My son has gotten into beef jerky. Now I refuse to buy the chemical crap
they sell for jerky and the 'real' stuff is really expensive.

As a hiker, backpacker, and occasional cook I could really use jerky,
dried stuff of all kinds, and other things one can make in a dehydrator.

Unfortunately tying up the oven for 6-8 is not in the cards, so I really
need a standalone dehydrator.

Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....

(No flame wars - I am one of the above... :-) )

I would appreciate any advice.

--Yan

Captain Dondo wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....

I haven't bought one yet, but I've been considering
an Excalibur dehydrator.

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/4...gular-prod.htm

Although they make larger ones, I'm thinking about
the smallest one. For a while, I was using a cheap
convection oven as a dehydrator, but that doesn't
work very well because it cycles back and forth
between full power and no power (except the fan).
I think the best results would be from a machine
with low power, so it would cycle less frequently.
That's why I favor the lowest power machine in the
product line.

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> Captain Dondo wrote:
>>
>> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
>> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's
>> sells
>> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
>> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>
> I haven't bought one yet, but I've been considering
> an Excalibur dehydrator.
>
> http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/4...gular-prod.htm
>
> Although they make larger ones, I'm thinking about
> the smallest one. For a while, I was using a cheap
> convection oven as a dehydrator, but that doesn't
> work very well because it cycles back and forth
> between full power and no power (except the fan).
> I think the best results would be from a machine
> with low power, so it would cycle less frequently.
> That's why I favor the lowest power machine in the
> product line.

I've had my Excalibur for several years, love it. Even drying throughout the
trays. I have the 9 drawer model and that really is a lot of a family of 2,
but can dry about 8# of meat at once. It's not really easy to clean, none of
them are. I bought a 16" square plastic drawer from a home store (the rack
it was in was broke, and they gave me a discount) as a place to soak the
trays clean. Works good. Also may want to *lightly* spray or rub the racks
with canola oil to help clean later. Also, put a sheet of parchment paper on
the bottom to catch the drips.
And catch us over at rec.food.preserving, our FAQ has some idears about
dehydrating as well: http://www.jaclu.com/rfpFAQ/rfpFAQ.htm
Edrena

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Captain Dondo wrote:
>> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
>> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it.
>> Cabella's sells some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as
>> they cater to men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>
> I haven't bought one yet, but I've been considering an Excalibur
> dehydrator.
>
> http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/4...gular-prod.htm
>
>
> Although they make larger ones, I'm thinking about the smallest one.
> For a while, I was using a cheap convection oven as a dehydrator, but
> that doesn't work very well because it cycles back and forth between
> full power and no power (except the fan). I think the best results
> would be from a machine with low power, so it would cycle less
> frequently. That's why I favor the lowest power machine in the
> product line.


My brother has an Excalibur; he loves it. I've used it before and it
does a great job.

I have a Nesco model FD-50, A.K.A. American Harvest Snackmaster Pro, and
I've added 4 extra trays to it in addition to the 4 trays that came with
it. It has variable heat and has a fan; it works just as good as the
Excalibur except that you have to rotate the trays once or twice when
drying a large batch of anything.

I've also made jerky in a smoker, but I'm basically lazy and that was
too much like work. That jerky was fantastic, though.

Most jerky recipes are overly complicated. I just use beef, salt, black
pepper, and brown sugar. I usually dry 3 pounds of trimmed beef strips
at a time, and IIRC that makes about a pound of jerky. I always make a
bunch around Christmas time for the inlaws to fight over.

Best regards,
Bob

"Captain Dondo" > wrote in message
...
> My son has gotten into beef jerky. Now I refuse to buy the chemical crap
> they sell for jerky and the 'real' stuff is really expensive.
>
> As a hiker, backpacker, and occasional cook I could really use jerky,
> dried stuff of all kinds, and other things one can make in a dehydrator.
>
> Unfortunately tying up the oven for 6-8 is not in the cards, so I really
> need a standalone dehydrator.
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>
> (No flame wars - I am one of the above... :-) )
>
> I would appreciate any advice.
>
> --Yan

Beef Jerky a la Alton Brown:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31151,00.html

I love my Excaliber. I have the 9 tray but they do make smaller ones.
It works really well and you don't have to rotate the trays. Lately
we've been drying pineapple and eating it about as fast as it's done.

