# Meat Drying safety



## alexandrov (Dec 14, 2007)

I have this old book that suggests that you can dry meat from almost any animal if you slice it into thin strips and put it either in an oven on a low temperature or on a grate over an open flame

In both cases the temperatures of the meat would not get very high so it would not technically cook the meat but it would dry

my question is couldent you get parasites from such dried meat since it is not technically cooked? thanks


----------



## Trapper62 (Mar 3, 2003)

Sounds like you just described jerky?


----------



## alexandrov (Dec 14, 2007)

yes sir it is jerky

I was basically wondering if it is possible to make jerky using a low heat and not get parasites


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Wondered the same thing. Sent a couple queries, will post if I get a reply. In the mean time:

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn580w.htm

Jerky Making: then and now 
FN-580, December 1999

M.J. Marchello, Ph.D., Professor, Animal and Range Sciences
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jerky is a nutrient-dense, convenient and shelf-stable meat product that has grown in popularity world wide. Derived from the Spanish word "charqui," which describes dried meat strips, jerky may be produced using a combination of curing, smoking and drying procedures.

Traditionally jerky was made by the use of sun, wind, and smoke from fires as a way to preserve and extend the shelf-life of meat. American Indians mixed berries or suet with the pounded dried meat to make pemmican. Today it is produced from either thin strips of meat (beef, pork, lamb, venison, poultry) or ground and formed meat. Many varieties of commercial seasonings are available for home use as a one-step procedure.

Food Safety Issues 
Over the centuries drying has been considered one of the ways to keep meats available for consumption. With the advent of refrigeration drying declined as a means of preservation. More recently there has been a renewed interest in dried meat products but with less salt, cure, and flavorings. With these changes we have seen a number of cases of foodborne illness linked to jerky.

In February 1995, 93 people in New Mexico were diagnosed with salmonellosis. The plant's processing procedure consisted of drying partially frozen beef strips three hours at 140 oF then holding at 115 oF for 19 hours.

In November 1995, 11 people in Oregon were infected with E. coli O157:H7 in homemade venison jerky. This jerky had reportedly been dried at 125 oF to 135 oF for 12 to 18 hours.

These illnesses have raised concern about the safety of traditional drying methods for making jerky at home. Homemade jerky may contain bacteria that can cause severe illness and in some cases even death. The USDA currently recommends that meat be heated to 160 oF before the dehydrating process in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms.

There are special considerations when making homemade jerky from venison or other wild game. Venison can become heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria, depending on the skill of the hunter in dressing the animal and location of the wound. Fresh beef carcasses are usually rapidly chilled, but deer carcasses often are held at temperatures that could potentially allow bacteria to multiply.

Several universities have done experiments on survival of bacteria during drying. The general conclusion is that the product needs to be heated prior to drying and that adding cure (sodium nitrite) to the formulation increases the destruction of bacteria compared with jerky without added cure. Due to these safety concerns, the University of Georgia recommends that ground meat be precoooked to 160 oF prior to drying.

When making whole muscle jerky, there have been various recommendations. Oregon State University recommends precooking the sliced meat in a marinade prior to drying.

The University of Wyoming currently only recommends Hot Pickle Cure jerky due to safety reasons.

Click here for Oregon State University and University of Wyoming recipes

Food Safety Guidelines 
The USDA currently recommends that meat be 
heated to 160 oF before the dehydrating process in 
order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms

Bacteria can spread through a work area and contaminate equipment and work surfaces. To reduce your risk of foodborne illness:

Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before beginning to work and after changing tasks or after doing anything that could contaminate your hands, such as sneezing or using the bathroom. 
Start with clean equipment and clean it thoroughly after using. Be sure all surfaces that come into contact with meat are clean. 
Sanitize surfaces with a solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Allow to air dry. 
If using frozen meat, thaw it in a refrigerator (at 40 oF or below) on the lowest shelf to avoid dripping of juices on ready-to-eat foods. Never thaw meat on the kitchen counter. 
Use refrigerated ground meat within two days or whole red meats within three to five days. 
Keep raw meat separate from other foods. 
Marinate raw meat in the refrigerator. 
Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a safe temperature for drying. Don't rely on the dial settings when using a food dehydrator. Measure the temperature of the dehydrator during processing with a calibrated thermometer; place the metal stem of a dial thermometer between dehydrator trays or create an opening for the stem by drilling a hole through the side of the tray. 
Recent research at the University of Wisconsin demonstrated that even though lower dehydrator temperatures/longer times are effective at killing bacteria, a dehydrator temperature of 
at least 145 oF is recommended.

