As has been debated recently, you MUST cure low temp smoked/processed meats. The "Danger Zone" has a time constraint as well... usually considered to be 4 hours within the 40 to 140 range, and most jerky making processes will exceed that, especially
dehydrator methods.
I'm sure that some methods reduce the bacteria growth to minimal levels... yes - likely ALL fresh meat/veggies have some amount on them. Garlic is actually a notorious botulism carrier. But we have the methods for preventing dangerous levels/rapid growth of pathogens easily available to us- why not use them?
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulism
While commercially canned goods are required to undergo a "botulinum cook" at 121 °C (250 °F) for 3 minutes, and so rarely cause botulism, there have been notable exceptions such as the 1978 Alaskan salmon outbreak and the 2007 Castleberry's Food Co. outbreak. Foodborne botulism has more frequently been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as carrot juice, asparagus, green beans, beets, and corn. However, outbreaks of botulism have resulted from more unusual sources. In July, 2002, fourteen Alaskans ate muktuk (whale meat) from a beached whale, and eight of them developed symptoms of botulism, two of them requiring mechanical ventilation [1]. Other sources of infection include garlic or herbs[7] stored covered in oil,[2] chile peppers, improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminium foil [8], and home-canned or fermented fish. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods. Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated. Potatoes which have been baked while wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served or refrigerated [8].
From
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm#What%20kind%20of%20germ%20is%20Clos tridium%20botulinum
Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly found in soil. These rod-shaped organisms grow best in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria form spores which allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support their growth. There are seven types of botulism toxin designated by the letters A through G; only types A, B, E and F cause illness in humans.