Ambient for dehydrator usage

[rob g]

I would like to make some more jerky. I have an Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator. My issue is my garage temperature varies between 2C and 8C with the winter weather. Running the dehydrator in the basement would likely get us both tossed into the snowbank. Would I be able to make jerky with the low ambient temperature? Would it just mean an adjustment in drying times?

 

[SonnyE]

Well heck yeah, Rob.
Your dehydrator has heat in it anyway to help dry out the food in it.
I run my Presto Dehydro in my garage as a rule. I don't like the fan noise in the house.
It has temperature settings, but I always run it at 165° F (~74° C) for my jerky.
Usually 4 hours is good for mine. (1/4" thick Pork Loin Marinated Jerky)
No matter what the temperature in my garage is.
You can check it as the time goes by. But often when I go to testing, I have a lot of volume shrinkage. I eat too much.

 

[rob g]

Well heck yeah, Rob.
Your dehydrator has heat in it anyway to help dry out the food in it.
I run my Presto Dehydro in my garage as a rule. I don't like the fan noise in the house.
It has temperature settings, but I always run it at 165° F (~74° C) for my jerky.
Usually 4 hours is good for mine. (1/4" thick Pork Loin Marinated Jerky)
No matter what the temperature in my garage is.
You can check it as the time goes by. But often when I go to testing, I have a lot of volume shrinkage. I eat too much.

I put a batch of beef in the fridge to marinate. Tomorrow's supposed to be warming up to 8C with a storm going thru. I'll have the meat in the dehydrator by noon and in the bag by supper before the temps plummet again.

 

[rob g]

6lb of beef turned into 2lb-12oz of jerky. It warmed up today so the garage was about 6C. Dehydrator took 6 hours at 160F.

 

[chopsaw]

I was watchin this , but didn't have any useful advice . Glad it worked out . Looks good .