Why should meat be pre-treated before drying into jerky?
To produce a safe product, jerky meat must be heated to 160 F prior to drying. Cases of food-borne illness associated with E.coli 0157:H7 from beef and deer jerky, and trichinosis from bear and pork meat have been documented. To be certain the jerky is safe to eat, the meat should be precooked before it is made into jerky. Additional information about jerky preparation is available the WSU Extension office.
