Making beef jerky without dehydrator?

[bdb]

I always use ground and a gun as I don't want to waste good steak meat on jerky, plus I only make jerky out of venison. I used the cheapo dehydrators for a while. They work but you have to babysit them and swap trays around as it is not consistent heat and air flow. I am a big fan of the Excalibur dehydrators. I used the 10 tray but unless you are doing a ton of dehydrating the 5 tray without a timer can be had for $150 or less. This gets my vote for quality and function. Definitely a better product than the over, but hey I have made plenty of batches in the over in the past. You can find these sub $150 if you keep your eyes open.

Food, Fruit & Beef Jerky 5-Tray Small Garden Excalibur Commercial Dehydrator

 

[tydoog]

hey guys I'm looking for a little help before I purchase a dehydrator. I've ever dried food before or done jerky or anything but I want to get into it. I've been looking around for dehydrators and I'm leaning towards the nesco american harvest FD-37 that I found on this site How to Make Jerky and Dried Foods with a Dehydrator and i'm curious what you guys think of nesco dehydrators or if you have suggestions of other brands I should consider? Any help would be great before I make a purchase, thanks guys.

 

[bdb]

Never tried the Nesco but if you look at the post above yours I posted my thoughts on a dehydrator. I have tried a few of the cheapie round ones and the Excalibur is a much better choice in my opinion. The one I posted is listed on your link as well. I have never heard a bad thing about the Excalibur! YMMV

 

[travis]

When we are up to camp by the lake the wind is always blowing and we just hang it out for a few days. Also we do Salmon, Haddock and pollock in the summer here. You can set up a "rack" to to far from a fire to dry them. For the haddock the best way is to gut deadhead and detail salt inside and out and hang outside for a week or two. Best dried fish ever...

 

[Tyke]

...and they're multitaskers. There's a lot of stuff you can dry. (E.g. I slice zucchini on a mandolin and make zucchini chips, which I eat instead of nachos.)

How do those taste compared to nachos?

 

[Rockrivr1]

When we are up to camp by the lake the wind is always blowing and we just hang it out for a few days. Also we do Salmon, Haddock and pollock in the summer here. You can set up a "rack" to to far from a fire to dry them. For the haddock the best way is to gut deadhead and detail salt inside and out and hang outside for a week or two. Best dried fish ever...

Can you elaborate more on what you do? I was thinking that if the power is out, SHTF, etc' the power will be out and the dehydrator and oven are no longer working. How do you naturally jerk food at that point? Spicing, how long by a fire, how far from the fire, etc'. It would be good to know.

 

[The Anchor]

My blessed wife purchased a nice sized dehydrater for christmas, and we use it a bunch. I shop at market basket ( any good butcher should be able to do the same) and ask them to slice the fat off as best they can ( i offer to pay for it, but they never charge me). i typically get 12lbs of first cut top round as my preferred cut. i also do the same with turkey breast.

i found this recipe base online and i tweek it depending on my mood
this is enough marinade for 3lbs
1 cup Worcester shire sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 tblspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, coarse ground black pepper, crushed red pepper and salt
i teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

now if my kids want some, i cut out the red pepper, go half on the black pepper, and use more soy then worcestershire sauce.
for my burbon buddies, i add 1/4 cup burbon, if i want it sweeted i add 1/4 cup of agave or honey, if i want to kick it up heat wise, i triple the pepper, add franks red hot and sirachi sauce to taste.

marinate overnight, 1.5 lbs of meat in 1 gallon ziplock with half the marinade, turn and knead the bag to get the marinade everyewhere.

i dry it for four hours at 165, i like mine a little more moist then most so i keep in refrigerated.

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its is the 9 tray excaliber i have, and it holds about 7-8 lbs of meat

 

[The Anchor]

i tried those cabela mixes once too, and they have way to much salt,

 

[travis]

Can you elaborate more on what you do? I was thinking that if the power is out, SHTF, etc' the power will be out and the dehydrator and oven are no longer working. How do you naturally jerk food at that point? Spicing, how long by a fire, how far from the fire, etc'. It would be good to know.

To air dry you hang until dry. With a fire you have a couple choices cold smoke or warm. A rack a few feet from a fire where warm but not hot will dry meat in less then 24 hours. Cold smoke is ultra reliable but requires a bit more work. Easy way build a big wood or metal does nto have to be super strong just to hold in the smoke ( this keep's bugs away and preserves the meat/ fish ) get a 55 gallon drum and some stove pipe. Run the stove pipe from a hole int he drum to a hole in the box you made hang your meat in the box you can use a wood clothes drying rack ( I cover the arms with plastic wrap when I do it ) get a couple small logs make a fire then throw damp/ wet wood chips of you're choice on the fire if you block most of the opening you built the fire through with a piece of metal and the drum is far enough away from the box then the smoke going into the box will be cool and this will take days to get the meat dry but this method and salting are the best to avoiding bugs outside. there are lots of ways to do this. I myself am a HUGE fan of drying. I dry lots of meat and blueberries ( I have acres of them ). There are many books and sites about jerky alone.
This fall I will try to get up some pics and maybe a vid or two.

 

[jtorbin88]

For the most part yes. Dehydrators can be had on Amazon for less than $60, it's a lot easier using one than using the oven.

So I'm reviving my dead thread here. I'm looking to actually buy a dehydrator now is the nesco ones on amazon good? I'd be looking to dry fruits and jerky.