Best Dehydrator for Meat?

[packyderms_wife]

So I'm looking for a dehydrator. We have one of those round ones but it doesn't have a thermostat and the mice have made a nest in the inside components that I cannot get to clean/sterilize.

So I'm googling and I see that there are all sorts of choices from the LEM for $189 at Sportsman's, and I could run down there today to buy it, to the Excalibur 9-Tray Food Dehydrator which is rated best for meat.

I want to know, for those of you making jerky and dehydrating meat, which dehydrator are you using? I really like the price tag of the LEM over the Excalibur.

 

[philkar]

We have an Excalibur. Having had a couple of dehydrators in my adult life I think excalibur is the best that I personally know about. Has a thermostat control and has a 24 hr timer. I dehydrate everything in it from tomatoes to jerky. Makes great fruit leathers and dehydrates fruit ie apples peaches and pears beautifully. I have even dehydrated okra in it. Hope that helps!

 

[Thunderbird]

We have an Excalibur. Works flawlessly.

 

[Meemur]

I had an Excalibur in Ohio: excellent unit! I sold it before I moved to my neighbor who camped more than I did.

I would buy it again.

Truth to tell: I don't dehydrate anymore, except for drying herbs, which I hang in the kitchen. I have gone to vac sealing and
freezing, but that's just me. If I camped more, I'd go back to doing more dehydrating.

 

[Martinhouse]

I am the only person I know who bought an Excalibur and then returned it because I didn't like it. I was dehydrating mostly green leafy things and when I would open the door of the unit to check the drying progress, lots of the dried leaves would blow right orff of the trays and all over the floor.

The only place I had to put the unit was where it was difficult to unplug it each time I needed to open the door. The people at Excalibur were very nice and refunded my money with no questions asked, although I did tell them that had the machine had an On and Off switch on the front of it, I would not have wanted to return it.

I have no interest in making either Jerky or fruit leathers, and I've never had a bit of trouble with my round Nesco American Harvest dehydrators. In fact, I have one quite old one that showed signs of overheating, so I took the heating unit out of it and use it with fan only to dehydrate my Colby cheese. It takes about twice as long as the process took in my full-size frost-free refrigerator, but that fridge died last September and I still don't know when I'll be able to replace it.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I had an Excalibur in Ohio: excellent unit! I sold it before I moved to my neighbor who camped more than I did.

I would buy it again.

Truth to tell: I don't dehydrate anymore, except for drying herbs, which I hang in the kitchen. I have gone to vac sealing and
freezing, but that's just me. If I camped more, I'd go back to doing more dehydrating.

I want to make jerky, etc., that I can have as snacks on the go for my car and for the Ranger. Most of the commercial stuff contains stuff I'm allergic to, like lemon juice. By the time I'm done sourcing organic, whole foods type stuff that's allergen free and low sodium I could have bought a dehydrator and made my own.

 

[hiwall]

I would suggest one that gets up to at least 165 degrees.

 

[Meemur]

Night driver had a great recipe for jerky that started with london broil. Have the butcher slice it thin. I'll do a search for it in a minute. It might be 7-10 years old and not easily recoverable.

 

[nehimama]

My philosophy is to buy the best you can afford. In my book, it's the Excalibur, hands down.

 

[Meemur]

I'm not finding it. I think this was similar:

Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe - Food.com

This is excellent beef jerky and worth the wait! Less expensive than store bought and tastes better. Double the recipe next time and experiment with d

www.food.com

You can send him a PM.

 

[summerthyme]

The Excalibur is the only one I haven't managed to burn out making meat dog treats. I haven't ever tried the LEM brand.

Summerthyme

 

[WiWatcher]

Whatever model you buy make sure it is a square or rectangular one. Those round ones are not any good for making jerky. I have a very old rebuilt several times no name (completely out of date) and an early version of one of these https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-12-tray-pro-series-dehydrator.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Night driver had a great recipe for jerky that started with london broil. Have the butcher slice it thin. I'll do a search for it in a minute. It might be 7-10 years old and not easily recoverable.

I have a heavy duty meat slicer, two of them actually, so that's not a problem.

 

[Jeep]

9 tray Excalibur is what we have and we dehydrate veggies, fruit, spices, including jerky in ours. Never had a problem and it works great.

 

[Seeker22]

Excalibur hands down. I have used mine since 2015 like a rented mule. This thing never complained.
If you get an Excalibur, get the book that goes with it. The recipes and drying times will come in handy no matter which dehydrator you choose. All of us who dehydrate need a copy of this. May find cheaper on Ebay.

