Want To Make Homemade Beef Jerky? Here's What You Need To Know About Safety First

Although it's a matter of debate as to whether Native Americans or South American Incas invented jerky, it remains a popular method for preserving meat today. Store-bought beef jerky is expensive, and many people are making DIY beef jerky at home. However, improperly prepared jerky can potentially lead to foodborne illness if one is not careful. The USDA says that an important step to ensuring that jerky is safe to eat is pre-cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit before putting it into a dehydrator. We asked Dylan Clay, the found of Barbecue FAQ, for his opinion on this hot topic of debate in the jerky community. Clay cites two arguments that some jerky makers use to defend not following the USDA guidelines.

"The single most important factor with regards to jerky is water activity. By dehydrating the meat, we're removing water and thus inhibiting the growth of microbes," Clay explained. The problem with this is that the water activity isn't being properly measured. However, "Water activity testing systems are pretty expensive," Clay says. "They range from approximately $350 to $2000, which is why people use the 'bend test.' ... [This] is actionable for a home jerky maker because it's free to do." The second argument is that jerky makers think that just by cranking up the dehydrator's heat, harmful bacteria is killed. But according to Clay, "Most dehydrators — for lack of a better word — suck." And Clay claims that the USDA also knows.

In the USDA guidelines, the agency notes, "The appliance will not heat the meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit." As Clay explains to Tasting Table, "Most dehydrators will have settings for different 'things' and will typically cap out at 158 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit." In this case, Clay recommends monitoring your dehydrator's temperature with a meat thermometer as proof that its ambient temperature will never get high enough to cook the meat to the USDA's recommended internal temperature.

Clay has meticulously tested that his dehydrator is accurate. Nevertheless, he oven-cooks beef before dehydrating it at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. "Wait 'till it hits 158 degrees Fahrenheit," Clay instructs. "Then, take [the meat] out of your oven and dehydrate at approximately 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit." According to the expert, this "makes the jerky softer and reduces the risk of case hardening." Budget-wise, a dehydrator may be out of reach for some people, but if you already have an air fryer, you can use it instead.

Of course, it's entirely your personal choice as to whether or not Clay's recommendations for making safer beef jerky are best for you. "You're the one eating the meat," Clay concludes. "You are allowed to make your own decisions about your own health." But if you're making jerky for someone with compromised immunity, Clay advises heat-treating the meat first, just to be safe.