Jerky Heaven: Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator

Why would you want to make your own jerky when you can buy it at ANY convenience store, gas station or grocery store? When you make homemade jerky, you select the quality of meat, what kind of seasonings and flavorings AND NO NASTY PRESERVATIVES!

A single ounce of commercial jerky costs $1-2 an ounce. That’s $16-32 a pound! What’s the cost of homemade? A pound of fresh, lean meat costs $2-3, a cup of teriyaki sauce (50 cents) and a few pennies of electricity will give you 6-8 ounces of fresh, homemade jerky.

Jerky is a convenient source of protein that you can take anywhere. I really didn’t know how easy the process of making jerky was, especially with an electric dehydrator like the Nesco FD-75PR.

To make my jerky, I start with organically grown beef. I buy a ½ a cow at a time from a local farmer. You need very lean cuts, evenly and thinly sliced, and marinated overnight. Even though the Nesco FD-75PR comes with seasoning packets, I found a GREAT store bought alternative: Kikkoman Roasted Garlic Teriyaki Marinade and Soy sauce. You can find this in just about any grocery store, or in Wal-Mart.

Every time I make this roasted garlic teriyaki jerky, the whole house smells wonderful! Be prepared for salivating dogs (and humans) that are unwilling to leave the kitchen. This fresh, warm jerky blows store bought stuff out of the kitchen!

Our first attempt at making jerky was a success! 3 pounds of organic, marinated beef took ONLY ABOUT FOUR HOURS! It was fantastic, and the family was hooked!

Using the Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator:

• 700-Watt 5 tray food dehydrator dries in hours instead of days
• Top-mounted fan; adjustable thermostat from 95-to-160 degrees F
• Flavors don't mix; no need to rotate trays; opaque exterior blocks harmful lights
• Includes recipe book, 2 solid sheets, 2 mesh sheets, and 3 jerky spice packets
• Measures approximately 13 by 13 by 10-inch

Pros:

• Fan not in the bottom of unit like some dehydrators. This allows for more uniform drying.
• Temperature control
• Availability of accessories
• Do not have to rotate trays (I still do anyway)
• Uses very little electricity. This was taken from an Amazon review: The Nesco FD-75PR is a 700 Watt unit but remember that appliances controlled by thermostat don't run at peak power the whole time. I tested mine for 4 hours at 160 degrees and it used 1.68 kWh or an average consumption of 420 Watts per hour. Current cost of power where I live is around 10 cents per kWh so this unit costs me a little over 4 cents per hour. If I run it 10 hours a week, I'm looking at around $1.82 per month. I saved more than that making my first 1 lb of jerky!
• Stackable trays customize the size of your dehydrator

Cons:

• No timer.
• No on/off switch! You have to unplug the unit to turn it off. (Really? Have you ever seen an appliance without an on/off switch?)
• The Trays are not dishwasher safe. You can wash them in the dishwasher, but you must set on NO-HEAT dry or you will warp the trays.
• Quite large for a kitchen counter (large appliance, you will need to store it elsewhere)

Rotation of the trays is not required, but I discovered that the top trays get a little drier than the bottom trays. I sometimes rotate the top trays down to ensure even drying. If you do over dry it, put the jerky in a gallon zip lock bag along with a piece or two of bread and store in the fridge.

Conclusion

This is one kitchen appliance that DOES NOT collect dust on a shelf. Sunday is homemade jerky day. Start it at 10 am, turn on football, and by halftime you have fresh, homemade out of this world jerky!

Jerky, beer and football…..only in America!

Best price on the Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator.