Using cure in ground jerky

[Qazaq15]

Hi all, new member here. I've been making ground venison jerky for a few years now, and I've always heated it up to 160 degrees or higher to avoid getting sick. If I use Cure #1, is it necessary to get it that hot? Or can I just keep it at 145 degrees for the duration?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

If your making any kind of jerky, slim Jims, bologna, or summer.

Always use cure 1...smoker or dehydrator.

 

[Dave in AZ]

As BGKYSmoker said, I'd always use cure1, particularly if smoked. Remember, cure1 primarily is there to defeat botulism which grows in low o2 low heat environment you get in a smoker.

For venison, you may want to go to 160 to deal with parasite issues. But not strictly needed. USFDA has recommendations for beef and pork, then recommends higher for wild game, bit that is more of a general butt-covering. Their charts allow lower if you like lower temp results.

Here is the ABSOLUTE BEST answer: instead of relying on conflicting info from a ton of internet unknowns, just click this link and download/read the USFDA Food Safety Inspection Service, Compliance Guidelines for Jerky. Then you will know exactly what all commercial producers are required to do for safety, all temps and processes, and be as smart on the issue as anyone on the internet ;)

Here you go, or you can google USFDA jerky Guide too:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://meathaccp.wisc.edu/doc_support/asset/Compliance-Guideline-Jerky-2014.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj-m7bblbH8AhUfOkQIHf6LBGIQFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2iWjMjoN5VLONbHJMfMAWT

 

[Qazaq15]

As BGKYSmoker said, I'd always use cure1, particularly if smoked. Remember, cure1 primarily is there to defeat botulism which grows in low o2 low heat environment you get in a smoker.

Here is the ABSOLUTE BEST answer: instead of relying on conflicting info from a ton of internet unknowns, just click this link and download/read the USFDA Food Safety Inspection Service, Compliance Guidelines for Jerky. Then you will know exactly what all commercial producers are required to do for safety, all temps and processes, and be as smart on the issue as anyone on the internet ;)

Here you go, or you can google USFDA jerky Guide too:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://meathaccp.wisc.edu/doc_support/asset/Compliance-Guideline-Jerky-2014.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj-m7bblbH8AhUfOkQIHf6LBGIQFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2iWjMjoN5VLONbHJMfMAWT

Thanks! Do they have one for making sausage as well?

 

[Dave in AZ]

Qazaq15 it's not as imposing as it looks, a lot of it is charts and examples. However, it IS significantly different than what you commonly see espoused by non-commercial folks here and other forums. The key difference being FSIS requires the jerky to have its pathogen lethality treatment, i.e. cooking, happen FIRST and while moist, and THEN be dried. Basically if bacterial spores are dried first as happens in a low temp dehydrator, they form a shell that allows them to survive the heat treatments even above 160f.

For venison jerky, both stick stuff the size of your finger and reformed as you make, I haven't liked the texture as much when I cook it to 160 moist first and then dry. So here is what I've been doing that complies with FSIS jerky and meat cooking guidelines:
1. Stuff raw ground jerky/sausage farce into vacuum seal bags and flatten out so whole thing is about 1 to 1.5 inches thick. Vacuum seal bags.
2. Toss bags into Sous Vide at 140 to 145f. Sealed bags in SV comply with their cooking method 4, if you get wondering. You need 135 min at 137f, 12 min at 140f, 4 min at 145f, or 1 second at 160f, to get log7 pathogen reduction from charts. I let it go an hour to be sure, but a rule of thumb is 1 min per mm thickness.
Pick what you want to use depending on how cooked you like the jerky. I have found 140 to 145 nice.
3. Stick a digital thermometer in there to be sure of center IT, use time/temp tables from Appendix A booklet if more temps needed.
4. Take meat out of bags. Slice it 1/4" thick or as desired. Dry on wire screens in oven, or smoker, or dehydrator, anything so long as the temperature is held ABOVE 130f so germs don't grow.
5. If you want smoke flavor, you can add liquid or powder smoke and never use smoker, most commercial do this. If you want smoker smoke, you then it picks up more if just sous vided to 135 or so... but 140 to 145 has been a nice smoke flavor for me when I used smoker too, so I don't find the smoke uptake vs. Meat temp thing to matter much.


Hope that all helps ;)

 

[Dave in AZ]

Thanks! Do they have one for making sausage as well?