I bought mine through Allied Kenco - very nice people, great service
too. I also bought their drying book and it has a lot of good
information in it - one of these days I'll try making yogurt in it.

http://www.alliedkenco.com

I've seen a few books on making dried meals for backpacking. Might be
worth a look at the library to see if any of them appeal.

marcella

In article >,
Captain Dondo > wrote:

> My son has gotten into beef jerky. Now I refuse to buy the chemical crap
> they sell for jerky and the 'real' stuff is really expensive.
>
> As a hiker, backpacker, and occasional cook I could really use jerky,
> dried stuff of all kinds, and other things one can make in a dehydrator.
>
> Unfortunately tying up the oven for 6-8 is not in the cards, so I really
> need a standalone dehydrator.
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>
> (No flame wars - I am one of the above... :-) )
>
> I would appreciate any advice.
>
> --Yan

Captain Dondo wrote:
>
> My son has gotten into beef jerky. Now I refuse to buy the chemical crap
> they sell for jerky and the 'real' stuff is really expensive.
>
> As a hiker, backpacker, and occasional cook I could really use jerky,
> dried stuff of all kinds, and other things one can make in a dehydrator.
>
> Unfortunately tying up the oven for 6-8 is not in the cards, so I really
> need a standalone dehydrator.
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>
> (No flame wars - I am one of the above... :-) )
>
> I would appreciate any advice.
>
> --Yan

Some time ago, I watched an episode of Alton Brown's show, "Good Eats,"
that was about beef jerky. I rather like(d) his idea for a "food
dehydrator" to make beef jerky, and I will give it a try sometime soon.
Sure seems it would beat using the racks in my oven <g>, which I've done
many times to make jerky.

Basically, the AB dehydrator for beef jerky uses three parts -- a large
box fan, bungee cords (not to be confused with musical chords <g>), and
disposable (paper) air conditioning/furnace filters! Reference


http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31151,00.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/8zt7j

for further information and instructions, not necessarily for the
recipe.

When I make beef jerky, I use an inexpensive cut of meat (usually on
sale) and have the store butcher slice it very thinly for me. The
sliced meat gets marinated in a solution that's basically one (1) part
soy sauce and one (1) part water. I also add a few splashes of hickory
"Liquid Smoke" -- be careful not to over do it with the Liquid Smoke.
The meat marinates for 24- to 48-hours in the refrigerator. Drain and
discard the marinade, and dry the individual slices of meat between
sheets of paper towels. I've always hung the slices of meat over the
rack-rungs in my oven and "baby-sat" the jerky when the oven was turned
on briefly, many times during the oven-drying process. But next time, I
will try AB's "fancy" dehydrator instead - won't have to "babysit" the
oven

Sky, who makes a note to buy disposable air filters to make beef jerky!

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 14 May 2007 02:44:54 GMT, Paco's Tacos wrote:
>
>> Beef Jerky a la Alton Brown:
>>
>> http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31151,00.html
>
> Most every recipe I see uses way too much marinade. For 2-2.5
> lbs of meat, I use about a 1/2 cup of marinade. This allows you
> to control the seasoning and saltiness of the jerky. You'll find
> that the beef actually soaks up the marinade in under 2 hours.
> And that's all it needs.
>
> Not too much, and not too little. It comes out just right.
>
> These recipes that drown the meat in salty liquid for "4-24
> hours" are a complete joke.
>
> -sw

Huh? The recipe says, quote, "Place the bag into the refrigerator for 3 to
6 hours." Nothing about "4-24 hours". But, I know what you are saying. In
your experience, around 2 hours works well; in Alton Brown's it's 3 to 6
hours. Depends on individual taste, cut & quality of meat, quality of
marinade ingredients, etc. Start low and work from there, right? I agree
that over-marinating can over-power the taste of the meat being marinated,
whether salty or acidic, as well as ruin the texture of the meat. Now that
that blah is out of the way, I just referenced that recipe for the method,
not the recipe itself, as the OP was looking for advice on dehydrators.

