Tender Jerky Question

[troutbug]

Hello Everyone,

Great site!

So I normally make my beef jerky in a dehydrator both ground meat and whole muscle meat kinds.

I like my jerky dry and chewy. The wife likes hers soft and tender.

How can I achieve that soft tender jerky like you buy at gas stations?

 

[uncle eddie]

I like the jerky both ways. To get chewier, dehydrator made jerky, shorten the dehydrator time or lower the dehydrator temp. That's all there is to it.

On my open country dehydrator, for 5 pounds of beef, I will dehydrate at 125F for about 9 hours for chewier jerky and bump the temp up to 140F for the drier jerky. Test the chewy jerky and pull it if OK...leave the rest for a bit more time and you will have your drier jerky. - You can have it both ways!

Make sure you use a good cure in both cases, even more so for the chewier jerky. I buy my cure and flavor packets from Owen's BBQ. Also - the chewier jerky will mold much faster than the dry jerky so I break it into several days-worth containers and freeze next weeks and later.

 

[okiefisher]

I like the jerky both ways. To get chewier, dehydrator made jerky, shorten the dehydrator time or lower the dehydrator temp. That's all there is to it.

On my open country dehydrator, for 5 pounds of beef, I will dehydrate at 125F for about 9 hours for chewier jerky and bump the temp up to 140F for the drier jerky. Test the chewy jerky and pull it if OK...leave the rest for a bit more time and you will have your drier jerky. - You can have it both ways!

Make sure you use a good cure in both cases, even more so for the chewier jerky. I buy my cure and flavor packets from Owen's BBQ. Also - the chewier jerky will mold much faster than the dry jerky so I break it into several days-worth containers and freeze next weeks and later.

For the more tender jerky I slice mine 3/8" thick which helps then put it in my smoker on stackable racks for 2 hours. After it's smoked for 1 1/2 hours on the smoke cycle I turn the smoker up to 180 for 30 minutes just to make sure any bacteria has been killed. After the smoker I place in my dehydrator for 3 hours at 160 degrees and it's done. I take orders at work and make it about every other week normally selling 10-12 lbs and have never had a complaint.

 

[troutbug]

Ok so here is another question lol

If a guy uses cure like I do, could the meat not be fully dried and safe also since it is cured?

 

[okiefisher]

Ok so here is another question lol

If a guy uses cure like I do, could the meat not be fully dried and safe also since it is cured?

It should be safe with cure but I always like to lean towards being safe, especially since I'm selling so much.

 

[WildmanWilson]

Ok so here is another question lol

If a guy uses cure like I do, could the meat not be fully dried and safe also since it is cured?

The cure keeps you safe during the low temp or low oxygen conditions from botulism. The same way it does when making summer sausage. I would just refrigerate once done.