I used to make deer and beef jerky in a nesco dehydrator that I had used for years. Last year my little brother borrowed it and cracked the top lid. He offered to replace it but I threw it away thinking that I would use my wsm instead. Well I’ve tried the wsm a few times now and the jerky turns out ok but not nearly as good as the dehydrator.
I rushed out last night and bought a $40 valley sportsman from rural king. I’ve used for 3 days now on two batches of jerky. It looks nice and is quiet but it absolutely sucks as a dehydrator compared to the nesco. It has 5 trays and is 250 watts and claims to operate between 104 degrees and 158 degrees. At 158 the top two trays are barely above room temperature. The bottom tray is the only one that might be 158. Also it kicked off a couple times for no apparent reason. It will be going back to the store.
Now the old nesco wasn’t even dehydrating either and trays need to be rotated but not nearly as large of temperature gap as this one.
I promptly ordered the nesco snack master from amazon and will test it Monday.
NESCO FD-75A, Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator, Gray
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0090WOCN0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_htMjCb12PK1S0Maybe I was doing it wrong but I think jerky out of a dehydrator has much better texture then out of the wsm or oven.
Also, if your jerky recipe calls for soy sauce, try using lachoy original if you haven’t already. Not sure why but it absolutely makes the jerky amazing as compared to all the other soy sauces I have tried. Just my opinion.
What machines are you guys using for jerky?
I consider the old nesco to be the best of the cheap dehydrators.
Here are some pictures of the offending valley sportsman. The jerky was actually great but took longer than normal and I couldn’t live with the temp disparity or the random turning off.
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