Skyhooks wrote:
> Captain Dondo wrote:
>> My son has gotten into beef jerky. Now I refuse to buy the chemical crap
>> they sell for jerky and the 'real' stuff is really expensive.
>>
>> As a hiker, backpacker, and occasional cook I could really use jerky,
>> dried stuff of all kinds, and other things one can make in a dehydrator.
>>
>> Unfortunately tying up the oven for 6-8 is not in the cards, so I really
>> need a standalone dehydrator.
>>
>> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
>> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
>> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
>> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>>
>> (No flame wars - I am one of the above... :-) )
>>
>> I would appreciate any advice.
>>
>> --Yan
>
> Some time ago, I watched an episode of Alton Brown's show, "Good Eats,"
> that was about beef jerky. I rather like(d) his idea for a "food
> dehydrator" to make beef jerky, and I will give it a try sometime soon.
> Sure seems it would beat using the racks in my oven <g>, which I've done
> many times to make jerky.
>
> Basically, the AB dehydrator for beef jerky uses three parts -- a large
> box fan, bungee cords (not to be confused with musical chords <g>), and
> disposable (paper) air conditioning/furnace filters! Reference
>
>
> http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31151,00.html
> or
> http://tinyurl.com/8zt7j
>
> for further information and instructions, not necessarily for the
> recipe.
>
> When I make beef jerky, I use an inexpensive cut of meat (usually on
> sale) and have the store butcher slice it very thinly for me. The
> sliced meat gets marinated in a solution that's basically one (1) part
> soy sauce and one (1) part water. I also add a few splashes of hickory
> "Liquid Smoke" -- be careful not to over do it with the Liquid Smoke.
> The meat marinates for 24- to 48-hours in the refrigerator. Drain and
> discard the marinade, and dry the individual slices of meat between
> sheets of paper towels. I've always hung the slices of meat over the
> rack-rungs in my oven and "baby-sat" the jerky when the oven was turned
> on briefly, many times during the oven-drying process. But next time, I
> will try AB's "fancy" dehydrator instead - won't have to "babysit" the
> oven
>
> Sky, who makes a note to buy disposable air filters to make beef jerky!

That method wouldn't heat-sterilize, much less cook the meat. Maybe I'm
just picky, but dried raw marinated meat doesn't sound appealing.

none wrote:

> Maybe I'm just picky, but dried raw marinated meat doesn't sound
> appealing.


That's what jerky is supposed to be. If you cook it, you lose too much
of the flavor from the juices that drip out. (if that gives you the
heebee-jeebees, turn the temperature up and cook the jerky once it's
almost dry.)

Bob

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> none wrote:
>
> > Maybe I'm just picky, but dried raw marinated meat doesn't sound
> > appealing.
>
>
> That's what jerky is supposed to be. If you cook it, you lose too much
> of the flavor from the juices that drip out. (if that gives you the
> heebee-jeebees, turn the temperature up and cook the jerky once it's
> almost dry.)
>
> Bob

Dried marinated raw meat is divine... ;-)

The marination and drying "cure" it.

It's no different from cured smoked ham if you really think about it!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet > wrote in
news
> In article >,
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>
>> none wrote:
>>
>> > Maybe I'm just picky, but dried raw marinated meat doesn't sound
>> > appealing.
>>
>>
>> That's what jerky is supposed to be. If you cook it, you lose too
>> much of the flavor from the juices that drip out. (if that gives you
>> the heebee-jeebees, turn the temperature up and cook the jerky once
>> it's almost dry.)
>>
>
> Dried marinated raw meat is divine... ;-)
>
> The marination and drying "cure" it.
>
> It's no different from cured smoked ham if you really think about it!

Nothing wrong with raw meat!

