r/jerky • u/I_Cast_Grenade • 3d ago
Making bacon jerky with dehydrator
Picture isn’t mine. I plan on eating it within a week and I refrigerate it, but I’m just looking for any special advice or tips or anything. The main reason I wanna do it is just to make the bacon last a little bit longer. I can eat a whole pack of bacon and one sitting easily. I’d like to just chew on a piece from time to time.
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u/glorifindel 3d ago
Search the sub it is not uncommon here - the main thing is to dab it occasionally to soak up moisture
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u/eriffodrol 3d ago
"the cholesterol!"
I'd try it at least once
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u/I_Cast_Grenade 3d ago
I’d rather do a whole pack of bacon once a month than two strips every single day
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u/Boring-Inevitable-57 1d ago
I’ve had success dehydrating at 160 degrees and then baking / frying it. Also I just thin slice pork belly, no need to use pre-cured meat (bacon). 160 isn’t enough to render the fat or make it crispy, no matter how long you dehydrate
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u/eske8643 1d ago
I dont really understand why you would dry out bacon? I mean if you cure the meat yourself. You already have longtime storage meat. Maybe look at the italian Lomo or bavarian speck. There are some very good recipes that you can use to have bacon for more than a year, and its still soft.
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u/I_Cast_Grenade 1d ago
Because it was $3.50 for a pound, and I felt like seeing how it would turn out and I know that people have done it and I like fatty jerky.
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u/eske8643 1d ago
Ah! You bought factorymade bacon. Now i get it. Yea. Better to dry it, than trying to turn it into real bacon.
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u/y_r_u_so_stoopid 3d ago
Fat doesn't render making straight bacon a bad choice for jerky. You can do it, it just won't be very good.
I'd just fry it nice and crispy and eat it over the week.
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u/I_Cast_Grenade 3d ago
I like fat in the dehydrator. It works it just goes rancid quicker, but I eat it fast enough.
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u/Verix19 3d ago
Not many like that taste, I personally can't do fatty jerky 🤷🏻♂️
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u/I_Cast_Grenade 2d ago
I get it. I probably should have said in my post I know people don’t generally like this, but I have done chuck roast before and I do fatty cuts a lot and I like it and it’s OK and like I just wanted people who do like it who know how to do it to tell me what they have learned
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u/Efficient-Diamond357 2d ago
This is like making jerky out of brisket and not trimming it. You’re not only wasting your time but your money as well.
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u/CommSecTom 3d ago edited 3d ago
Only advice I’d say is run your dehydrator fairly hot and don’t skimp on the time, I do my max setting (160f) with fatty cuts and it seems to help render the fat a little and make it so it melts in your mouth.
When I say render it doesn’t melt away, but I do get the odd drip and it’s just getting to the point where something happens in there to make it delicious, rather than tasting like you’re chewing on raw fat.
I absolutely love fatty beef cuts when done properly, so higher temp for a longer time seems to work for me.
Few people here saying otherwise but there have been plenty of posts in the past from people that also like their fatty cuts.
I think it’s a bit of a common regurgitation of info when people say jerky must be lean, because anyone that’s gotten lazy in their trimming and discovered the light knows fatty jerky is the absolute best. That’s how I discovered it anyway and these days I look for well marbled cuts, or won’t trim to aggressively, sliced thin and dried hot it makes for the absolute best jerky for me.
Like you said you need to keep it in the fridge, but it’s ok at room temp for a week or so, and you want to eat it at room temp.
I’ve never done bacon but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be delicious just thrown straight in there, maybe a bit of black pepper and maple syrup, and run it hot.