Smoker vs Dehydrator

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homer_

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I am in the market top buy either to make some jerkey. Nothing too fancy, just some venison and moose jerkey. Which is better and why?

I'm all ears...
 
I hate to do this to you, but I like to use both. I take the jerky out of the brine, and smoke it for a bit. Then move it to the dehydrator to finish it off.

The pros and cons of each IMHO:

Smoker: Adds flavor, Slower, easier to overheat and cook the jerky(depends on the smoker model)

Dehydrator: No smoke flavor, faster, easy to over dry.

When making the ground meat extruded type jerky I just use the dehydrator, the spice mix has all the flavor it needs. Whole muscle jerky is smoked and dehydrated. It really is a personal preference how to process it.
 
I have been making jerky for years with a dehydrator. Usually strips of london broil after it marinates.

I have also had success making strip jerky with the dehydrator from ground venison, bear, and pork. Plus a lot a seasonings. I found the store bought jerky recipes are too salty.

If someone has a good recipe for ground meat jerky, please share.
 
thanks for the input so far. I would likely only be making jerkey with steaks or roasts cut into stripes, not on the ground variety. I am not sure if this makes any difference.
 
made my first batch of jerky last week (beef) used inside round. i used my dehydrator found that it takes a while (6-8 hours) for it to get to the right texture, my brother in law made his batch in his oven and it was finished in about 1-1/2.
 
Muslim said:
made my first batch of jerky last week (beef) used inside round. i used my dehydrator found that it takes a while (6-8 hours) for it to get to the right texture, my brother in law made his batch in his oven and it was finished in about 1-1/2.
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I've made it in the oven many times, and it's always taken longer than 1.5 hours, how do you like his, is it real hard and dry ??
 
The difference between strips and ground is that with strips you use a marinate and with ground you add spices.

Try some of the cheaper cuts of meat. When sliced thin and marinated they are very tasty.
 
it's easier for me to maintain consistent, low temps in my smoker than in my oven. So, that's how I do my jerky and snacking sausages
 
i use a smoker and it takes about 2.5 hours. I usually make about 4lbs each time i load the smoker. I find the smoker is harder to get it to the rite consistancy(either over done or not done enough.). But at 3/16 to 1/4" thick i find in my smoker it comes out a bit softer, but like others have said, its personal preference. I prefer a smoker.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. Last weekend I received a dehydrator as a gift. I whipped up a batch of venison jerkey, and it turned out very good. For the time being I will stick with the dehydrator.
 
tbrwlf said:
I have been making jerky for years with a dehydrator. Usually strips of london broil after it marinates.

I have also had success making strip jerky with the dehydrator from ground venison, bear, and pork. Plus a lot a seasonings. I found the store bought jerky recipes are too salty.

If someone has a good recipe for ground meat jerky, please share.
Click to expand...

could you tell me more about your bear jerky ?
 
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