Amazon.com : preserve it naturally the complete guide to food dehydration

I have used the Nescos too and love them. Found a Nesco at the Thrift for $10. Used for a year and the head died. DH got in touch with Nesco, they mailed us a brand new head. I think it was $40 and that included shipping and they didn't drag their heels about getting it here, either. I was very impressed, and was using it that afternoon.

 

[thompson]

Excalibur, no question.

 

[Sandcastle76]

I use a Nesco that has a temperature range that gets to 165 degrees and has specific instructions for making jerky.. you just have to rotate lower trays up after the stipulated time.. if memory serves me right, it is 4-6 hours to ensure proper temp and consistent drying times. Bought it at goodwill, new in the box for approx 10 dollars.. it get used a lot, especially for diced bell peppers and onions and for jerky during hunting season

 

[summerthyme]

I used ?American Harvest?- can't remember (Round, supposedly could handle up to thirty trays) dehydrator for years. I found 4 of them on clearance at Walmart once, for $10 for a set with 4 trays. I bought all four for the trays: they were selling g for $15 each at the time!)

But while they worked decently for vegetables, I burned three of them out making dog liver treats- it took up to 36 hours to completely dry, and they just weren't up to the task. I gave the last working unit with all 16 trays to my son, and bought an Excalibur. It's currently working on the 25#vof chicken hearts and livers from our last butchering day for the year. I only bought the 5 tray model, and it's very sufficient for us at this stage of life. But when the kids were home, the 9 tray would have been handy.

Summerthyme

 

[Meemur]

I had the American Harvest Snackmaster. It was just fine for fruit slices, berries, and herbs but not jerky. I had a chance to sell it and buy an Excalibur, which could do a lot more.

I still dry herbs in my car on a window screen once or twice in August if we get the hot but less humid days. Otherwise, I hang bunches of herbs in my south-facing window. That's about the extent of my drying these days.

Jerky is hard for my system to digest, so it's off the menu, except as a once or twice a summer treat.

 

[Ractivist]

Build one.

I butcher deer and make hundreds of pounds of jerky in a season. It's a matter of moving air with a slight temp....inlet and outlet. Very simple concept.

Find a stand up freezer that no longer works...or check the local Menards type of box stores for the defective variety. Brand new shell. Nice thing...just strip it of it's guts, or leave them in place, as I do. I build a small $25 window in on the front.

Drill a two inch whole low on each side. Drill a four inch hole in the top. Use something to block and control the outlet. (I have played with fans on the top, and just a license plate to adjust the outlet size. It takes some learnin... adjusting the flu, and the temps, moving the racks, etc...there are hot spots and cold spots...no biggee.)

Add a bottom plate of some sort, to set a hot plate on. I have used a few differnt things over the years. I really like this cheasy three pot crock pot. It had three seperate switches, so I could vary the heat considerably. Given it's in my shed with outside temps often below zero, the ability to adjust is good. This type of heating element should be under forty dollars. I bought two new shells at menards for fifty a pop over the years. I've built two, but can only feed one....lots of prep work per batch, one's enough, given all the other cooking going on.

I smoke my jerky on racks that are eighteen inch wide with quarter inch squares which fit my smoker. I can move the racks immediately from smoker to the dehydrator. I use 3/16 piano wire to hold the racks. I drill two holes per side for each rack, about three to four inches apart vertically. Really simple design. Two piano wires per rack. Twelve racks. Though it is better to use nine or less to allow the air a bit more circulation.

It's a highly functional deyhdrator for so many things, and can be built in a day, with few tools, mainly a drill and a three sixteenth bit and a couple of hole saws. I believe I have under two hundred dollars with racks and all. It's a killer tool to have on hand. Meat, veggies......large quantities, quick turnover.

If one has the space to build it. I have no doubt ninety percent of the folks here could build one with ease, and great success. It would be a great food saver, in a pinch, the heat could be adapted and the air flow completely void of power. I like a fan inside moving the air, but it will work without, just takes longer and needs to be tended to a bit more.

 

[Meemur]

Build one.

I built one in the 1970s. It didn't regulate the temp very well, and I lost two batches of jerky.

I'm a better builder, now, but I don't do enough drying.

There are some great youtubes, now.

 

[philkar]

Build one.

Great idea!

 

[Millwright]

I picked this one up on clearance at Academy a few years ago. It has 12 trays, IIRC.

It will handle 20+ pounds of wet product. For jerky, I use eye of round, roast...if available.

My theory is, if I'm going to the trouble of making jerky...it will be worth cleaning all the equipment.

Do a big batch/

Cabela's has what looks like a newer version and Weston also has similar.

