# Uncured Jerky Temps



## eightythree (Nov 18, 2015)

I'm going for my 2nd shot at beef jerky in my MES smoker. The 1st batch came out too dry, crumbly texture and too much smoke. I think I let the temperature climb way to high and smoked for way too long.

If you are not using cure in your jerky marinade the USDA recommends 165. My question is for how long do you need to cook at that temperature? What temp can you safely drop down to afterworkds?


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## crankybuzzard (Nov 18, 2015)

Good info here. 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...13aad1e/Jerky_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES


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## eightythree (Nov 18, 2015)

I actually got my info from the USDA on that page. It was a little unclear on this part :

After heating to 160 °F or 165 °F, maintaining a constant dehydrator temperature
of 130 to 140 °F during the drying process is important because:

So do you place the jerky in a cold smoker and then raise the heat to 165, or do you place your jerky into the smoker when it reaches temp? How long does the meat need to remain at 165 to kill bacteria?

Thanks for the reply!


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## crankybuzzard (Nov 18, 2015)

eightythree said:


> I actually got my info from the USDA on that page. It was a little unclear on this part :
> 
> After heating to 160 °F or 165 °F, maintaining a constant dehydrator temperature
> 
> ...



Another good reason to use a cure with jerky, lots of confusion and variables...

Here's a site that answers your questions about how to heat to 160. 

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/drying-preservation/jerky/whole-meat-jerky


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## daveomak (Nov 19, 2015)

You can safely cook meat at a lower temperature...   Below is a "Time / Temperature" guide to safely kill pathogens...    It's the same practice used in "Sous Vide"....    Holding a piece of meat at a lower temperature, for a longer period of time, has the same effect on pathogens as a high temp for a short period of time.....  As far as I know, this chart does not reflect killing botulism, sooooo, do not add smoke using this table...  have the dampers wide open for good air flow so there is not an oxygen deficit....  botulism grows in an oxygen deficient atmosphere...


Translation of the number below......

Holding the meat "internal temperature" at a temperature of 135 deg. F., for 36 minutes..... gives the same results as holding the "Internal Temperature" at 158 deg. F., for zero seconds...     That makes it safe to eat....   HOWEVER, it may not be dry, or due to a thermometer that is not calibrated correctly, I recommend holding at lower temps for longer periods than the chart shows....  

Hope all this makes sense.....     Dave


Temperature	Time	Temperature	Time
°F (°C)	(Minutes)	°F (°C)	(Seconds)
130 (54.4)	112 min	146 (63.3)	169 sec
131 (55.0)	89 min	147 (63.9)	134 sec
132 (55.6)	71 min	148 (64.4)	107 sec
133 (56.1)	56 min	149 (65.0)	85 sec
134 (56.7)	45 min	150 (65.6)	67 sec
135 (57.2)	36 min	151 (66.1)	54 sec
136 (57.8)	28 min	152 (66.7)	43 sec
137 (58.4)	23 min	153 (67.2)	34 sec
138 (58.9)	18 min	154 (67.8)	27 sec
139 (59.5)	15 min	155 (68.3)	22 sec
140 (60.0)	12 min	156 (68.9)	17 sec
141 (60.6)	9 min	157 (69.4)	14 sec
142 (61.1)	8 min	158 (70.0)	0 sec
143 (61.7)	6 min		
144 (62.2)	5 min		
145 (62.8)	4 min		
Table C.1: Pasteurization times for beef, corned beef, lamb, pork and cured pork (FDA, 2009, 3-401.11.B.2).


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## atomicsmoke (Nov 19, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> You can safely cook meat at a lower temperature...   Below is a "Time / Temperature" guide to safely kill pathogens...    It's the same practice used in "Sous Vide"....    ....  As far as I know, this chart does not reflect killing botulism, sooooo, do not add smoke using this table...  have the dampers wide open for good air flow so there is not an oxygen deficit....  botulism grows in an oxygen deficient atmosphere...
> .



Won't there be the same concern for sous vide cooking (no oxygen)?


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## daveomak (Nov 19, 2015)

atomicsmoke said:


> DaveOmak said:
> 
> 
> > You can safely cook meat at a lower temperature...   Below is a "Time / Temperature" guide to safely kill pathogens...    It's the same practice used in "Sous Vide"....    ....  As far as I know, this chart does not reflect killing botulism, sooooo, do not add smoke using this table...  have the dampers wide open for good air flow so there is not an oxygen deficit....  botulism grows in an oxygen deficient atmosphere...
> ...




I've never seen botulism mentioned in a sous-vide recipe...   and I did mention to not use smoke using this recipe and have the dampers wide open so there was not an oxygen deficient atmosphere....


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