Need Jerky help....already searched, I promise!

[Panchito]

Okay so just started dehydrating and I'm addicted, obsessed my wife tells me. I am almost done with my first batch of beef jerky and my question is this: I know you don't want fat in it because that's what makes it go bad, but is it the end of the world? Will it last? I used the round cut that everyone seemed to suggest and cut away all the fat that was on the outside but there are some strips with fat on them. How long will they last? Should I just not expect them to last. Oh and how dry is enough? Thanks

[Hikes in Rain]

The fat will definitely shorten the life of your jerky, but to be honest, mine never lasted long enough to worry about it. I'd certainly start eating the ones with the fat first. Someone who knows better might correct me, but I'd guess it's probably good for at least a couple of months before you'd notice it going rancid. Especially if you refrigerate it.

[Seeker]

as stated, eat the fatty ones first. i freeze mine, and have eaten it on trips a year later.

use venison if you can get it, as it's almost entirely fat-free. bison works too.

how dry? hard to overdo though, so don't worry too much. err on the dry side. juice is bad. if you bend a piece in half, and sorta twist the fibers open, and there's still visible moisture, that's too wet.

[Panchito]

Thanks for the feedback. I have been eating the fatty ones. Kinda trial end error. So far so good. Might freeze some now.

[Hikes in Rain]

The methodology has been perfected over millenia, so if you're even close, in the short term, it's hard to go wrong. I think even the "fatty" (which probably aren't all that fat) ones are good for a couple of months.

[JRiker]

depends on if you freeze them or not. unfrozen about two weeks. frozen about two months, IMO. just smell it first. fatty ones last longer if they're marinated as opposed to just dried beef.

[Wise Old Owl]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=59059

Start here and work your way though.... Don't worry about the fat its usually trimmed off.

[Hoot]

I really like my jerky tough, i do a decent job of removing the fat (which is then used for candles) and then an overnite marinate (12 hrs) then dehydrate another 12 hrs. when im done generally speaking ive got some tough jerky. I like my jerky tough enough that you have to battle to tear off a bite.

ive also bought from a meat market where they have their own cuts for the inhouse jerky they make. The meat has little to no fat and is only 3.99 a pound. a fellow jerky maker prefers to use them over buying the meat at the grocery and removing the fat himself.

like some others though, my jerky never lasts long either, generally i start out with 5-10 pounds of meat and its never lasted a week yet so the issue of going bad hasnt come up yet.

[Pedaling Fool]

You'll never get all the fat. It's easy to trim of the excess from the edges, but all those little white strips (fat) through the meat I don't bother with unles they're thick (I know...it's all relative...)

The trick to keeping the meat from going bad is the salty marinade (IMO). I've always just used table salt, but been thinking about using curing salt on my next batch -- it's suppose to make it taste better. I use about a tablespoon per pound of meat.

There's a lot of "instructions" on the web and many will say to precook at 160 degrees prior to dehydrating, but I never have, not even my chicken jerky and never had a problem; also I've kept jerky as long as a year without refrigeration/freezing.

It is also important to not overdehydrate, some people overdehydrate because they are overly concerned about bacteria, but this will destroy much of the nutritional value of the food. Jerky should crack only on the surface when bent, it should be leathery. If your jerky breaks/cracks in two when bent, you've overdehydrated. If you can squeeze fluid from the meat it needs more dehydration.

[Panchito]

Thanks a lot to everyone. BTW, I did a hickory maple apple marinade that was awesome. That is the best part is trying new marinades for me. The info will come in helpful. BTW, John Gault- love the name

[Omega Man]

Do you have a marinade recipe I could try?

[klpicktown]

If you can get vension to make jerky there is very near zero fat to start...and is very tasty