Weston Pro-1200 12-tray Digital Dehydrator (80L) - Bed Bath & Beyond - 18152461

Shop for Weston Pro-1200 12-tray Digital Dehydrator (80L). Free Shipping on Everything* at Bed Bath & Beyond - Your Online Kitchen & Dining Outlet Store! - 18152461

www.overstock.com

 

[Ractivist]

Weston has a good rep. Use their vac bagger.

 

[summerthyme]

Weston has a good rep. Use their vac bagger.

Ahhh... now that ought to be a subject for another thread! We just fought our way through vacuum packing 600# of chicken; are there ANY- short of the 30" wide commercial machines for slaughterhouses -that actually work? For longer than a few weeks- or a few abortive, profanity laced attempts?

I've had at least 2 "generic" machines- they hated powders and liquids! There wasn't much left. Plus, even dried banana chips poke holes in the bags. Mylar and O2 absorbers were much more effective and forgiving.

But! I've got lots of chicken! I tossed my Foodsaver (which I thought was going to be an upgrade similar to moving from an American Harvest dehydrator to an Excalibur. Bwahahaha! Hardly. While it worked some of the time, very well, it was sporadic and unpredictable... and then, about a week past the warranty, it died.

So, I've been eyeing some of the Cabelas brand stuff... DS has one. I don't *think* they'll end up divorced over trying yo pack 240# today, but it was close! :-) Nope- Cabelas isnt any better!

Summerthyme

 

[Millwright]

Ahhh... now that ought to be a subject for another thread! We just fought our way through vacuum packing 600# of chicken; are there ANY- short of the 30" wide commercial machines for slaughterhouses -that actually work? For longer than a few weeks- or a few abortive, profanity laced attempts?

I've had at least 2 "generic" machines- they hated powders and liquids! There wasn't much left. Plus, even dried banana chips poke holes in the bags. Mylar and O2 absorbers were much more effective and forgiving.

But! I've got lots of chicken! I tossed my Foodsaver (which I thought was going to be an upgrade similar to moving from an American Harvest dehydrator to an Excalibur. Bwahahaha! Hardly. While it worked some of the time, very well, it was sporadic and unpredictable... and then, about a week past the warranty, it died.

So, I've been eyeing some of the Cabelas brand stuff... DS has one. I don't *think* they'll end up divorced over trying yo pack 240# today, but it was close! :-) Nope- Cabelas isnt any better!

Summerthyme

I've been eyeballing a commercial, chamber type machine.

They use a refrigeration type vacuum pump, like a freeze dryer.

VacPak-It VMC10DPU Chamber Vacuum Packaging Machine with 10 1/4" Seal Bar and Dry Pump

Seal ingredients for storage or pre-cooked portions of food for later use with this VacPak-It VMC10DPU chamber vacuum packaging machine with a 10 1/4" seal bar. This powerful chamber vacuum packacing machine quickly seals each bag in 6 seconds or less and completly vacuums out the air in 25 to...

www.webstaurantstore.com

When you look at the price on commercial vac-bags compared to ribbed bags, the chamber machines get cheep...quickly.

Commercial Vacuum Sealer Bags

By sealing your food inside one of these vacuum packaging bags, you can prevent it from going bad for much longer than you could with traditional storage methods. Food is placed in one of these bags, and then a vacuum sealer machine sucks the air out

www.webstaurantstore.com

They also have parts available.

Looks like everything for a full rebuild.

Vacuum Packaging Machine Parts and Accessories

Vacuum packaging your unprepared foods makes them easily identifiable and stackable for storage in the refrigerator or freezer while also keeping air and contaminants out. We have the vacuum packaging machine parts and accessories you need to keep yo

www.webstaurantstore.com

 

[Ractivist]

I use the Weston Pro model, around $450. Purchase the four year extended warranty, cheap if you are going to use it a lot.
It does seem to tire out at about thirty packages, which was usually one batch of sticks etc....so it was fine. Picked up another one at the Bargain Bin for $175 (made my day to say the least). I used the two of them to do the eight pigs the other day, as the old one tired out, I went to the new one...it worked perfectly. It does not have a roll cutting feature, but I use a cheap one to cut and seal, and the good one to vac. I can run them simultaneously and get a lot done with little waiting time this way. As the Weston is vac n sealing, I am cutting and sealing empty bags.

They do burn up the heat strip, so buy a ten or twenty pack of them. It's a flat piece of metal with a hole on each end. Two screws and good to go. Relatively cheap if you shop around for the bulk packs. Get a roll of the teflon tape and one can keep it going a long long time.

Can't see the need to buy the expensive ones...plus, I am finding lots of vac bags at the Bargain Bin. That's been a real blessing, amongst others.