Wanna know how a beef jerky dehydrator works? Drying meats has been done since man first laid a piece of meat down in the sun. This was probably just an accident; but when the hunter came back to get the piece of meat that he had laid down, he discovered that the heat from the sun had made the meat sort of hard, as some of the moisture had gone out of it.

Later on, probably by trying this process over several times, man learned that unlike fresh meat that would spoil over time, the longer the meat had stayed in the sun and the dryer it became, the meat lasted longer. On down the time line man realized, he could dry the meat out during the hot days, and store it for use in the cold of the winter months when hunting was scarce.

Beef Jerky Dehydrator Basic Steps

Over the past 100 years or so people have experimented with food drying, always searching for an easier way to do things, and in just the last 50 years food dehydrators were invented. Now you can dry out your own food to store for the hard winter months, or when money is hard to come by.

A food dehydrator is a kitchen appliance that is used for drying meats and other foods. It uses very warm air to evaporate the water content that is stored inside of the meat. The reason for this dehydration process is that it is one way to preserve foods for long periods of storage.

The air on the outside of the appliance is sucked into the bottom of the dehydrator and a small electric motor blows warm air from a heating coil, across the meat. As the air flows over the beef strips, the water that is stored inside the meat begins to slowly pull the water from the inside of the meat outwards, and the meat will begin to shrivel up as it dries out.

There are approximately 20 different types of food dehydrators on the market today. They vary in shelf sizes, and outward appearance. The more shelves that a dehydrator has the more meat you can get in the appliance; however, it is also more costly. A 10 tray dehydrator looks like a medium sized box. That is made with plastic. It comes in a 600 watt unit, and its measurements are 21.1 x 15.2 x 15.1”. However, you can purchase a 700 watt unit that is not quite as large, it only has 5 shelves, but you can expand it to 12 trays, which are sold separately.

These dehydrators have a fast even drying period and you will not have to rotate the trays unless you wish to do so. That is left up to each individual, some like the idea of rotating the trays for a certain periods of time, and others like the fact that you really do not have to rotate the trays at all.

Using the beef jerky dehydrator allows you to make your own nutritious protein snacks. You can also learn to use other types of meats as well; such as, chicken, turkey, and venison. You will enjoy learning to prepare your own snacks. Then eat them fresh while you watch TV at night.