How To Make Beef Jerky With A Dehydrator

Today, we’re talking about how to make beef jerky with a dehydrator at home and it’s going to be good.

If you have never made beef jerky with a dehydrator, then you have to check this out.

You’re going to need to make a bunch, because your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and the dogs are going to clean you out.

So let’s get started …

How To Make Beef Jerky With A Dehydrator

To start, many folks ask me what they need to make beef jerky with a dehydrator. What should they look for when shopping for around the best food dehydrator?

So that will be the first topic we’ll cover.

You’ll also need a selection of good sharp knives. You probably already have a set in your kitchen. However, if you’re shopping around for something better, check out what we use for thin sliced beef in our popular beef jerky knife post.

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator – Choosing the Best Dehydrator

Here is a partial list of features to consider when you are shopping for a food dehydrator.

1) Is it expandable? Most dehydrators include four or maybe five drying trays. Can you use more drying trays? Can you purchase extra drying trays? How many trays will your dehydrator hold?

2) Can you dry bigger items? For example, can you dry that extra bunch of parsley or cilantro you just purchased?

3) Does your food dehydrator have an adjustable thermostat? Not just that low-medium-high switch, but can you vary the temperature?

4) How easy is it to keep clean? Where I live, things generally fall “down” because of gravity. What about where you live? Many food dehydrators have their fans at the bottom, not on the top or the side. Food debris bits and excess beef jerky marinade will fall down into that fan and may cause future issues or worse, burn out the fan motor. Check those Amazon reviews!

5) Does it come with some of those fruit roll up sheets? Can you buy extras? They are handy not only for fruit, but for making things like dehydrated pasta sauces. Can your dehydrator accommodate more than using only one at a time?

6) Some dehydrators come with mesh screens for drying small items. Can you buy extras? This is a “must have” item for me when I am gearing up for a backpacking trip.

7) A few dehydrators sport a timer. I have never found this to be very useful. How long do you dry beef jerky? Well, I dry my beef jerky until it’s done!

8) A fan, it moves that air, water, and heat out of your dehydrator and food. Almost a no-brainer, but I did once own a dehydrator that did not have one.

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator – Other Features

To be sure, I like to compare, evaluate, and research the features I am getting for my money.

You probably figured out that you should stay away from those no-name department store food dehydrator offerings. Chances are there are no after purchase accessories available.

Furthermore, think about what your future food dehydrator needs might be. In addition to beef jerky, you can also dehydrate leftovers for later, those extra spices and herbs; the list goes on.

Lastly, review the food dehydrator manufacturer’s web site and download a copy of the owner’s manual.

Our current dehydrator is a Nesco FD-60 Snackmaster. It meets ALL of the considerations we listed. [UPDATE: Nesco has updated the FD-60 to the FD-61]

You can find the Nesco FD-61 food dehydrator on Amazon, check out the latest pricing here.

While the Nesco FD-60 was way under the $100 mark, you can find other food dehydrators well north of that figure! Without doubt, I am sure they are not any better or nearly as flexible and what I already have.

Wikipedia has a good write up on how food dehydrators work. Yes, it’s worth a moment or two for a quick read.

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator – Time to Make Jerky

Okay now that you have chosen your dehydrator — now on to the how to make beef jerky with a dehydrator part of this post — and making something really easy and tasty.

What you will need

You’re going to need about 1 1/2 pounds of thinly sliced beef.

My local Mega-Mart carries a big selection of thin sliced meats. How awesome is that, all of that hard meat-slicing work is done for you?

Consequently, I like the thin-cut milanesa steak for my own seasoned jerky.

In addition, the unseasoned milanesa steak is perfect for the unseasoned beef jerky that I make for my four-legged BFF treats. It is a lean cut and I really do not need to do anything else than slice it, with the grain, into the optimal size jerky pieces. As a bonus, it dehydrates faster.

The thin-cut milanesa steak is about 1/16 inch or so in thickness, maybe a bit more or a bit less. A thin-cut milanesa steak in a 1.5-pound package takes about five or six trays in my Nesco FD-60 food dehydrator.

Marinade:

●   1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
●   1/4 cup soy sauce
●   1 tablespoon of your favorite steak sauce
●   2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, more if you want
●   1 teaspoon liquid smoke
●   1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
●   1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
●   1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
●   1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

In a bowl, mix the marinade ingredients until combined.

Next, in a one-gallon zip top bag, add the sliced beef and the marinade. Mix well. Finally, place in the fridge overnight to marinate. In addition, turn over and mix every few hours.

The next day, drain out the excess marinade, if any. Place the meat strips on the dehydrator trays, making sure that you leave a bit of space between the slices.

Finally, dry until the beef jerky is done. Maybe five to six hours for the dehydrator to do its magic.

When done, the jerky should bend but not snap. Fresh from the dehydrator is warm and pliable. Meaning it bends really easy and you may not think it is completely dry.

After a few batches, you will get a good idea of how long it takes to dehydrate. For thin-cut milanesa steak, start checking for doneness after 5-hours of dehydrating.

In summary, drying times depend on a number of factors: how thick are the meat slices, how much is in your food dehydrator, drying temperature, humidity, and how often you peek.

When finished, I will use those handy zip top gallon size freezer bags. Finally, I’ll double freezer bag what I have just made and refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Enjoy, and YUM!

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator – Take Notes

To sum up as a footnote for folks who are interested, some notes from a recent batch.

Use a notebook or your favorite note-taking app. Here, record your marinade recipe, other ingredients, drying times, and what you think of the results or might try the next time.

●   a 1.87-pound package of thin-cut milanesa steak was $7.44/pound or $13.91 without taxes
●   after sitting overnight in the marinade recipe, then drained, 2.1 pounds
●   drying time: 5 hours
●   dehydrated weight 12 ounces, – lost about 60% of its starting package weight

In contrast, compare your marinade ingredients to store bought beef jerky.

Next time you’re out, look at the $9.99 for a 6.5 ounces of “grab and go” jerky. Compare those ingredients. Likewise, what are “flavorings,” what is “hydrolyzed corn protein,” or “yeast extract?” You didn’t put any of that in your own homemade beef jerky!

Keep an eye open at your local meat counter. Sometimes you can get quality cuts of meat marked down for sale when it gets close to its “best by” date.

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator – Next Steps

For more information on how to make beef jerky with a dehydrator, low sodium beef jerky, and nutrition information, check out my comprehensive beef jerky guide available only on Amazon. Beef Jerky Recipes: How to Make Beef Jerky Using Your Food Dehydrator.

Be sure to check out my Food Dehydrators page. This is where I link to all my recipes and food dehydrator posts in one easy place.