Some small things that should be noted guys.
Always put your finished cooked jerky into a single sealed vessel over night before packaging. What this does is let the jerky equalize moisture content. The reason for this is because thee is sometimes one piece gets less active water then other pieces, the dryer will pull moisture from the wetter and equalize the entire batch. This helps keep the active water in some moisture pieces from growing spore forming bacterium related to Clostridium Botulinum and Staphylococcus Aureus out growth. Cure also helps keep these spore forming bacterium at bay, it's a multiple hurtle effect and makes a better end product.
Next I saw something on one of the instructions that I don't agree with on a professional note. It said to start your cook at 145F and open the dampers.
THIS IS WRONG! It has been fully debunked and what caused all the Salmonella outbreaks which caused Industry to change procedures.
Salmonella is heat resistant to dry heat!The correction (which someone needs to tell that manufacture) is:
During the starting of the lethality treatment (the cooking) you first need to maintain at least 90 percent humidity and a lethality temperature, most companies use 160 degrees F to kill Salmonella. To do this you seal the chamber (close the dampers) and especially in very low humid areas add a tray of water to up the humidity to at least 90 percent. . Listeria Monocytogenes is not dry heat resistant, but cooking to Salmonella standards kills it. The professionals usually hold about 160 F at 90% humidity for about 5 minutes at the very start of the cook for regular thin jerky, additional time for larger thicker rope style. After the lethality open the dampers, remove the water vessel, and cook (dry) to your normal 145F to 165F parameters for the long drying step.
Remember there are 2 separate things you are tying to do when making jerky safe for everyone including kids and elderly. I don't know about you but I couldn't go through life knowing I lead some child to serious illness or worse, death.
1. Lethality. (Killing the bacterium)
2. Drying. (stabilization - Ensuring bacterium can't grow)
More information can be found at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...nce_Guideline_Jerky_2012.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
