Jerky made from beef has been popular as a snack for what seems like decades, and rightfully so. This is due to the fact that beef jerky is created by dehydrating individual pieces of beef until there is almost no moisture left, which provides it the capacity to maintain its quality even when it is not stored in the refrigerator.

So is it normal when beef jerky is still moist? No, it isn’t normal for beef jerky to be still moist. The whole point of making jerky is to get as much moisture as possible out of the meat. Therefore, moisty jerky is simply jerky that hasn’t been prepared appropriately.

But this isn’t the whole truth by any means; there are many different kinds of jerky, and some of them contain more moisture than others—so much more moisture, in fact, that some people wouldn’t think twice about calling that kind of jerky wet. How precisely does it work with the moisture and the jerky then? Let’s take a more in-depth look, shall we?

Is beef jerky supposed to be moist?

The simplest response to this question would be “no,” since jerky is a sort of dried meat, and dried meat typically does not contain any moisture. Having said that, it is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of the amount of moisture that could be present in beef jerky.

When we speak about jerky that you make at home, the amount of moisture you put in it is solely up to your own preference, but in the United States, products may only be labeled as jerky if they have a moisture-to-protein ratio of 0.75 to 1.

Why does jerky need to be completely dry?

Be aware, however, that if you leave an excessive amount of moisture in your jerky, it will lose its natural ability to avoid becoming rancid in a short amount of time. Since this quality is directly attributable to the absence of moisture, it follows that jerky must be absolutely devoid of any trace of moisture before it can maintain its quality over an extended period of time.

Yet, since we now have a variety of choices for storing our food and because many seek jerky only for its flavor and the nutritional benefits it provides, drying it entirely is not truly a must.

How do you get the moisture out of beef jerky?

The dehydration technique that is used to “cook” beef jerky causes the meat to lose its moisture throughout the process, thus it is not a difficult operation to remove the moisture from the beef jerky.

Can Beef Jerky Be Undercooked?

How long should I dehydrate beef jerky?

Hence, the longer you let your jerky dry out in the dehydrator, the less moisture it will have in the end product. Because of this, the length of time that you should spend dehydrating your beef jerky is heavily dependent on the level of juiciness that you want to achieve with the finished product.

In a nutshell, it is difficult to determine an exact timestamp due to the fact that it might range anywhere from four to twenty hours, or even more in certain instances, depending on the circumstances. Yet, there is no need for you to be concerned since we have a fun little prank for you!

Check the doneness of your jerky on a frequent basis not by calculating the time in a haphazard manner but by breaking off a little piece of it and bending it slightly. It will give you an idea of how much moisture is still there in it, and you will be able to halt the drying process at the precise moment when the jerky is the most appetizing to you.

What should you do, though, if you’ve never made jerky before and have no idea how much moisture you should be looking for? If there is any moisture that can be physically squeezed out of the bent jerky, then it hasn’t been done yet. This is a general rule that may be applied to the situation.

On the other hand, if it is broken, it indicates that it has most likely been neglected for too long. If you dehydrate your jerky for an excessive amount of time, it will lose some of its sweetness (at least according to the large majority of people who like jerky), but you may still consume it. This does not mean that the jerky has been damaged in any specific way.

What temperature should beef jerky be dehydrated at?

As is the case with the amount of time, determining the temperature at which beef jerky should be dehydrated is a challenging process. This is due to the fact that everyone has their own method for preparing beef jerky according to how they prefer it.

Having said that, there is still a temperature range that you need to stay inside, and that is between between 145 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is cure necessary for jerky?

Since we have to cure our meat in order to keep it from going bad, curing it has become a habit for us. But is it required with jerky when the jerky itself ought to be able to keep for a considerable amount of time? You’ve probably already figured this out, but jerky doesn’t need the cure at all!

Despite this, it is often cured, which not only helps it to keep for an even longer period of time but also imparts the characteristic salty taste that a lot of people want for in their jerky.

Summary

Since beef jerky is a sort of processed meat that is created by dehydrating lean beef, it is not supposed to have any moisture in it. On the other hand, some individuals like a chewier texture in their jerky, which means they halt the dehydration process at an early stage. In this approach, a greater proportion of the meat’s moisture is preserved.

You may absolutely do that as well, but you should be aware that damp jerky is far more prone to becoming rancid than dry jerky is. The dry kind is the safer option. Because of this, you need to give some thought to putting it in the refrigerator.

In light of the aforementioned, you need not worry about re-drying the jerky even if the production of wet jerky was not among your goals; just place it back into the dehydrator.