Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
yea, i found some of that today. what a pisser. anyway, does anyone know an easy way to prevent this? i guess i could store it in the refrigerator.
thanks,
guvna
Also, not all jerky will mold, it depends on a few things.
The number 1 reason jerky will mold is that not enough moisture has been removed from the meat during the drying process.
Jerky should have around 90 to 95% of the moisture in the meat removed during drying.
If it doesn't, the moisture still in the meat leads to the possibility of mold spores growing. If the jerky is dried almost completely, mold usually won't grow.
If you like your jerky a little moist, you could try to vacuum pack your jerky. Mold will not grow without air ( or oxygen ).
There are some decent home vacuum packers on the market now, and these might be of use.
Also, mold seems to grow or develop quicker in a moist atmosphere. So, the refrigerator is not a good place to store jerky, unless it is vacuum packed. But since jerky is dried meat, it is not necessary to store it refrigerated anyway.
Great info there Joe! I vacuum pack mine and store it in the fridge and have never had a mold problem. I do notice that any fat/grease content that is on the outside of the meat will congeal after being in the fridge and at least with my poor vision it does look a little like white mold, but its not.
I made the mistake once of packaging the jerky in baggies while it was still just a little warm...went back and looked and moisture beeds were in there and yup the whole batch molded!!! Now I always make sure it is completely dried and cooled before I package it...
thanks all,
yes it was definitely mold. there was two dime size spores on two pieces. i cut out the contamination and i'm keeping the rest. it's still very moist, no doubt leading to the mold. i think the paper bag idea sounds good. i'll try that.
thanks,
guv