How to Make Bacon Jerky in a Dehydrator

Bacon jerky is one of the favorite appetizers that not only have the delicious taste but also comprises of beneficial nutritional value. You can cook bacon jerky easily in the dehydrator.

Children love eating the bacon jerky so much that they quickly empty the plate full of bacon jerky in only 5 minutes. But, we know that while searching for the recipes of delicious bacon jerky, you might come across the number of different recipes on the internet. So, which is the best way to cook bacon jerky in a dehydrator?

In the below article, we are going to tell some easy steps that you can apply while making bacon jerky in the dehydrator. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes for making the recipe of bacon jerky. The maximum time spent on the preparation of its marinade. Here, we will also share with you some useful tips and things that will make your cooking process more comfortable and quick.

So, are you ready to join us on this journey? Yes? Then, let’s begin!

Important Things to consider while making bacon jerky in the dehydrator

Overall, the preparation of the bacon jerky in the dehydrator is not cumbersome. But still, there are a few things that you have to do accurately, for example, the setting of the temperature. While dehydrating the bacon jerky in the dehydrator, you have to dry out the meat up to the extent that its internal oil and fluids get dried out completely. If the bacon jerky dried correctly then only you get the non-oily and chewable texture of the meat.

The food dehydrator that you pick for drying the bacon jerky must let you measure and control the internal temperature so that the meat would be dehydrated flawlessly. It’s essential that you know the right temperature range in which the meat needs to get dry so that you the desired outcome.

List of Ingredients required for making bacon jerky in a dehydrator:

As soon as you ready with your food dehydrator few ingredients are necessary for making bacon jerky, like:

• 2 lbs of lean meat of cut bacon
• Coarse black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Dry Rub
• Brown sugar
• 1 food Dehydrator
• Cooling tray
• Zipper bags
• Cookie sheets

Steps by steps instructions for making bacon jerky in a dehydrator:

The following are step by step instructions that will help you in making the bacon jerky in a food dehydrator precisely and in a correct way:

Step 1: Placing the tray over the Sheets

The first step is to place the tray of the food dehydrator over the cookie sheets so that the entire heat of the dryer machine can cover the bacon jerky. This step is part of the primary cooking process.

Step 2: Placing the Bacon Correctly

The next step is to cut the uniform strips of the bacon jerky and then place it on the tray with proper distance.  You should keep in mind that all the pieces should be equally distant from each other and if you don’t do this correctly, then this can affect the process of drying for sure.  The dried liquid might seep from another piece of meat if you keep them all too near.

Step 3: Smearing the Dry Rub

Put on the dry rub over the bacon jerky now. But, dissimilar to other kinds of meat, you should not apply extra dry rub and mixture on the bacon. As a substitute, you can do the sprinkling of the dry rub over the bacon smoothly for much better results. In this manner, you might get the best-needed flavor from your meat.

Step 4: Seasoning the Bacon jerky with Flavourings

Now, it’s time to apply the mixture of black pepper, garlic powder, as well as brown sugar. The mix of these three ingredients might bring an overpoweringly sweet flavor in the bacon jerky. You should apply the mixture on both sides of the meat.

Step 5: Refrigeration

After completing the step of seasoning application, put the tray in the fridge for about 1 hour. When the meat is cooling down, you can switch ON your food dehydrator and set it at a temperature of 190 degrees F for the perfect drying of the meat.

Step 6: Dehydrating Processes

As soon as you set the ideal temperature, take out the tray of bacon jerky from the fridge and place it inside the food dehydrator. Initially, the cooking procedure of jerkies requires more time. For example, the beef jerky needs 4 to 6 hours for drying in the dehydrator, but the bacon jerky needs only 2 to 3 hours just in the drying machine.

Step 7: Analysis of the Dryness

We have already told you in the last step that the initial dehydrating time of the bacon jerky is about 2 to 3 hours. However, you might examine to check that whether the jerky is ready or not. You only have to flip the bacon jerky and check that it cooked from both sides or not. However, if the temperature is steady, then you must not concern extravagantly.

Step 8: Drying the Bacon till It’s Prepared

Normally, in a food dehydrator, it will take 2 to 3 hours for drying the bacon jerky of it’s not cut in thicker slices. But if it’s thick then, it might need double time for drying. That is the reason we have told you earlier in this article to cut thin slices of the bacon jerky so that you don’t have to wait for more for completing its drying process. In between the dehydrating process, you can rotate the trays and take out the excessive fat in the tray kept in the bottom.

Step 9: Store it in the airtight jar or Ziplock bag

As soon as the drying process completes, cool down the dried bacon jerky strips and then store it in the airtight jar or ziplock bag. So, now you know the process of making tasty bacon jerky, we should also inform you about its nutritional value as well. In one pound of bacon, you get 49 grams of protein and 662 grams of calories. But these are only estimated as lots of nutritional value gets vanished at the time of cooking.

Tips for cooking bacon jerky in the dehydrator

There are few useful tips that you can use while making bacon jerky in the food dehydrator:

• One of the easiest ways to know that your bacon jerky is ready is to notice the change in color of the meat. As soon as you see the changing color, it means that your jerky is getting prepared.
• The bacon jerky should be dried at the consistent temperature. Don’t change or fluctuate the temperature anytime while cooking the jerky in the dehydrator.
• The cookie sheet is helpful in catching the oily residues of the bacon jerky. If you see excessive oil coming out from the jerky then, it’s better to keep an extra tray below all the shelves for collecting the liquids.
• You can use various other seasonings while aiming bacon jerky in the dehydrator. You might use the honey or homemade marinade along with the salad dressing. There are many options available besides the seasonings as mentioned above. But don’t do the over-flavoring of the dish as this can evade the original flavor of the bacon jerky itself.

Final word!

Even though the whole process of making the bacon jerky in a dehydrator takes time, it is unquestionable that preparing a bacon jerky is pretty easy. As soon as you can acquaint the above-discussed steps, you can easily modify the recipes as per your taste. Consequently, you might make numerous recipes which your family will surely love. Without a doubt, knowing how to make bacon jerky in ad dehydrator is a true form of an asset!

Bacon jerky is perfect packed meal while going out on a rock climbing, backpacking, hiking, paddling and other activities which need require string performance by your joints and muscles.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading the above info. You can share your thoughts by writing a comment in the below box.

Don’t forget to tell us that how much you learn from the above article. If you have any other bacon jerky recipes, then please share your secrets with us here. We will mention your thoughts surely in our article.