Why is Temperature Important When Making Jerky?
Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 from homemade jerky raise questions about the safety of traditional drying methods for making beef and venison jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline’s current recommendation for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F before the dehydrating process. This step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by wet heat. But most dehydrator instructions do not include this step, and a dehydrator may not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F. After heating, maintain a constant dehydrator temperature of 130 to 140 °F during the drying process is important because: • the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoils; and • it must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow. Why is it a Food Safety Concern to Dry Meat Without First Heating it to 160 °F? The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe temperature first is that the appliance will
