Newbie Question

[JamieTB]

Hi all,

Just got my dehydrator the other day and made my first batch of beef Jerky today. Turned out great so I loaded up the dehydrator to run the second marinade recipe that I wanted to try and went to work. The recipe had no cure packet in it, just soy sauce and salt for the cure. Here's the problem, the wife pulled the plug on the dehydrator to use the outlet and forgot to plug it back in.

The beef had been in the dehydrator for 4 before she unplugged it. When I got home, the dehydrator was at room temp with the beef still in it. I plugged the unit back in to finish the drying process. It looks and smells great but is it safe to eat? Bottom Round Roast cut in large one eighth inch thick pieces. Can you safely dry beef jerky more after it has cooled to room temp?
Thanks,
Jamie

 

[chef jimmyj]

If your dehydrator heats the meat to 150-160, the 4 hours killed off any bacteria that survived the salt. It is highly unlikely that killer bacteria recontaminated the meat during the couple hour down time. And even if it did the salt and now semi-dry meat surface is not conducive to dangerous growth levels. Turn the unit back on, guilt the wife into being extra sweet to you and finish the jerky. If you still have doubts, send it to me for extensive testing...JJ

 

[JamieTB]

Thank you sir,

I thought the 4 hours was enough to kill anything harmful, the Nesco gets up to 160 degrees. I did turn it back on and let it finish the batch. Tastes good and the wife has been extra sweet today LOL. No honey do list for this guy on his day off. Being new at this, expert advice is always welcome.

Jamie

 

[uncle eddie]

I used to use an old RONCO convection dehydrator. It took 24 hours to dry a full load of loaded trays. Most of my recipes at that time were Kikkoman Soy Sauce based...we survived just fine.

If your dehydrator is forced air, that 4 hours was probably about the equivalent of 12 hours in that old RONCO.

BTW - what temp was it set at? I usually run mine on max (155F) for about 60-90 minutes and then drop it to 135F so I get a more even dehydration (not crunchy outside and chewy inside)

 

[JamieTB]

Hi Eddie,

I am running the 600 watt Nesco at 160 degrees forced air top to bottom. Works great so far. I will try adjusting the temp down next time thanks. Did a pepper jerky batch today in 5.5 hours. Nice afterburn from the different peppers. Can't wait to bring a couple batches to the Gun shop/Range where I work for the gang to sample.
When I started looking into all of this, I was amazed at what the dehydrator can do and the amount and variety of recipes out there.

Jamie

 

[uncle eddie]

So glad to hear you are enjoying your dehydrator. I make about 10-20 batches of jerky per year depending on the requests I receive. I recently tried some prepackaged seasoning/cure blends from Owens BBQ. They are reasonably priced and shipping was as well. I think my delivered cost was about $5.00/package of seasoning/cure.

http://www.owensbbq.com/sausage-seasonings-jerky-mixes.html

My favorite so far is their garlic pepper (all time fave - better than my tried and true recipe!) and the prime rib. The "original" and maple jalapeno flavors left me wanting more flavor. They were OK but I won't be purchasing either of those again. I still have to make a batch of teriyaki, mesquite, and hickory (and 3 more garlic pepper) to get through the last batch of seasonings I bought.