Jerky Pre-heat ?

[Panthur]

Ok, I am gonna try the new LEM Dehydrator this weekend with an 8 lb batch of jerky. I am reading lots about heating the meat to 160 for a few minutes before drying in dehydrator in case it doesn't hit safety temp mark in there. Any idea how I could do that ? 8 lbs of jerky certainly won't fit in my smoker for pre-heating. Thanks.

[Richtee]

Preheat? Hmmm I have not heard this... it's pre-cured right?

[Panthur]

Yes I will be using cure in the marinade but I was also wondering about the effectiveness of that since the meat will sit in marinade for 36 hours but the cure will technically still in the marinade when the meat is taken out for drying. Most of the jerky recipes I researched did not call for cure but I do use it myself at the normal rate of 1 tsp per 5 lbs meat. ( Cure #1 ).

[L20A]

I don't think I would do the "pre-heat" thing. It is basically cooking the meat.
Jerky is not cooked but dried. The flavor will be totally different with it cooked first.
If it is cured then you don't need to worry about the temps. Just cure/marinde it & dry it & you will have good "normal" jerky. JMHO

[merrell]

Yep, what L20A said.........

[Panthur]

Thanks guys. Yeah I never heated to 160 beforehand any other time I made jerky but I was making it in oven or on smoker. Then I started reading about dehydrators possibly not getting it to 160 and that was a concern apparently. So if the cure is only in the marinade, which of course gets tossed out when the meat comes out of it, does the meat get properly cured that way ? As opposed to the cure being added in sausage for example where it stays with the meat .

[Fishawn]

Thanks guys. Yeah I never heated to 160 beforehand any other time I made jerky but I was making it in oven or on smoker. Then I started reading about dehydrators possibly not getting it to 160 and that was a concern apparently. So if the cure is only in the marinade, which of course gets tossed out when the meat comes out of it, does the meat get properly cured that way ? As opposed to the cure being added in sausage for example where it stays with the meat .

IMO, the cure penetrates the meat when brining & stays in the meat throughout the smoking, drying & dehydrating process. I have read some of that cook to 160* before dehydrating stuff also.

[TasunkaWitko]

i just recently saw this thing about pre-heating in a couple of "new" methods listed on website for state extension agencies etc. naturally, they want to make the process completely "safe" and "idiot-proof," so that they won't get sued when someone manages to make themselves sick through their own bad handling procedures.

i personally would never do it; i don't think it is necessary and it DOES change the character of the finished product. jerky is dried meat, not cooked meat. if i were making jerky from pork, poultry or some other "non-conventional" meat, i might consider it; i probably wouldn't DO it, but i might consider it.

but for beef, deer, elk, antelope, and other more traditional jerky meats, i would never do it - salt/cure it, and dry it with confidence.

as always, i'm speaking for myself here, based on over 30 years of making and eating jerky. your mileage may vary, and everyone should do the research, then do what they are comfortable with - but the fact is that this is not building the space shuttle or engaging in brain surgery; if dried/salted meat were dangerous, then darwin would have taken care of the issue a long, long time ago.

[someAZdude]

Yeah, I am sure someone with a more scientific explanation will chime in here but by curing the meat is an actual change in the meat itself. The cure facilitates this. The cure penetrates the meat and causes the reaction as it does. This prohibits bactirial growth and make the product safe to consume. Dumping the marinade only gets rid of excess cure and whatever is left from the marinade.
Think of it this way I guess. When you dump your marinade, is the meat still marinated?

[Panthur]

Awesome information as usual guys. Thanks from everyone for your input. I will make the jerky as I have in the past ( except for I will be using the new LEM dehydrator ) instead of oven or smoker.

[L20A]

The cure should penetrate the meat at a rate of about 1/4" per day. So, if you slice the meat at 1/4" thick, then a day in the cure/brine should be perfect, assuming that you have the correct amount of cure in the brine.
Actually I think 1/2 a day would work because the cure is getting at the meat from both sides, so it only has to penetrate 1/8" on each side.

[someAZdude]

The cure should penetrate the meat at a rate of about 1/4" per day. So, if you slice the meat at 1/4" thick, then a day in the cure/brine should be perfect, assuming that you have the correct amount of cure in the brine.
Actually I think 1/2 a day would work because the cure is getting at the meat from both sides, so it only has to penetrate 1/8" on each side.

Yeah, it is always done after 18 hours for me for sure (I usually do it in the late AM to early afternoon and then by morning it is good). Frequently though I do it for closer to 48 hours to really let the flavor set in. I have noticed a difference in flavor from a 1 day to a 2 day cure/marinade.

[Richtee]

Most of the jerky recipes I researched did not call for cure but I do use it myself at the normal rate of 1 tsp per 5 lbs meat. ( Cure #1 ).

Yep..and most of the recipes are downright dangerous too. You are doing right.

[ExhaustedSpark]

The heat method is recommended by the USDA for home makers. Do it in the oven.
It is required for all professionals to do.
The rule is to bring it up to 160 in oven and then move to dryer to finish.
The bugs in the meat when one dries slowly will build up an immunity to heat and survive and could make one sick. Also they recommend cure #1

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets...fety/index.asp

Now for the record i do not follow that advice and i do not always use cure in my jerky and for me and billions of other people around the world it has been very safe. Follow your own conscience.
If i give away jerky for gifts i use the cure.
Karl

[ExhaustedSpark]

Quote from USDA.


Why is it a food safety concern to dry meat without first heating it to 160 °F?
The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe temperature first is that the appliance will not heat the meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F — temperatures at which bacteria are destroyed — before the dehydrating process. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant.

Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated. Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause foodborne illness to those consuming the jerky