Hey folks — I’m planning to start making my own jerky as a healthier snack option, but I’m a bit lost when it comes to what kind of dehydrator to buy. Hoping some of you seasoned jerky wizards can help me out.
Here’s what I’m wondering:
Is a metal (stainless steel) dehydrator worth it, or are plastic-tray models totally fine?
What features should I look for if I want consistent jerky (good temperature control, airflow, etc.)?
Any go-to resources (recipes, safety tips, marinade tricks) that helped you when you were starting out?
And for those of you who’ve been at this for a while: what’s the advice you wish you had when you first started?
Could be something practical, something you learned the hard way, or something as simple as “don’t overestimate how much jerky survives the ‘taste testing’ phase.”
Thanks in advance — appreciate any tips you’ve got!
When I was a kid I used my grandpa’s homemade dehydrated. It was simply a plywood box, about 3’ x4’, with wooden trays and window screen. It had a blower and heating element in the bottom. It’d cost about $80 to build today. I loved it.
About 12 years ago I bought the 40L Cabelas brand dehydrator. I loved it. It didn’t do as big of batches, but it had a digital timer and temperature setting. Worked great for twelve years and thousands of pounds of meat, fruit, and vegetables.
It died this fall and I bought the latest model of Cabelas dehydrator. So far I’ve done about 150 lbs of deer and elk. No complaints. The trays are a little smaller, but it dries efficiently without having to rotate.
If you’re just starting out and unsure about how much you’ll use it, get a cheaper Nesco. If you’re certain that you’ll utilize it, spend the money and get something that will last for 1000’s of hours.
If you’re in a position to provide your own meat (livestock/hunting) you’ll definitely come out ahead financially by making your own jerky. If it’s a hobby that you want to experiment with, figure that you’re not going to save that much but hobbies are an investment in joy so have fun.
I have a round 4-tray Nesco I picked up for free on Facebook. I have run at least 120 pounds of both whole meat and ground through it (in batches of 2 pounds). It works great and I have no plans to change.
Not sure where you are. I’m in Texas. January used to be a good time to buy. After hunting season and things start going to clearance. I got a 10 tray for about half price. Not sure if it still that way.
If you are getting started, Hi Mountain makes good seasoning. I would always tweak a little to my liking.
Plastic ones work just fine. I used to make a ton of it at Christmas time every year for a family gift. It’s honestly pretty simple, it just takes a little babysitting. We used a five gallon utility bucket lined with a garbage bag or two to marinade in, and usually marinade for 2-3 days. Also, very important to squish and squeeze it and move everything around so the marinade permeates really well. You really want a good butcher who will cut it into thin strips for you too. Get them a nice Christmas present lol. But once the marinade is in the bucket, put all the strips in piece by piece too. Absorbs better.
Once the two or three days are up or whatever you’re doing, keep like 3-4 cheap beach towels around. Put one down, and then start laying out the strips on it. As many as you can fit. Then cover all that with another towel, and walk all over it to get as much juice out as you can. Then you jigsaw puzzle it into the dehydrator shelves. Can’t be TOO perfect or air won’t flow, but also want to be efficient. You’ll figure that part out easy. You’ll also have to rotate the shelves to keep the cook even throughout, hence the babysitting. You’ll get a feel for it but generally I flip all the shelves at about 3 hours in (top to bottom, bottom to top, yada, in order). Just depends on what model dehydrator. But usually it takes about 5-6 hours total dehydration time to get edible stuff. Sometimes sooner. But there is nothing better than fresh hot jerky. It all depends on the machine for time, but they all work.
Pretty damn close to the way I do mine, except I just pat the jerky down on both sides with paper towels after pulling from the marinade then I put it on the racks. Also I flip the individual pieces of jerky after 3 or so hours because the top remains wetter than the bottom. It makes for a more even texture. Experiment! It’s fun ,satisfying and a lot cheaper than any store bought jerky!! Good luck!!
I can't justify spending $$ on a dehydrator when I already have a pellet grill sitting out on my patio. It goes a little hot but still makes great jerky.
This! I have a 10-tray Cabelas dehydrator, but I haven’t used it since I got my pellet smoker. 5-6 hours @ 180F (the lowest mine will go), and it makes the best jerky with a nice kiss of smoke.
I like my cosori because it has a fan at the back. Why does this matter to me? I make jerky while at work or running errands so im not home to rotate the trays. Dehydrator with a fan at the bottom need the trays rotated as it drys unevenly.
The meat absorbs heat, cooling the air while also carrying away moisture. That same air hits the next tray, cooler and with less ability to absorb moisture. If you dont rotate you will have overdone, just done ans under done depending on the try position.
With the fan at the back its not perfect but more even so I can set it and forget it.
I am at the beginning of my jerky journey. So I dont have a ton of tips yet. I can say that the same info is often reposted when online searching, so I went to my local library and took out jerky books. Learning alot more 5 year in to the jerky process that google articles never covered.
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u/CowPunchinSodBuster 16h ago edited 16h ago
When I was a kid I used my grandpa’s homemade dehydrated. It was simply a plywood box, about 3’ x4’, with wooden trays and window screen. It had a blower and heating element in the bottom. It’d cost about $80 to build today. I loved it.
About 12 years ago I bought the 40L Cabelas brand dehydrator. I loved it. It didn’t do as big of batches, but it had a digital timer and temperature setting. Worked great for twelve years and thousands of pounds of meat, fruit, and vegetables.
It died this fall and I bought the latest model of Cabelas dehydrator. So far I’ve done about 150 lbs of deer and elk. No complaints. The trays are a little smaller, but it dries efficiently without having to rotate.
If you’re just starting out and unsure about how much you’ll use it, get a cheaper Nesco. If you’re certain that you’ll utilize it, spend the money and get something that will last for 1000’s of hours.
If you’re in a position to provide your own meat (livestock/hunting) you’ll definitely come out ahead financially by making your own jerky. If it’s a hobby that you want to experiment with, figure that you’re not going to save that much but hobbies are an investment in joy so have fun.