Jerky

Instruction on Jerky | by Edith Bow

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This guide is a companion to a forming compilation of articles meant to give you information you may need if your area faces considerable hardship, catastrophe, or violence.

Some of these guides are simple, providing everyday information not necessarily pointed at survival, defense, or war. Much of the information below and in the articles to come will cover topics you may already be intimately familiar with, and that’s okay. In other articles to come, other guides we will link along the way, there may be something that saves your life.

Jerky | Edith Bow

🥩Dehydrating to make jerky (this is when bendy matters)

What to dehydrate:

• Lean meat (fat goes rancid)

• Thin slices

What we want:

• Salt & heat (controls bacteria)

• BENDY

• Fully dry (no moisture pockets)

Best meats:

• Beef, Turkey breast, Venison
  (Beef is gold standard)

Prep:

• Trim all visible fat, partially freeze 30-60 min (easier for slicing but not necessary), slice 1/8-1/4 inch thick

  • -with the grain~ chewier

  • against the grain ~ tender

Season:

• 1tsp salt per lb meat

  • (Optional seasonings added: coriander, ginger, black pepper mild dried herbs)

• Avoid sugary marinades because it slows down the dehydration method.

  • -No overnight marinades

  • -No wet marinades

No “resting” meat

No stacking

No sugar or honey

Assuming we have no refrigerator we are skipping other steps to go right into salt & drying, no time wasted.

Do not let the meat sit warm & wet.

🔥Methods:

I. Dehydrator:

1. 160F approx, let it run 10-15 min, load trays, one layer no touching, leave space for airflow around each strip.

2. Dry at 160F 4-8 hours, rotate as needed for uneven drying if that’s a thing in your dehydrator. Check if it’s done by:

• Bends & cracks after cooling for 5 min

• Bends but doesn’t crack/feels soft inside = not done

Oven on lowest heat - 170F:

1. Put an oven rack in the middle.

2. Place jerky strips on a wire rack set over a tray (air needs to reach both sides).

   1. No rack? You can use a baking sheet, but you’ll need to flip often.

3. Crack the oven door open 1/2–1 inch (wooden spoon handle works).

   1. This vents moisture so the meat dries instead of “steams.”

4. Dry 4–7 hours, depending on thickness and your oven.

5. Flip at 2 hours and again every hour after that if you’re not using a rack.

6. Start checking around hour 4:

7. Cool 5 minutes

8. Bend test: crack = done

Center must not be moist!

II. Solar Dryer/Air Flow:

This is the traditional method, but it’s weather dependent and only safe under the right conditions.
Use this method only if:

• Daytime temperature is warm and dry

• You can keep flies/dust off the meat

• You can get steady airflow

• You can still apply heat at some point (even brief) to hit safe temps

1. Build a drying set up:

   1. Use a screened rack or hang strips on clean hooks.

   2. Cover with fine mesh/cheesecloth to block insects.

   3. Keep strips in shade with airflow (direct sun can cook the outside while inside stays wet).

   4. Keep strips separated so air moves freely.

2. Heat set up:

   1. A covered heat box/smokehouse style setup

      1. (What this means: In low-resource situations, it can be a box, barrel, tented rack, or cabinet near a low heat source.)

III. SIMPLE COVERED HEAT BOX idea:

Box + heat source (most accessible)

What you need:

• A large box (wood, metal, thick cardboard lined with foil)

• A rack or sticks to hang meat

• A low heat source

• Charcoal

• Small wood fire

• Sterno / alcohol burner

• A way for air to enter and exit

• Temp needs to be 160F

A. Build the box

1. Meat goes in the top half

2. Heat source goes in the bottom

Keep 12–24 inches between heat and meat

• Cut or leave:

  • Small opening near the bottom (air in)

  • Small opening near the top (moist air out)

You want warmth, not flames.

Use coals, not active fire

Heat should feel like:

• Warm hands over it

• Not painful

B. Target internal air temp:

• Roughly 140–170F if you can measure

• If not: warm, dry air, not hot blast

• Too hot = cooked outside, raw inside (bad)

• If not: warm, dry air, not hot blast

C. Hang or rack the meat:

• Hang strips on hooks or lay on racks

• Do not let pieces touch

• Air must move around every piece

D. Cover but don’t seal:

• Close the box

• Leave vents open

If using cloth or tarp, keep it loose, not airtight

You want:

• Bugs out/moisture escaping

E. Maintain gentle heat:

• Add small amounts of fuel as needed

F. Check every 30–60 minutes

• If meat sweats or looks shiny = too hot

• If flies land =enclosure too open

G. Optional: light smoke (traditional)

• A little smoke helps preservation

• Not required

• Use hardwood only (oak, hickory, apple)

• Avoid heavy smoke= bitterness isn’t safety

H. Dry time

• 8–24 hours, sometimes longer can take 1-3 days depending on climate. Check how it works in your area.

• Depends on thickness, weather, and heat

Bring meat inside overnight if:

• Dew forms/temperature drops/humidity rises

I. Know if it works:

• Cool a strip

  • BENDY

  • Cracks, no wet center

  • Smells clean, salty

IV. Fire assisted low heat (hardest to do, survivalist method)

You use a small fire to create warm, dry air, not flames, and you keep the meat far enough away that it dries instead of cooks. Think bonfire, a metal rack over fire (needs space in between), or a grill.

Non-negotiable safety rules:

• No flames under meat/ only embers / coals/meat must never drip onto fire/ never leave unattended/ventilation always open

• If you fail this, stop.

1. Build the fire (this is the foundation)

   1. Hardwood only (oak, hickory, apple, maple)

   2. No softwoods, trash, treated wood, or resinous wood

2. How to start:

   1. Build a small fire

   2. Let it burn down completely

   3. You want glowing embers, not flames
      
      Set distance (this matters more than fire size)
      

   4. Meat should be 3–6 feet above or away from embers

   5. More distance = safer

3. Hand test

   1. Hold your hand where meat will be

   2. You should feel steady warmth, not pain

   3. If it’s uncomfortable=too hot

4. Control airflow (drying depends on this)

   1. You need:

      1. Air in near the fire

      2. Warm air rising past meat

      3. Moist air out above

   2. How to do this:

      1. Crack doors or vents

      2. Never seal the space

      3. Smoke should drift, not billow

5. Hang/Rack the meat

   1. Hang strips on hooks or rods

   2. Place on racks with airflow above and below

   3. Pieces must not touch

6. Keep meat well above heat source

7. Maintain gentle heat

• Target conditions:

  • Warm, dry air/ roughly 140–170F/ no sizzling, bubbling, or dripping fat (that’s why you have to cut the fat prior)

• What to watch for

  • Meat looks matte, not shiny

  • No steam coming off meat

  • If meat sweats= too hot

  • If meat stays soft after hours = not warm enough

• Time & tending

  • Drying takes 8–24 hours

  • Add small amounts of fuel as embers fade

  • Check every 30–60 minutes

  • Rotate or reposition meat if needed

• Overnight rule

  • Bring meat inside and resume next day, if temp drops, humidity rises, dew forms.

• Temp necessary:

  • 160F (71C) for beef

• Check if it’s done by:

  • BENDY & cracks

  • Smoky, clean meat smell

  • Bad= soft spongy wet inside, sour & sweet smell

⭐Conditioning (all methods)

• Jar loosely 1-2 days

• Shake daily 1-2x

• If moisture appears re dry

⭐Storage (all methods)

• Air tight storage, keep cool and dry, no heat or light exposure, label with date

• Shelf life for all jerky 2 weeks - 1 month

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