Traditional Food Crafts
Jerky is one of the oldest and most practical forms of food preservation: lightweight, shelf-stable, high in protein, and requires no refrigeration once properly dried. Making it safely requires one step that most dehydrator manuals do not mention.
What this is
Jerky is meat that has been trimmed of fat, sliced thin, seasoned, and dried until the moisture content is low enough that bacteria cannot grow. The result is a lightweight, portable, shelf-stable protein source that keeps for months at room temperature and requires no refrigeration after drying. For households that hunt, fish, or raise livestock, jerky is a practical way to preserve protein beyond what the freezer holds.
Beef and venison are the most common starting points, but jerky can be made from nearly any lean meat: turkey, bison, elk, goat, or even fish (see the Fish Smoking guide for the related technique). The key requirement is lean meat. Fat does not dry properly and turns rancid during storage, shortening shelf life and producing off flavors.
The technique itself is straightforward. The safety concern, which this page addresses before the technique, is that the traditional process of drying raw meat at low temperatures can allow dangerous bacteria to survive if the meat never reaches a safe internal temperature.
Safety gate
The USDA FSIS recommends heating meat to 160 degrees F (poultry to 165 degrees F) before the dehydrating process. This is the step that most dehydrator instruction manuals do not include, and it is the step that makes the difference between a safe product and one that may harbor Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7.[1]
Why this step matters: most home dehydrators operate at 130 to 140 degrees F, which is not hot enough to kill pathogens. As meat dries at these low temperatures, bacteria on the surface become more heat resistant. By the time the dried meat temperature rises (after most moisture has evaporated), the bacteria have hardened against heat and are more likely to survive. Heating the meat to safe temperature first, while it is still wet and bacteria are still vulnerable, ensures the pathogens are killed before the drying process begins.[1]
Two methods to achieve safe temperature:
Pre-heat method (before drying): bring marinated strips to a boil in their marinade for 5 minutes, or steam/roast strips in an oven to 160 degrees F internal temperature before placing them in the dehydrator. The texture and color will differ slightly from traditionally dried jerky, but the product is safer.[2]
Post-heat method (after drying): after dehydrating, place dried strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and heat in an oven preheated to 275 degrees F for 10 minutes. Check internal temperature with a food thermometer; strips must reach 160 degrees F.[3]
The jerky process
Select lean cuts with minimal marbling. For beef: top round, bottom round, eye of round, or flank steak. For venison: nearly any cut works because of its naturally low fat content. Trim all visible fat, sinew, and connective tissue. Fat does not dry; it goes rancid, shortening shelf life and producing off flavors.
Partially freeze the meat (30 to 60 minutes in the freezer) to firm it for easier slicing. Cut into strips no thicker than one-quarter inch. Consistent thickness is essential: thin spots over-dry while thick spots under-dry, creating uneven safety and texture. Slice with the grain for chewy jerky, across the grain for more tender, brittle strips.
Combine salt, soy sauce or Worcestershire, an acid (vinegar, citrus juice, or wine), and your choice of spices: black pepper, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, or brown sugar. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. The salt draws moisture to the surface, the acid tenderizes, and the spices define the flavor. Always marinate under refrigeration, never on the counter.
Apply one of the two methods from the safety gate above: pre-heat (boil strips in marinade 5 minutes or oven-roast to 160 degrees F) or post-heat (oven at 275 degrees F for 10 minutes after drying). Verify with a meat thermometer. This is the step that separates safe jerky from a gamble.
Arrange strips in a single layer on dehydrator racks or oven racks, with no pieces touching or overlapping. Set the dehydrator to 130 to 140 degrees F (or the lowest oven setting with the door cracked slightly for air circulation). Drying takes 4 to 12 hours depending on thickness, humidity, and the equipment.
Test for doneness by bending a strip. It should crack but not break when bent. If it snaps cleanly, it is over-dried (still safe, just very brittle). If it bends without cracking, it needs more time. Blot any oil that appears on the surface during drying with a paper towel.
Allow jerky to cool completely before packaging. Store in airtight containers: glass jars, zip-top bags with the air pressed out, or vacuum-sealed bags. At room temperature in a cool, dark place, properly dried jerky keeps 1 to 2 months. Refrigerated, it lasts 3 to 4 months. Frozen, 6 to 12 months.[2]
The ground meat option
Jerky can be made from ground meat using a jerky gun or press that extrudes seasoned ground meat into flat strips. This is a practical option for using ground venison or other game that does not slice easily into strips.
However, ground meat carries higher food safety risk than whole-muscle strips. When meat is ground, any bacteria on the surface are mixed throughout the product. With whole-muscle strips, bacteria are primarily on the surface where heat reaches them first. With ground meat, bacteria are distributed internally where heat penetration is slower. The pre-heat or post-heat step is even more important with ground meat jerky.[1]
Use the leanest ground meat available (90% lean or higher). Mix the seasoning and cure thoroughly into the ground meat before forming strips. Apply the same 160 degree F temperature requirement. Ground meat jerky is denser and dries more slowly; allow extra dehydrating time and check doneness carefully.
Keep going
The companion protein preservation technique. Salt, smoke, and heat applied to fish with its own temperature and brining requirements.
Read the guide →
The broader practice of removing moisture to preserve food. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, and the equipment that makes it work.
Read the guide →
The full Traditional Food Crafts section: cheesemaking, sausage making, butter and yogurt, and the heritage skills.
Browse the section →
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