Yes, it is called Appendix A, or actually
FSIS Cooking Guideline for
Meat and Poultry Products
(Revised Appendix A)
December, 2021

You can google it up too. Key for sausage is that cooking sausage, inside a natural or collagen or cellulose casing, all qualify for "high humidity" and let you use any of their 4 cooking methods, so you can do like 140f for 15min instead of > 1 hr. It's a very nice caveat for sausages that really simplifies things and lets you use the full table. I think that is on page 26 or 27, riggt after the flow charts ;)

I should point out that home producers not selling, are not required to comply with any of this. I'm sure someone else will chime in how they've made jerky since 1700 just air drying and never got sick. Whatever. More knowledge for you to make your own personal decisions on what you'll feed your family and how you'll make it is never bad. Only telling folks they shouldn't discuss this stuff, or actively squashing discussion on it, is bad. I occasionally see folks who don't like any discussion of the USFDA guidelines, like it somehow attacks their process so they try to squash discussion. Total douche move IMO. But I sometimes low heat airdry myself, old school, for my own consumption. Knowing this stuff just lets you make more informed risk and process decisions for yourself.

Good luck, hope that's helpful!

 

[Qazaq15]

Yes, it is called Appendix A, or actually
FSIS Cooking Guideline for
Meat and Poultry Products
(Revised Appendix A)
December, 2021

You can google it up too. Key for sausage is that cooking sausage, inside a natural or collagen or cellulose casing, all qualify for "high humidity" and let you use any of their 4 cooking methods, so you can do like 140f for 15min instead of > 1 hr. It's a very nice caveat for sausages that really simplifies things and lets you use the full table. I think that is on page 26 or 27, riggt after the flow charts ;)

I should point out that home producers not selling, are not required to comply with any of this. I'm sure someone else will chime in how they've made jerky since 1700 just air drying and never got sick. Whatever. More knowledge for you to make your own personal decisions on what you'll feed your family and how you'll make it is never bad. Only telling folks they shouldn't discuss this stuff, or actively squashing discussion on it, is bad. I occasionally see folks who don't like any discussion of the USFDA guidelines, like it somehow attacks their process so they try to squash discussion. Total douche move IMO. But I sometimes low heat airdry myself, old school, for my own consumption. Knowing this stuff just lets you make more informed risk and process decisions for yourself.

Good luck, hope that's helpful!

Very helpful, thank you! I've just started using a smoker to do it, before that I had one of those round white plastic dehydrators. I'm all about the science, and as much as people bad mouth the government, they do provide good practices for people willing to listen.

 

[Qazaq15]

Qazaq15 it's not as imposing as it looks, a lot of it is charts and examples. However, it IS significantly different than what you commonly see espoused by non-commercial folks here and other forums. The key difference being FSIS requires the jerky to have its pathogen lethality treatment, i.e. cooking, happen FIRST and while moist, and THEN be dried. Basically if bacterial spores are dried first as happens in a low temp dehydrator, they form a shell that allows them to survive the heat treatments even above 160f.

For venison jerky, both stick stuff the size of your finger and reformed as you make, I haven't liked the texture as much when I cook it to 160 moist first and then dry. So here is what I've been doing that complies with FSIS jerky and meat cooking guidelines:
1. Stuff raw ground jerky/sausage farce into vacuum seal bags and flatten out so whole thing is about 1 to 1.5 inches thick. Vacuum seal bags.
2. Toss bags into Sous Vide at 140 to 145f. Sealed bags in SV comply with their cooking method 4, if you get wondering. You need 135 min at 137f, 12 min at 140f, 4 min at 145f, or 1 second at 160f, to get log7 pathogen reduction from charts. I let it go an hour to be sure, but a rule of thumb is 1 min per mm thickness.
Pick what you want to use depending on how cooked you like the jerky. I have found 140 to 145 nice.
3. Stick a digital thermometer in there to be sure of center IT, use time/temp tables from Appendix A booklet if more temps needed.
4. Take meat out of bags. Slice it 1/4" thick or as desired. Dry on wire screens in oven, or smoker, or dehydrator, anything so long as the temperature is held ABOVE 130f so germs don't grow.
5. If you want smoke flavor, you can add liquid or powder smoke and never use smoker, most commercial do this. If you want smoker smoke, you then it picks up more if just sous vided to 135 or so... but 140 to 145 has been a nice smoke flavor for me when I used smoker too, so I don't find the smoke uptake vs. Meat temp thing to matter much.


Hope that all helps ;)

So it makes sense to fill the water pan up until the jerky reaches temperature. I've wondered about that, now I know.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Thanks! Do they have one for making sausage as well?

Smoked sausage use the same cure 1. Use cure at 1 level tsp per every 5 lbs of meat.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

So it makes sense to fill the water pan up until the jerky reaches temperature. I've wondered about that, now I know.

No water, your smoke drying to remove the liquid from the meat, dont add any extra water to the environment.

Just be clean, its not rocket science and if your not selling it use your own guidelines.

I been doing this for 47 years and I'm still here. Started when we did not have modern cure.