Beef Jerky

Use lean meat (beef, venison) and trim off ALL fat — fat doesn't dry and turns rancid. Slice into thin strips about 5 mm (¼ inch) or less; butterfly thicker cuts open to a big thin sheet. Thin, even strips are the single most important thing for drying that keeps.

FOOD SAFETY for home use: bring the strips to 71 °C (160 °F) internal to kill Salmonella and E. coli — steam or roast them before drying, or oven-finish at 135 °C (275 °F) for 10 minutes after. The fast raw air-dry in the video relies on ideal fresh-kill wilderness conditions; the heat step is what makes home jerky safe.

Dry the strips until dark and leathery. In warm, dry, breezy weather (about 24 °C, 20 % humidity) hang them on a rack and they dry in under a day. In cool or damp weather, force-dry over a low smoky fire — the smoke also holds back bacteria and keeps flies off (use fruit or hardwood such as plum, never a resinous conifer, which tastes acrid). A solar dehydrator at 60–70 °C works too.

Salt is optional — a little seasoning salt improves flavour but isn't needed for keeping if the meat is dried hard. For a longer, slower cure, salt-cure the strips first (see Salt Curing Meat). Store the jerky dry in an airtight jar or bag; kept dry it lasts months. Reconstitute in stews and soups. Discard if it ever feels moist or shows mould.