I've always done mine in the oven too. Slice flank steak thinly on the
diagonal; marinate to taste (I do something different every time), then
cover baking trays with cake racks and spread out the strips; turn the
oven on as low as it will go and prop the door open with a wooden spoon.
Turn the strips once every couple of hours until it looks right, about
6-8 hours. Store in something dog/cat/ant-proof!

That Excalibur dehydrator looks neat, but I have a tiny kitchen with
minimal storage space and zero room for extra gadgets that don't get
used all the time.

Mark.

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/4...gular-prod.htm
>
> Although they make larger ones, I'm thinking about
> the smallest one. For a while, I was using a cheap
> convection oven as a dehydrator, but that doesn't
> work very well because it cycles back and forth
> between full power and no power (except the fan).
> I think the best results would be from a machine
> with low power, so it would cycle less frequently.
> That's why I favor the lowest power machine in the
> product line.

I have had one for several years and cannot recommend it highly enough

Ophelia
Scotland

"Captain Dondo" > wrote in message
...
> My son has gotten into beef jerky. Now I refuse to buy the chemical crap
> they sell for jerky and the 'real' stuff is really expensive.
>
> As a hiker, backpacker, and occasional cook I could really use jerky,
> dried stuff of all kinds, and other things one can make in a dehydrator.
>
> Unfortunately tying up the oven for 6-8 is not in the cards, so I really
> need a standalone dehydrator.
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations, what to look for, etc. for a
> dehydrator suitable for Jerky? Ronco ain't gonna cut it. Cabella's sells
> some nice ones from looking at the catalog, but as they cater to
> men I am a bit skeptical of their claims....
>
> (No flame wars - I am one of the above... :-) )
>
> I would appreciate any advice.
>
> --Yan

The excalibur dehydrators are by far the best. The air circulates from the
rear of the unit, unlike the Ronco and other versions that pump air up from
the bottom, causing some meat on the bottom to get crispy and the meat on
the top to still be raw.
The excalibur units also have a timer-the unit will shut off by itself-along
with a temperature guage.
I have the 9 tray. They come with Teflex sheets and Poly Screen trays. When
they wear out, you can just use parchment paper.

Buy a cheap roast-bottom round, top round, whatever is on sale. Have the
butcher slice it up thin, soak it in a marinade such as listed below-about
24-48 hours-any longer the meat will break down to mush.. Spread it out on
trays and dry at 145 degrees about 4-4 1/2 hours. Instant jerky.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Marinade: Teriyaki

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Sauces & Dressings

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup saki
2 tblsp Mirin
1 tblsp white sugar

Combine all over medium heat till sugar is disolved.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bottled teriyaki works well too. If using a BBQ marinade, add some liquid
smoke.

P.S. Excalibur sells a book for dehydrating almost anything, from fish to
game to fruits and veggies.
DO NOT dry garlic-health issues abound. Onion is okay though.

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 14 May 2007 03:52:03 GMT, Paco's Tacos wrote:
>
>> "Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Mon, 14 May 2007 02:44:54 GMT, Paco's Tacos wrote:
>>>
>>>> Beef Jerky a la Alton Brown:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31151,00.html
>>>
>>> Most every recipe I see uses way too much marinade. For 2-2.5
>>> lbs of meat, I use about a 1/2 cup of marinade. This allows you
>>> to control the seasoning and saltiness of the jerky. You'll find
>>> that the beef actually soaks up the marinade in under 2 hours.
>>> And that's all it needs.
>>>
>>> Not too much, and not too little. It comes out just right.
>>>
>>> These recipes that drown the meat in salty liquid for "4-24
>>> hours" are a complete joke.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>> Huh? The recipe says, quote, "Place the bag into the refrigerator for 3
>> to
>> 6 hours." Nothing about "4-24 hours". But, I know what you are saying.
>
> Do you... really?
>
> Duh.
>
>> I just referenced that recipe for the method,
>> not the recipe itself, as the OP was looking for advice on dehydrators.
>
> It's not your recipe to be defensive about; Don't take it
> personally. It's called Usenet.
>
> -sw

You condescending snotrag. "Don't take it personally. It's called Usenet."