Pink salt for jerky?

[sidpost]

Ok, I’ll admit it, I’ve been watching YouTube videos of various Jerky making methods.

A lot of people are just throwing their Jerky in the dehydrator and letting it go. I’m not a super Germa-phobe but, I also don’t want to risk illness. Dehydration is good for preservation but, how “dry is dry” and how warm did it get?

Assuming your Jerky doesn’t start in the oven, will pink salt make it shelf-stable for a long period of time? Or put another way, I don’t want to eat all my Jerky in a week or store it in the refrigerator. My marinades include a good amount of salt but, how much salt do I really have and how much do I really need?

My thought process is that the salt included in Soy Sauce and most commercial BBQ Sauces is probably a good start and fine for Jerky consumed quickly and not exposed to heat in a lunchbox at work or in a bag left in the center console of the car or forgotten in a backpack tossed behind the seat or in the trunk for a few days (like a 3-day weekend or after work on Friday).

I know I should be fine with just salt but, I also don’t want to over salt (table salt) my Jerky. A little Pink Salt mixed into a marinade should really extend the safe shelf life of Jerky. Am I on the right track or, is this novice Jerky maker lost in the YouTube weeds?

[glen]

I use Tender Quick or pink #1 mostly because I like the flavor of the cure but it also is a “fail safe” against very unlikely botulism
A lot depends on your dehydrator, Does it have a heat source, does it have a fan, temperature control?
Just a word: never use Pink cure # 2 on jerky, it is used for long term meat drying

[sidpost]

I have the Weston 6-Tray Digital Food Dehydrator.

Tender Quick is hard to find where I live. And yes, I have Pink Salt #1 and #2 both for different reasons. I have high blood pressure so, I try to limit salt and nitrates to reasonable levels. Like red meat, I’d rather live a shorter high-quality life than one deprived of the things I like. On the flip side, I am eating more vegetables and grains these days but, a buttered (real butter!) biscuit has become almost as attractive as a good piece of Jerky or a 'Slim Jim"!

[glen]

Your Weston should get up to temp in a hurry.
At 140F internal temp meat is pasteurized in 12 minutes and you still get more of a dehydrated and not a cooked flavor
You can store low salt jerky with a vacuum packer, just make small packs for quicker consumption
Didn’t mean to be condescending in any way, I just wasn’t aware of your experience level

[sidpost]

glen said in Pink salt for jerky?:

Your Weston should get up to temp in a hurry.
At 140F internal temp meat is pasteurized in 12 minutes and you still get more of a dehydrated and not a cooked flavor
You can store low salt jerky with a vacuum packer, just make small packs for quicker consumption
Didn’t mean to be condescending in any way, I just wasn’t aware of your experience level

No worries Glen! I appreciate your assistance as I’m new to Jerky making. At about $1 per ounce, I’m ready to try my own at this point in time. Plus, I’m a bit tired of the regular cuts of meat and want to try something a bit different for a while.

I’m up to my eyeballs in feral hogs and have a lot of beef in the freezer so, I’m looking at getting a grinder to make sausages I can’t get locally along with making some Jerky. A cold smoker is next as my stick burning offsets need to get some relief from constant use (them or the WSM’s). I’m looking to hang some hams and fish plus smoke some cheese. I might also try some cold smoke on some Jerky too.

[Jonathon]

sidpost A little bit of good information here https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/2150/jerky-202-smoked-vs-dehydrated-jerky on difference between using a smoker or a dehydrator.