air dried jerky

[cattyman]

how do you go about air drying meat without using a heat source and how long does it take...cheers..mack

 

[Draven]

Well I've never heard of it being "air dried" per se, I think that would take too long. Traditionally speaking I believe it was dried in the sun on a hot, dry day, and I reckon it could be done in that day if the conditions are decent... hence why you need to cut it so thin! It's just a matter of slicing it as thin as you can, hanging it in the sun downwind from a smoky fire to keep the critters away and making a spoon or six while you're waiting... maybe I'm oversimplifying it?

Pete

 

[traderran]

Check out some of the Alaskan sites.

 

[Nagual]

how do you go about air drying meat without using a heat source and how long does it take...cheers..mack

That is really going to depend on the ambient air temperature, wind, thickness of meat etc. No real way to give an answer as such. Having never tried to dry meat without a heat source I can only guestimate. The Mears program where he dries off some jerky, he uses a fire - not as a heat source ( although it will help keep ambient temps up ) but as a fly deterrent. The biggest problem if you're doing it with out heat will be poilage or pests.

Can I ask why you don't want to / can't use a heat source?

 

[HillBill]

Build a tripod with a rack and wrap a tarp around it with a hole in the top. Light a small fire underneath using oak, apple or beech if possible. The smoke rises into the covered rack which dries and flavours the meat as well as keeps the insects and animals out as said above

 

[xylaria]

how do you go about air drying meat without using a heat source and how long does it take...cheers..mack

My cat eats raw meat, the little pest will sometimes walk off with a chunk and drop it somewhere, it takes about two days to dry out in a house with central heating. I wouldn't consider it edible in anyway.

Britain is a very damp country, north west america has regular periods where there is considerably less humidity than britain. Hence the traditional methods of drying meat and fish in britain are salting and smoke houses where as north america can use air drying.

 

[dwardo]

I tried "air dried" beef jerky last summer and it worked well.

We place a small fire, well more of a barely smoking fire under the frame and covered it with hazel bows and a tarp. We used oak and cherry to smoke the meat but as mentioned above the fire was only there to keep the bugs off and help smoke the meat.

We flavoured some of the meat in Chilli and garlic, the rest was just heavy salted. Its best to cut it as thin as you can as it will dry faster. In regards to how long, well you need a very dry day, light breeze and start it first thing in the morning and it will probably take all day - atleast..

bot the best pics but you will get the idea

Drying rack

 

[cattyman]

.

Can I ask why you don't want to / can't use a heat source?[/QUOTE]

it's not that i don't, i just wondered if i could in this country...mack

 

[dwardo]

That would be cooking meat not drying it