Make dried meat yourself

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Dried meat, also called jerky meat, is made from raw meat. Water is withdrawn from it, which preserves it. Dried meat can be made from beef, pork, poultry or horse meat, but also from game. You can use a commercially available dehydrator or a conventional oven for this purpose.

Dried meat can be prepared in the dehydrator or in the oven.
Dried meat can be prepared in the dehydrator or in the oven.

What you need:

  • spices
  • Parchment paper
  • Dehydrator or oven

How to dry meat in the dehydrator


From 1 kg of fresh meat you can make about 300 g dried. If you want to use dried meat as a snack, you can cut it into thin slices about 0.5 cm, soak in a spice stock overnight or season with salt, pepper and paprika. You should only season it lightly if it is to be used later as a staple food. If the meat is smoked before drying, you can refine the taste.

  1. To dry it in the dehydrator, you must first remove the marinade and lay out or lay out the meat on two-ply kitchen paper. Dab with paper towels to remove excess moisture and reduce drying time.
  2. Then distribute the food to be dried on the individual levels in the dehydrator. Make sure that the individual pieces do not touch.
  3. Then dry it in the dehydrator at 60 - 70 degrees until it is black, hard and leathery. The drying time depends on the thickness of the individual pieces, the selected temperature and the type of device used. It can be between 6 and 12 hours.

Dried meat from the oven

The home oven is a practical alternative to the dehydrator.

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  1. First, cut the meat into thin strips or small cubes. To kill any germs in the oven, heat the oven to 150 degrees for about an hour beforehand.
  2. Then place the pieces of meat close together on parchment paper and the whole thing on a baking sheet. Reduce the temperature in the oven to 100 degrees and put the tray in it. To ensure that the moisture can escape, it is advisable to use a wooden spoon or the like. Ä. to clamp in the oven door.
  3. Now dry the meat for about 2-3 hours. Continue the drying process until the meat is also hard inside. Then take it out of the oven and let it sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours so that it is completely dry.

If possible, you should store dried meat in sealable, airtight containers such as cans and store them in a dry place. With correct storage or The whole thing can be stored for about 1 year.

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