I'm thinking about getting a dehydrator for jerky and also to dry out herbs and citrus for rubs and who knows what else I'll do with it. Can any of you give me a suggestion for a quality unit? I don't need anything big because I don't cook for large groups. I don't need much but I don't want to buy junk either.
I have a LOT of Cabela's points so I'm looking at their less expensive options.
It has 5 racks. I can get about 3.5 pounds of jerky on it. I usually make jerky in 5 or 6 pound batches so cant get it all on at once. I found that rotating the bottom tray to the top every hour or so helps it dry more evenly, plus you get to check doneness (taste it) when you rotate. I slice beef about 1/8 inch, lightly hammer it with the flat side of a tenderizer, then throw it in the juice. This one works well for me, but I don't use it often or for big batches of stuff.
When you want to experiment with fruit, thinly slice bananas and lightly sprinkly with cinnamon. Run it thru the dehydrator. Yummy snacks!
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I bought one about 20 years ago (American Harvest) from Walmart and it still works like a champ. Looks like they've gone up quite a bit since then, but I did find this one online - $63 off regular price!!!
LEM Products offers high-quality meat processing equipment, jerky and sausage making supplies, and food preparation tools. We focus on making deer and game processing easy.
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Here is the one I have. It works great. Cabelas brand. I wouldn't say its the toughest thing in the world but it cranked out some awesome jerky. The door is a little flimsy but other than that, i have no complaints! It was $99 back in June.
We have a Nesco dehydrator. So far we have no complaints. In 2013 we hiked the John Muir Trail and dehydrated most of our meals. never ate so good while out backpacking! Chili and spaghetti sauce were our mainstays, along with some black-eyed peas. It took most of the night to dehydrate those wet foods, but it was easy to just sleep through it. :-)
Last edited by gwschenk; October 3, 2016, 02:43 PM.
We have used an Excaliber dehydrator for 8 or 9 years with exceptional results, overall, compared to others we have tried. It is a great unit. What makes it great is having the fan and heating element located in the rear of the machine which blows horizontally over the food you are dehydrating. The front is vented to easily expel the moisture from the food. I can dehydrate 20 pounds of onions(for example) easily. Jerky is a quick overnight affair as well. The last batch of jerky I did was about 12-13 pounds, which only filled the unit halfway. An overnight dehydration set to a temp of 160, turned this meat into jerky which would almost shatter upon impact(I like it this way).
My BBQ rubs have benefitted directly by using home dehydrated garlic, onions, peppers,tomatoes and tomatillos, and citrus peels(which are then powdered). I just grab stuff from the garden, and go to it. This procedure also works well for abundant grocery produce as well. Mushroom powder (for those that like 'shrooms that is), is a true sleeper ingredient('nuff said).
We do not do jerky that often, but when we do, any meat will do, and the dehydrator helps very much to get what we like as far as texture, moisture content, etc. Plus, for those who like to have emergency food for a disaster scenario, a dehydrator can help a great deal.
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