

When making jerky from pork, chicken or turkey, use precooked and processed meat. Be sure to dry it at the highest temperature setting. After drying, heat it in your oven at a minimum temperature of 160°F (71°C) for at least 30 minutes as a precaution against the risk of sal- monella. When you are jerking game meats, freeze the meats for at least 60 days at 0°F (-18°C) before drying, as a precaution against any diseases the animal might be carrying. Lean ground meats can also be dried. Add season- ings. Then press or form into strips or sticks, and place on trays to dry.

Selection

Jerky may be made from a variety of different meats. When purchasing meats for making jerky, choose lean meats with minimal marbling (fat), as fat tends to go rancid during storage. A lean cut of flank steak or round steak makes excellent jerky.

Using the NESCO® American Harvest® Jerky Works™ kit, you can make deli- cious jerky from ground meat. It’s best to use ground round or lean (or extra lean) ground beef. Season with NESCO®American Harvest® Jerky Seasoning Mixes.

Preparation

Remove all fat from meat and cut into thin strips 1⁄4" to 3⁄8" thick. It is easier to slice partially frozen meat for jerky. If meats are cut on the crosswise grain, jerky is less chewy than if meats are cut on the length-wise grain.

Marinate cut meats in store-bought or your own recipe marinade for 6 to 8 hours in the refrigerator before drying.

If you are using your own recipe, be sure to include 1⁄2 to 1 teaspoon of salt for each pound of meat. The salt slows

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