Questions about making a dehydrator

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So i have been thinking to get me a dehydrator for making my own jerky. Since its very hard to find jerky in the shops and also very hard to find a dehydrator to buy in europe. And the 1nce you can buy start at €300 (376$) So i was wondering if any1 has attempted to make 1 of these and how they did it?I am kind of a newb when it comes to drying meats so i dont know what is important in 1 of these machines.All feedback is welcome! and even plans would be awesome  .
Reply:the easiest way is to use your kitchen oven on its lowest setting and dry the meat till its hard  or how you like it..Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:I made one years and years ago for Scouts. It was made of plywood and used an incandecent bulb as the heat source. In theory it could dry meat for jerky, but we used it to dry apples ( because we had about a dozen apple trees).While not the exact same design, this one is similar to what we built.http://www.artifex.org/~meiercl/dehy...ator_plans.pdfToday in the US, I'd go to a company like Cabelas and simply buy one.http://www.cabelas.com/dehydrators.shtml.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Yes its a nice example but i think meat has to be dried at 70°c or around that to kill the bacteria and stuff in it. so i think those light bubls wont be enough. thx for the feedback tho, it is giving me design id's
Reply:Actually you don't want the jerky that hot.  If you get the temps hot enough to render the fat, then the jerky won't keep as long.  I usually try to keep the temps down around 100F (roughly 37C)I've made temporary dehydrators from a cardboard box and a space heater.  Just blow warm air across your meat.  You want the air temp high enough to make the relative humidity low, and you want enough air flowing out of the box to remove humidity that evaporates from the meat.It's the salt content and lack of water content that keeps the bacteria from growing (assuming you don't add sodium nitrite/nitrate or other preservatives).Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:AndyA is on it.I have dried jerky in the oven/cooker with the oven set on its lowest temp (130) and a spoon stuck in the door for air circulation, to sun drying it on racks on a few of our 130F wind chill days, to vacuum bagging it and using the composite oven at the helicopter shop (speed jerky, was done in 1 1/2 hours).I just caught a re-run of this episode of "Good Eats" the other evening.  He uses a set up of furnace filters and a window fan for a dehydrator.  Watch the video.  The brine recipe is good as well.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.htmlHowever you make the jerky, store it in the fridge in a paper bag and it will last at least the week it usually takes me to gnaw my way through a brisket worth (about 6 pound will yield about a pound of good dry jerky) .  It will spoil in a plastic bag,DAMHIKT .RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:Originally Posted by AndyAActually you don't want the jerky that hot.  If you get the temps hot enough to render the fat, then the jerky won't keep as long.  I usually try to keep the temps down around 100F (roughly 37C)I've made temporary dehydrators from a cardboard box and a space heater.  Just blow warm air across your meat.  You want the air temp high enough to make the relative humidity low, and you want enough air flowing out of the box to remove humidity that evaporates from the meat.It's the salt content and lack of water content that keeps the bacteria from growing (assuming you don't add sodium nitrite/nitrate or other preservatives).
Reply:Even if you trim the fat and have a very lean piece, there will still be some amount of fat in the meat.  If it's rendering (sweating little beads of liquid fat) that's a good indicator you have it too hot.I've made dry cured beef sausage with a relatively large percentage of fat and it doesn't get rancid in a reasonable amount of time.  It usually only lasts a month or two before it all gets eaten.  This is a fermented sausage with a special bacteria culture added when you mix the meat before stuffing.  The 'good' bacteria along with salt and sodium nitrate/nitrite help with the preservation.  I also spray a mold culture on the outside.  This helps avoid a hard outside crust and helps prevent wild molds from growing.I've also made dry cured pork loin and beef sirloin.  The pork had a fair amount of fat that also cured properly.  I managed to age it three months before cut into it.  It quickly disappeared after that first taste.  Only salt and sodium nitrate/nitrite are used on these.http://forum.sausagemaking.org/ has some good recipes and techniques for anyone interested. Attached ImagesDynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:Here's a simple dehydrator:http://www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/dehydrator.html"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Oldendum, that one looks like it'll work fine, and probably be about as cheap as you can get.Now I'm getting hungry for jerky.  I'm going to have to dig out the dehydrator and start a batchDynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:now this is just mean. I'm going to have to drive a hour to get my favorite Jerky, or build a dehydrator.... wonder if the wife would let me build one? So many projects, so little time.Now I'm freakin hungry and can't do anything about it. Thanks.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:AndyA, looks tasty. My forging instructor makes his own dry cured pork sausage, probably similar to what you do. As I understand it it's the same principal as they use to do prosciutto hams. I need to get him to give me some when he does his next batch and it's finished..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcnCuX2Qc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcnCuX2Qc[/ame]Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammernow this is just mean. I'm going to have to drive a hour to get my favorite Jerky, or build a dehydrator.... wonder if the wife would let me build one?
Reply:Originally Posted by Rog02Dehydrators work for fruits too.  I love dehydrated pineapple slices as a snack and other things like dried berries go great in baked goods.  The problem with dried fruit and berries is it costs a fortune at the store but she will be able to dry her own using fresh fruits in season from the farmers market and keep it un-refrigerated in glass jars until needed.
Reply:Originally Posted by Rog02I just caught a re-run of this episode of "Good Eats" the other evening.  He uses a set up of furnace filters and a window fan for a dehydrator.  Watch the video.  The brine recipe is good as well.
Reply:The last one I built I used an old round topped refrigerator.  I used some very light gauge 1x1 angle for shelf supports and built the shelves themselves out of stainless hail screen (1/4 x 1/4 mesh) on a 1/4 inch round stock frame bent into a simple square.A good quality ladies hair dryer in the bottom with a screened over vent in the top.Keep the temps even, most recommend 140 - 160 (f) for beef with plenty of airflow.When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.
Reply:I have made many many pounds of vension jerky. Alot of it has been done in a BigChief smoker (yes, smoked jerky rocks). These smokers actually run pretty hot, around 150F. I brine my meat in a mixture of salt, water or pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy and whatever spices you like. Never any nitrates. They are not poison but it is a preservative and not needed if you store the jerky properly.The salt, smoke and dehydration are enough to cure your product for quite some time. It can live in a cold fridge for a couple weeks, but the rest i will vacuum seal and freeze. It will keep well over a year that way. The key to building a dehydrator is to have just enought heat and good internal circulation and enough venting to the outside to evacuate the moisture. I prefer to smoke a couple hours and firm it up a little with the heat, then finish in a dehydrator at a much lower temp. It might take a day or two dependng how thick. This process allows the  thinner pieces to kind of absorb moisture from the thick ones and they finish more evenly than say an oven would allow.As far as how to build one......just keep heat control, circulation and ventilation in mind and you got it. Hope this helps.      Oz