How to Make Jerky at Home

If you are an avid hunter or want to learn a new survival skill to help you prepare your emergency food storage, learning to make meat jerky is fun, thrifty and satisfying.

Hikingware.com reminds anyone making jerky that strict hygiene should be observed at all times to avoid the danger of infection from microorganisms that lurk in all meat, wild or store-bought.

Jerky is a lightweight, dried meat product that is a handy food for backpackers, campers and outdoor sports enthusiasts. It requires no refrigeration and can be made from almost any lean meat.

The best meat for jerky includes:

• beef
• pork
• venison
• smoked turkey breast

*Raw poultry is generally not recommended for use in making jerky because of the texture and flavor of the finished product.

When preparing wild game jerky, it is important to remember that the wound location and skill of the hunter can affect the safety of the meat. If the animal is wounded in such a way that the contents of the gut comes in contact with the meat or the hunter’s hands while dressing the meat, fecal bacteria can contaminate the meat. It is best to avoid making jerky from this meat and only use it in ways that it will be thoroughly cooked. Deer carcasses should be rapidly chilled to avoid bacterial growth.

You can decrease the risk of food borne illness from home-dried jerky by allowing the internal temperature of the meat to reach 160°F, but in such a way as to prevent case hardening.

Two methods can be used: heat the meat strips in marinade before drying or heat the dried jerky strips in an oven after the drying process is completed.

When the strips are heated in a marinade before drying, drying times will be reduced and the color and texture will differ from traditional jerky.

Preparing the Meat
Partially freeze meat to make slicing easier. The thickness of the meat strips will make a difference in the safety of the methods recommended. Slice meat no thicker than ¼-inch. Trim and discard all fat from meat, since it becomes rancid quickly. If a chewy jerky is desired, slice with the grain. Slice across the grain if a more tender, brittle jerky is preferred. A tenderizer can be used according to package directions. The meat can be marinated for flavor and tenderness. Marinade recipes may include oil, salt, spices and acid ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, teriyaki, soy sauce or wine.

If using a marinade, first combine all ingredients. Place strips of meat in a shallow pan and cover with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or overnight. Meats marinated for several hours may be more salty than some people prefer. If you choose to heat the meat prior to drying to decrease the risk of food borne illness, do so at the end of the marinating time.

To heat, bring the strips and marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes before draining and drying. If strips are more than ¼ inch thick, the length of time may need to be increased. If possible, check the temperature of several strips with a metal stem-type thermometer to determine that 160°F has been reached.

Drying the Meat
Remove meat strips from the marinade and drain on clean, absorbent towels. Arrange the strips on dehydrator trays or cake racks placed on baking sheets for oven drying. Place the slices close together, but not touching or overlapping. Place the racks in a dehydrator or oven preheated to 140°F. Dry until a test piece cracks but does not break when bent (10 to 24 hours for samples not heated in marinade.) Samples heated in marinade will dry faster. Begin checking samples after 3 hours.

Once drying is completed, pat off any beads of oil with clean, absorbent towels and cool. Remove strips from the racks and package in glass jars or heavy plastic food storage bags.

If the strips were not heated in marinade prior to drying, they can be heated in an oven after drying as an added safety measure. Place strips on a baking sheet close together, but not touching or overlapping. For strips originally cut ¼ inch thick or less, heat 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 275°F. (Thicker strips may require longer heating times to reach 160°F.)

Jerky prepared this way can be stored at room temperature for several months and kept in the refrigerator for up to one year.