Hi All,

I just tried making my first batch of jerky in my new Nesco dehydrator. I used ground beef and Nesco's jerky gun along with their seasoning. The directions recommended up to 14 hours so I just let it run at 160 degrees overnight and by morning I had two pounds of VERY salty wood chips!

Has anyone experimented with the gun and drying times without having to baby sit it? How about using less of the cure per pound of meet?

Thanks!
Sabers

I just made some turkey jerky this weekend using ground turkey. The drying time was between 6 and 7 hours. I would use less cure next time as mine was a little too salty for my taste -- but the drying time was about right. I usually use my dehydrator only on weekends so I can check on it every so often. I am still relatively new at this.

Skip the ground meat. I use top/bottom round beef depending on what is on sale and how lean it looks. Freeze it for a while to firm it up before slicing, trim away any surface fat and silver. I then slice into about a 1/16" inch slices. I have started going to the thicker side with no problems. The thicker you go the easier it is to get a larger piece. I use the recommended amount of Nesco seasoning and cure but round down. 4 1/3 lb meat gets 4 lb worth of seasoning and cure. At 160 degree I find that it. 7-9 hours is usually plenty. Bit on the longer if the slices are on the thick side. Same goes for venison if you can get it. You can also tweak the seasoning with red pepper, garlic, liquid smoke, etc if you want to move the taste a bit.

Rotate the trays occasionally.

I have used the jerky gun for venison. 5 hrs was usually good enough. Lately I have switched to making whole muscle jerky. I like the texture better.. I slice it about 1\4 inch thick. You can play around with the spices but I would not mess with the cure. Use the exact amount required for lbs. Of meat.

Yeah I really over-did it! The directions on the dehydrator and the gun package were different for time lengths. I errored on the side of caution and didn't realize how dry it was until it was too late.

On the bright side, my lab is very happy to have tastey new dog treats!

I like it crispy, but I've used the round tip on the jerky gun and did 10 hours for softer jerky.