Drying 
Temperature* Minimum 
Drying Time * Source: 
Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. 
Meat and Animal Science Department.
University of Wisconsin - Madison

125 �F
135 �F
145 �F
155 �F
10 hours
8 hours
7 hours
4 hours

Consume home-dried jerky within one to two months and commercially packaged jerky within 12 months. 
For more information about food preservation, visit the NDSU Extension web site:

http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/food.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recipes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beef Jerky 
Pre-freeze meat to be made into jerky so it will be easier to slice. 
Cut partially thawed meat into long slices no more than � inch thick. For tender jerky, cut at right angles to long muscles (across the grain). Remove as much visible fat as possible to help prevent off-flavors. 
Prepare 2 to 3 cups of marinade of your choice in a large sauce pan. 
Bring the marinade to a full rolling boil over medium heat. Add a few meat strips, making sure they are covered by the marinade. Reheat to full boil. 
Remove pan from range. Using tongs, remove strips from hot marinade (work quickly to prevent overcooking) and place in single non-overlapping layers on drying racks. (Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all the meat has been pre-cooked.) Add more marinade if needed. 
Dry at 140 to 150 �F in dehydrator, oven, or smoker. Test for doneness by letting a piece cool. When cool, it should crack but not break when bent. There should not be any moist or underdone spots. 
Refrigerate the jerky overnight in plastic freezer bags, then check again for doneness. If necessary, dry further. 
Caution

Soaking the strips in marinade before precooking is not advised as the marinade could become a source of bacteria. Putting unmarinated strips directly into the boiling marinade minimizes a cooked flavor and maintains the safety of the marinade.

Source: Oregon State University

Hot Pickle Cure Jerky 
Yield: 5 pounds of fresh meat should weigh approximately 2 pounds after drying or smoking.

Slice 5 lb. of meat (� inch thick strips) with the grain. Use lean meat free of fat and connective tissue. 
Spread out meat and sprinkle on 3 Tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. ground black pepper, and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Put the meat in a pan or dish and let stand for 24 hours in the refrigerator. 
Pound the meat on both sides to work in the spice. Optional: Dip strips of meat in a liquid smoke solution (5 parts water to 1 part liquid smoke) for one to two seconds for added flavor. 
Make a brine by dissolving � cup salt, � cup sugar, and 2 Tbsp. ground black pepper in a gallon of water. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. 
Bring the brine to a low to medium boil. Immerse the fresh meat strips (a few at a time) into the boiling brine until they turn gray (one to two minutes). Remove meat from the bine, using clean tongs or other utensils that have not contacted raw meat. 
Spread out meat on a clean dehydrator rack or on a clean rack in the top half of a kitchen oven. If you use a kitchen oven, open the oven door to the first or second stop. Heat at 120 to 150 �F (lowest oven temperature) for 9 to 24 hours or until the desired dryness is reached. 
Remove jerky from oven before it becomes too hard or brittle. Properly dried jerky should crack when bent in half but should not break into two pieces. 
Store jerky in clean jars or plastic bags, or wrap it in freezer paper and freeze. If kept dry, properly prepared jerky will last almost indefinitely at any temperature, but its quality deteriorates after a few months. 
Source: University of Wyoming

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FN-580, December 1999

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

County Commissions, North Dakota State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Duane Hauck, Director, Fargo, North Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability, age, veteran's status or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity institution. This publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities upon request, 701 231-7881.


----------



## Trapper62 (Mar 3, 2003)

Dick good info.

The main things in there that I feel are good are the cleanliness of your work area and proper care of game in the field, that is crucial.

When growing up we preserved most of our meat as we didn't have access to large freezers to store quantities of meat. Some of the meat was jerky but only made in small quantities as wanted. We butchered hogs and beef along with wild game of course.

I still use some of the methods today because I like the flavor or the product. My grandparents and parents and now myself and my family make (sp) spikachet, or at least that is the Norske name for it. Basically it is a salt or sugar cured meat. The cure is rubbed into the meat every other day for a period of about 7 days until the majority of the moisture is removed. It is than wrapped in cloth and hung in a cool place (but it cannot freeze) to age for approximately 2.5-3 months. When done you can slice it and eat it as is or you can use it in a variety of recipies, no cooking required and the shelf life is amazing.

Pulsa was another product that used ground meat that was seasoned, than put in a press for about 48 hours to remove the moisture, it was than wrapped and hung in a window in direct sunlight to cure for about a month. Again it could be sliced and eaten or used for other meals.

Guess what I am getting at is none of these were ever cooked and we have never gotten sick from it, BUT cleanliness was always a priority as was taking proper care of the meat.


----------



## alexandrov (Dec 14, 2007)

So it seems like if you are careful with everything there is little chance of getting sick from bacteria during such processes

However arent there some parasite (like hookworm) species that can form cysts in the meat of a dead animal that can last for long periods under even the toughest conditions?

My dad once knew a hunter who would freeze his venison (I dont know at what temperature and for how long) and then eat it straight raw. Needless to say he started to complain about muscle aches and such, and got some kind of nematode parasite

It was not pretty because it had crawled through the walls of his intestines and formed cysts in his muscles. I dont know what happened to himl, but probably he took some antiparasitic drugs and was alright.

The point is I dont want to go through the same thing, I sure due love jerky and raw meats but I want to make sure I am doing things right.


----------

