I take my jerky out of my overnight brine, let it drain in a colander. I than put the drained raw jerky and lay it on a mat of paper towels, than cover with a mat of paper towels. I than take a rolling pin and go over it a couple of times. What this does , squeezes out the liquid and flattens out the meat. Than into the dehydrator. When its done let it cool to room temperature before I vacuum it and put it in the freezer. NEVER had a problem.

I use cure when I make ground meat jerky, as in turkey, it’s only 1/4 teaspoon per pound. Better to be safe.

Could be you need to put a new edge on it.I have a Delta belt grinder with a very fine belt . Takes less than a minute and you’re good to go. After that I take a few swipes with a Japanese water stone.

I don’t like to throw any knife away unless it’s gust a bad temper on the steel, then it’s useless. I have an old boneing knife that was my mother’s, the kind that will get a bit of rust if you clean an wipe with oil. Still as good an edge as any I’ve got.