Interesting Jerky Safety Read...

[chrowski]

I was looking to buy some cure for jerky and saw that it wasn't effective against bacteria on the meat....after 2 minutes of research on this site....
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Jerky_and_Food_Safety/index.asp

It turns out that you should heat your jerky to 160ºF in the ovenprior to the dehydration process.
I didn't know that so I just thought I'd share.

[kevin1]

Sounds like a case of worry wartitis to me.
Most of the oven dried jerky recipes I've seen called for 170-200 degrees, though I find it strange that people have been making jerky using nothing but sun drying and saltfor hundreds of thousands of years to no apparent ill effect.

[chrowski]

Sorry for not being specific....I meant when cooking with a dehydrater, they suggest putting it in the oven first b/c dehydraters only go to 130ºF

[MountainHunter]

I find it strange that people have been making jerky using nothing but sun drying and saltfor hundreds of thousands of years to no apparent ill effect

I think it's useful when voicing such thoughts to remember that the average lifespan throughout most of mankind's existence has been less than 20 years.

[OHbowhntr]

I've been making Jerky for the past 18yrs, and have probably made somewhere in the THOUSAND pound range of jerky, and I've NEVER, EVER, EVER made a batch that made anyone sick, and I've been through 3 dehydrators in that time. I can HONESTLY tell you that from a "chemical" standpoint the saline content (salt) is enough to kill MANY bacterias long before you put the stuff on a dehydrator.

[davidmil]

ORIGINAL: kevin1

Sounds like a case of worry wartitis to me.
Most of the oven dried jerky recipes I've seen called for 170-200 degrees, though I find it strange that people have been making jerky using nothing but sun drying and saltfor hundreds of thousands of years to no apparent ill effect.

How would we know, those people all died hundreds of thousands of years ago.[&:]

[sdprice1]

To elaborate on what OHbowhntr said. Any bacteria that would take up residence in or on the meat will be killed in the process of making the jerky. When making jerky it is important to make sure your marinade is salty and has some sort of acid in it(worchershire sauce can provide this). The combination of removing the water from a piece of meat and the salty acidic marinade will kill all the bacteria in your jerky. Properly stored jerky can last for years.

Also a side note. Most jerky recipes have at least some sugar content. It is important to have just a little bit to keep the jerky from becoming brittle when dried.(I forgot this last time)

Happy Eating

[kevin1]

ORIGINAL: MountainHunter

I think it's useful when voicing such thoughts to remember that the average lifespan throughout most of mankind's existence has been less than 20 years.

The original reasonfor curing meat was to retard spoilage, hence the salt which killed off bacteria. They may not have been aware of what bacteria were until Van Loewenhook's first rudimentary microscope, but to associate brining with product quality certainly took some observation skills.Our forebears diedyoung from a variety of causes, most notably a lack of understanding about sanitary practices we now consider common sense, and simple disease prevention methodology.

[deertale]

I don't think it will hurt our species, but maybe a few individuals - no big deal