# Jerky--Smoker or Dehydrator? Which is better?



## mneeley490 (Apr 28, 2022)

I've made many batches of jerky in various smokers, and they've been good. But the wife expressed desire to dry fruits and veggies for her diet when a dehydrator came on sale recently, so we now own a big one.
I know lots of folks here do one way or the other, or both. So I'd like some opinions on which you feel works better, and why?


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## bbqjefff (Apr 28, 2022)

I use a dehydraor for jerky. I had the dehydrator before I started smoking meat.


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## pushok2018 (Apr 28, 2022)

I used to use my smoker to make jerky but since I bought a dehydrator (10 month ago or so) I use it to make jerky... Easier and result is great...


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## TNJAKE (Apr 28, 2022)

I have only cold smoked for a bit then put into dehydrator and that works great because I like smoke but I absolutely HATE liquid smoke. I've never fully done jerky on the smoker so I can't speak much to that


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## Cody_Mack (Apr 28, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> I have only cold smoked for a bit then put into dehydrator and that works great because I like smoke but I absolutely HATE liquid smoke. I've never fully done jerky on the smoker so I can't speak much to that


Sounds like a good plan. About how long would you say, in the smoker at 150?


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## chopsaw (Apr 28, 2022)

I use my oven , but only because my Ronco shot craps . I would choose dehydrater over smoker .


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## TNJAKE (Apr 28, 2022)

Cody_Mack said:


> Sounds like a good plan. About how long would you say, in the smoker at 150?


Not really sure I've never used heat to cold smoke. Just keep in mind the meat will be thin


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## Cody_Mack (Apr 28, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> Not really sure I've never used heat to cold smoke. Just keep in mind the meat will be thin


Roger that. Misread your OP. I forget that cold-smoking is an option when curing. Even better plan!


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## TNJAKE (Apr 28, 2022)

Cody_Mack said:


> Roger that. Misread your OP. I forget that cold-smoking is an option when curing. Even better plan!


Couple hrs in the cold smoke should be enough then throw it in the dehydrator


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## mneeley490 (Apr 28, 2022)

Hmm. I'm thinking that if I'm going to go to the trouble of using the smoker anyway, as opposed to the dehydrator with liquid smoke, then I might as well just keep them in the smoker like I usually do.
I was just wondering if folks liked the taste/texture of the dehydrator better?


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## Fueling Around (Apr 28, 2022)

Are you going for whole muscle or ground? 
I used to do whole muscle in my Big Chief electric.
My last batch was ground and in the pellet pooper. I prefer ground or sticks for these old teeth.
I am going to try biltong as it is much softer than american jerky


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## zwiller (Apr 29, 2022)

I am super happy how mine is turning out in my dehydrator but a little tough on the chew, doubt the smoker would fix that.  Next run I am gonna jaccard/tenderize and see if that helps with the chew.


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## GrumpyGriller (Apr 29, 2022)

mneeley490 said:


> I've made many batches of jerky in various smokers, and they've been good. But the wife expressed desire to dry fruits and veggies for her diet when a dehydrator came on sale recently, so we now own a big one.
> I know lots of folks here do one way or the other, or both. So I'd like some opinions on which you feel works better, and why?


I don't have a dehydrator, though in theory I could use my air fryer.  I've done two batches on my Traeger 1300 at 165 w/ Super Smoke, and that part of the process took about 2-3 hours each time.  I used bottom round and and eye round.  Both times it came out as tender jerky (kept it pretty thin), but not the leather/very chewy style.  I prefer the slightly tender jerky style, so that was great for me, though I don't know if that was also the result of using the smoker.


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## mneeley490 (Apr 29, 2022)

Fueling Around said:


> Are you going for whole muscle or ground?
> I used to do whole muscle in my Big Chief electric.
> My last batch was ground and in the pellet pooper. I prefer ground or sticks for these old teeth.


I'm going whole muscle these days, rather than ground to save the extra time & effort. Yeah, I'm getting lazy in my old age.


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## sandyut (Apr 29, 2022)

Since I dont have a dehydrator, I use my smoker.  Run it at 180 for an hour then 225-250 till almost done.  It keep drying out as it cools and I dont like it crispy.  

Honestly, if I had a dehydrator I would likely use that.  The smoker works fine and the product is good, but I tus kind of a PITA IMO.  But i love jerky…so I make it.


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## cmayna (Apr 29, 2022)

2 hours in the big chief, then 5+ hours in the dehydrator.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Apr 29, 2022)

Since I don't have an honest to goodness real dehydrator, I use the electric smoker.
I start out at 170° for an hour for pre-drying then add wood chips of choice and bump the temp up to 200° for an hour in smoke.  Then ramp the temp back down to 160° to finish drying.  
Most of my jerky batches take between 5 -7 hours. 
I keep checking until the jerky bends but doesn't crack and displays white fibers. 

Me and Mrs. SHS prefer the real wood smoke flavor instead of liquid smoke. 

I also plan to pick up some matts in the near future since skewering then hanging the jerky on the smoker racks can be real a PITA.


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## BigW. (Apr 29, 2022)

I like the idea of a couple hours of smoke then the dehydrator.


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## crazymoon (Apr 29, 2022)

mn490, I think it is easier to get a consistent texture with the dehydrator.You can keep the temps even without the temp fluctuations that come from a  smoker. Therefore you know to take out your jerky  at a set time.


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## Bytor (Apr 29, 2022)

I have yet to smoke then put in the dehydrator.  Definitely on my list to do the next batch of so.  My only problem is between my son and I, it goes too fast....


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## mneeley490 (Apr 29, 2022)

Bytor said:


> I have yet to smoke then put in the dehydrator.  Definitely on my list to do the next batch of so.  My only problem is between my son and I, it goes too fast....


LOL, when my son asks for some, he always needs to be told the difference between "some" and "all".


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## cmayna (Apr 29, 2022)

I do both beef and salmon jerky via the method I mentioned above.   Our fishing buddies love it.


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## mneeley490 (May 1, 2022)

I've read the debates in other threads about whether or not to cook the jerky before dehydrating. The manual that came with mine said to cook if the jerky is not going to be refrigerated, so that's what I did, but it still didn't seem right somehow. Just threw it marinade and all into a pot with a lidand stewed for a few minutes to get the temp up to 160. Then started the batch. 
I used an 6.5 lb eye of round that was still partially frozen when I sliced it into about 3/16" slices, and used a Jaccard on them. Probably 5.5 lbs after trimming.











They ended up using less than 4-1/2 racks of the 10-rack dehydrator. Seemed like a lot more when I started out. A little less than 3 hours in the dehydrator seemed sufficient. Still has some good chew, but not brittle.


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## bdawg (Aug 28, 2022)

I'm still looking for a really good beef jerky marinade.  Any favorite recipes out there?


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