Another jerky addict is born

[OwenStubbs]

For months I have been following nearly every jerky post made because it is something I really wanted to try. Most recently, I would like to thank Canadian Bacon for his post on Sweet & spicy jerky and also Oregon Smoker for for his post about the Nesco FD-80, as well as everyone else who weighed in on that thread.

So I did indeed pick up the FD-80 - seemed to me to be a decent price for an introduction into food dehydrators. I also picked up two additional trays, for a total of six (unit comes with 4).

The FD-80 seems to be a fine unit. I paid about 50 bucks for it at amazon. Plenty of heat and air flow.

So, here we go with my first shot at this.


approx 4 lbs of top round roast with Hi Mountain Sweet & Spicy cure & seasoning.


approx 4 lbs of BOTTOM round roast with Hi Mountain Cracked Black Pepper and Garlic cure & seasoning.


Sweet & Spicy ready to be dryed. There were actually 3 racks,not just two as shown here.

Black Pepper & garlic after 24 hours, just like the sweet & spicy, there were 3 racks not just two.


Loaded - 6 total racks, 4 that came with the unit plus 2 extras I ordered.


The love machine!!!!

Final product has been awesome! I would like to try some non-cure recipes as I am trying to avoid sodium, but this stuff is awesome! next batch will be a wet cure/recipe! I love this stuff! Me and my son cannot stop eating this! Awesome!

Final product:

[smokin'gal]

The jerky looks delicious. Congrats on your new dehydrator.

[Gray Goat]

The jerky looks great OwenStubbs I am checking out the Nesco, it looks like a good dehydrator to start with.
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[Oregon smoker]

Congrats!
And you did a better review than me.
I haven't ever done a dry cure on jerky, even back in the day that i used a oven to make the stuff. Might have to change that.
I used a typical marinade/brine. Using a few other ingredients that aren't normally used.
What temp setting did you use? Thickness of the meat? Across the grain or not?
I ask because i experimented a little with some interesting results and a much shorter drying time then expected.
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[KulinaryKila]

That jerky looks awesome. I had the wallet and credit card out and almost pulled the trigger on that dehydrator cause of this post.

[romex2121]

who does'nt love jerky and thats some fine looking jerky , good job ,,, how is that High Mountain seasoning ?? we were at Gander Mountain the other day and picked up the varity pack , have'nt tryed it yet tho ,,,,,
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[joshsheff1]

Man that looks good!
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[SimonSmokes]

i'd be curious to see the difference between a piece of meat in the dehydrator and one on a box fan like i use.

also, how's that jerky cure working for ya ? always went with some liquid marinade i make myself for jerky, but i've always been curious about those boxes.

not gonna lie, this jerky looks alot better than mine. not that mine doesnt taste good...its just not as red and shiny looking.

[Canadian Bacon]

Nice work on that jerky OwenStubbs,do you have a vac sealer to do it up in snack pack size's,it freezes very well for long term storage,if it lasts that long around the house.
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[Griffin]

That does look tasty. I've got some of that jerky seasoning, but I haven't gotten around to using it yet. What's the difference in top and bottom roast for jerky? Is one better than the other?

[OwenStubbs]

smokin'gal - Thanks - I think this is going to be a fun toy.

Gray Goat - It tastes even better than it looks! Don't think you will go wrong with one of these from Nesco. Gets the job done at a reasonable price.

Oregon smoker - I'd be interested in any wet marinade recipes you might like to share. I found one here I would like to try next. I had the butcher cut it for me to about 1/4" thick. One was with the grain, and one was against. I don't really notice any difference. I will say the top round is a better texture than the bottom round. My total time was about 6.5 hours. I might reduce that slightly with the next batch. Temp used was 160.

KulinaryKila - pull the trigger!!!

romex2121 - Hi Mountain certainly makes it easy. I used Sweet & Spicy on half, and Black Pepper & Garlic on the other half. I prefer the Black Pepper & Garlic. Sweet & Spicy tastes too much like slim jims to me. I did find myself using about twice what their instructions say for a more uniform coating. not sure if that was a good idea, or a bad one. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

joshsheff1 - thanks!

SimonSmokes - these dehydrators are nothing more than a fan with a heating element. If yours is getting the job done, not sure there is any incentive to switch. Then again, this thing was only 50 bucks! I think at least part of the color is resulting from the curing process.

Canadian Bacon - Yes, I have a food saver, and half of what I made was immediately sealed. I'm not so sure about the cure though. I wonder if it is really necessary. Its noticeably salty. Have you tried making any without any cure? Or maybe Morton tenderquick? Give this Black Pepper & Garlic a try. I was even thinking about coating some with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Will let you know if I give that a try... unless you or someone else beats me to it!!

Griffin - Top round is less fatty, and a bit more tender IMHO. Eye of Round looks like it would also be a great choice, but top round was on sale at half the price!

[purplewg]

I almost went to the dark side and bought a dehydrator. Then I came to my senses and I realized there is only one way to get that smokey flavor into jerky and that is by making jerky in the smoker.

I guess it is the old saying, "to each his own". lol
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[k.a.m.]

Owen, your jerky looks some kinda tasty. I have always wanted a dehydrator but I always remember I want one when I see fantastic looking jerky. Nicely done my man.
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