Many of us driving have seen cars parked along the roadside, it’s the sign that hunting season has opened. Typically hunters enjoy their catch by using pasted done recipes from generations to generations. Caution should be taken when canning, freezing or making foods like jerky, to ensure that your foods are safe to eat.

Research conducted by Georgia University has shown that temperature is imperative when making jerky.

Why? Traditional drying methods raised concerns about Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 surviving. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline’s current recommendation for making jerky safely is to first heat the meat to 160 �F and poultry to 165 �F before beginning 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. It 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 not heat the meat to 160 �F and poultry to 165 �F — temperatures at which bacteria are destroyed — before it dries.

After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant. Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated.

Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause food borne illness to those consuming the jerky.

Here are recommendations to ensure that your jerky is safe to eat:

Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after working with meat products.

Use clean equipment and utensils.

Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40 �F or slightly below; use or freeze ground beef and poultry within 2 days; whole red meats, within 3 to 5 days.

Defrost frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.

Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Don’t save marinade to re-use. Marinades are used to tenderize and flavor the jerky before dehydrating it.

Steam or roast meat to 160 �F and poultry to 165 �F as measured with a food thermometer before dehydrating it.

Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a temperature of at least 130 to 140 �F throughout the drying process.

In addition, there are other special considerations when making homemade jerky from venison or other wild game. Venison can be heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria — the degree varying with the hunter’s skill, wound location, and other factors.

While fresh beef is usually rapidly chilled, deer carcasses are typically held at ambient temperatures, potentially allowing bacteria multiplication.

Simmering Jerky in a Marinade

Pre-freeze meat to be made into jerky so it will be easier to slice.

Cut partially thawed meat into long slices of 1/4" thick. For tender jerky, cut at right angles to long muscles (across the grain).

Remove as much fat from the slices as possible to prevent “off” flavors.

Prepare 2–3 cups of your favorite marinade and bring it to a rolling boil over medium heat.

Add a few meat strips, making sure the marinade covers them.

Reheat to a full boil. (Note: It is not advised to presoak the strips in marinade. Putting unmarinated strips into boiling marinade minimizes any cooked flavors and maintains the safety of the marinade.)

Remove the pan from the heat source.

Remove the strips from the hot marinade and place them in a single, nonoverlapping layer on drying racks.

Dry the strips at 140 to 150�F in a dehydrator, oven, or smoker.

Test for doneness by letting a piece cool. Strips should crack but not break when bent and should not contain any moist or underdone spots.

Refrigerate the strips overnight. Check again for doneness. If necessary, dry strips further.

For more information on making jerky safely or venison recipes to enjoy call our office at 602-0600.

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About the Author

Mary R. Ehret, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., is with Penn State Cooperative Extension, Luzerne County, 16 Luzerne Ave., West Pittston, Pa., 18643. (570) 825-1701/602-0600. Fax (570) 825-1709. mre2@psu.edu.

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