Jerky newbie question

Jerky is simply dried meat. So, theoretically you need neither cure or spices.

The cure is a preservative, allowing you to no have to refrigerate for storage. The cure, depending o it's base (sugar or salt) will impart flavor to the meat. Spices add noting but flavor and/or heat.

I would suggest both a cure and spices. read the jerky forums and you will get a better handle on the process.

I have never made jerky with a dehydrator, only my smoker.

What kind of jerky are you making? Whole muscle or ground meat.

You have a lot of variables. Read and study before your first attempt. Your dehydrator should have come with instructions. I would advise using them until you are somewhat familiar with the process - for your own good and for the safety of those with who will be consuming the finished product.

Take food safety seriously!

Thanks for your help. For example, if I were to marinade beef (whole muscle) with the following:
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar
* ¼ teaspoon Pepper
* ½ cup Red wine vinegar
* ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
* ½ cup Ketchup
* 1 teaspoon Onion powder
* ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
* 1 teaspoon Dry mustard

Would the salt in the marinade be considered the curing portion of the process, or do I need to add additonal items to take care of the curing process?

No! That salt will not cure. You need to look into something like Morton's TenderQuick or another curing salt.

What you have listed is basically seasonings.

Visit High Mountain Seasonings and look around. Lots of good stuff there!

Your concoction will work as long as you keep it in the fridge (no longer than 2-3 days max) or freeze it and use as needed or desired.

Hope this helps a little...

Well BB, How did the jerky turn out? Just curious!

It turned out very good...I used a spice and cure packet that came with the dehydrator. I used london broil and it was quite tasty.

I was mainly asking about the cure process for when I use my own spice recipes. Is there a general "per lb." rule of thumb for how much cure to use?

Not really sure on that. There are several different cures out there; Tenderquick, Instacure, or Prague Powder, just to name a few. All I ever use is High Mountain (linked in a previous post) and I am well satisfied.

Maybe someone else will chime in and give an opinion. I've been doing jerky for about 1 1/2 years and High Mountain has never let me down. Good stuff!

OK, so what I'm seeing is I pretty much really don't need to cure if I keep it in a fridge?

The cure is sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Table salt is sodium chloride. Just chemicals, some stronger than others, some harsher on your body.
When you make jerky, you are removing moisture from meat while adding flavors. This will make the meat last longer and taste better. Do you need your meat to last twelve months while you explore the arctic, or do you want it to taste better for two weeks while you share it with friends?
A salty, acidic marinade will prevent short-term spoilage, and dehydration will aid in this and also concentrate flavor. Keep it in the fridge, another layer of protection. Add the cure, another level of protection. Cook it to 165 degrees after curing, even more safety.
My point is, I make jerky to have a tasty, concentrated beef flavor that I will eat within two to three weeks of production. I have been doing this with a soy/worcestershire/cider vinegar marinade for five years, and I have never made anyone sick or had any jerky returned to me.
Taste your jerky when you remove it from the marinade, before you dehydrate or smoke it. If you are afraid to do this, stop making jerky. The FDA probably won't certify you based on this test, but it serves me well enough for my family and friends.

Are you recommending tasting the raw meat ?

Are you recommending tasting the raw meat ?

Absolutely. Now I am using sliced rump roast, not a ground meat product. Wouldn't recommend that for hamburger, pork, poultry or deer.
The primary health concern for beef is fecal contamination of the sides of beef leaving the slaughter house. This contamination does not penetrate subsequent cuts of beef, but can be ground into hamburger.
A well known but seldom referenced Food Network host dries his jerky with a window fan after a six hour bath in soy/worcestershire. It is never heated, so it should be as safe to eat 'raw' and wet as it is 'raw' and dry. Just won't keep as long when wet. With thin sliced beef the acidic marinade should have 'cooked' the meat proteins, and killed any e. coli bugs as well.
But I could be wrong. Load your meat with nitrates and nitrites and cook it to 165 and you will be as safe as any store brand.

Open attachment at your own risk, contains the l.s. words. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31151,00.html

I have been making jerky since 1975. Dad was stationed in Japan and sent some home along with a simple recipe that I still use today.
Soy sauce, Teriyaki sauce, salt, pepper. Slice lean beef thin, soak meat in above overnight and dry in electric oven w/door propped open about 1/2 inch.

I have since deleted the salt in the soak, sometimes I use worchestershire. I dry in either my dehydrator of Stumps gf223.

Never has made me sick...

Good for you.

Welcome to the forum !

Welcome, indeed, Blues Brother.
I started making jerky with no formal training long before I discovered these wonderful forums.
When I first made my own jerky I found it difficult to find any information other than people selling 'spice kits'. Relying on my understanding of food chemistry and the tiny recipe pamphlet in my first dehydrator, I decided that my marinade was 'cooking' the meat and killing the bugs. I later learned that my spinning tray dehydrator had an exit air temperature of 180 degrees and that I was at least cooking the meat over a period of 18 hours if not actually burning it.
I am only now experimenting with the Morton's tenderquick cures, and I personally don't want them in my jerky. There are many persons on this forum whom I feel err on the side of safety, and how can you blame them?
I hope that I don't come off as too harsh about dancing on the edge of food safety, but I am harsh and have learned to accept it.
I like my eggs runny; I may have spent some extra time in the throne room because of this. But I like my tea made with boiling water; you may have done time ordering iced tea from a fast food restaurant.
I think everyone that participates here understands that food communicates much more than a full belly, and I genuinely like the company.

twofer -- Totally understand and respect where you are coming from. The only thing I would suggest is to offer up a disclaimer (i.e., "It ain't my fault if you get sick - proceed with caution") when making suggestions that may cross the line regarding food safety. With some of the weird stuff that people sue for these days, a disclaimer my cover your backside.

Regards...

Appreciated, wheelz. I think I may have covered too much of my backside with that runny eggs comment, though.

My dad used to eat raw eggs all the time - BUT, they were from chickens running around the yard eating crickets and grasshoppers. The birds weren't filled with antibiotics and growth hormones and God only knows what else is in their feed.

Be careful what ya be eating and who ya recommend it to!