r/jerky • u/Wouldtick • 9d ago
New dehydrator and photo of my first batch.
Picked her up yesterday and made my first batch into the evening. Incredibly spacious compared to my previous model. I was sick of having to dehydrate two batches in a row. This solved that issue.
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u/ericcmi 9d ago
Jesus, $500...
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah I tend to overdo things that I enjoy. Fishing, making jerky etc
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u/Distortion462 9d ago
I need that
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
It is a game changer convenience-wise. I do make a lot of jerky. 1 to two times a month. 8-12 lbs of meat per batch.
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u/DirkDigIer 9d ago
Hey I have the nesco garden master with about 18 of the 15 1/2” trays and I’m so tired of this dehydrator. The trays are round so it makes it hard to use my jerky gun. Also when I use strips of meat it cooks the meat un even on the tray where the middle pieces are colder and the outer pieces are cooking faster. So if I have 18 trays it can take so much extra time. I really need one like this.
Please let me know if it cooks your jerky evenly throughout each tray .
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
I rotated my trays once throughout the process and everything dried consistently. I was rotating my trays once an hour with my smaller dehydrator. I don’t honestly know if I needed to rotate them. I use a meat slicer so the slices are consistent which helps in even drying time.
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u/MBlizzil 7d ago
I have the same old school round Nesco dehydrator. Making Jerky is like a Tetris game that I can never win. Been looking to upgrade for years, this might be the one to try.
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u/bennett7634 9d ago
Does that big boy dry evenly or did you have to rotate trays?
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u/thetrueTrueDetective 9d ago
I have the smaller version , very even on that unit . I would think it’s just the same for this one.
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
I rotated the trays about half way through but honestly I don’t think I needed to. First batch. On my small old unit I had to rotate multiple times and pull off jerky that dried quicker than others.
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u/Guilty-Care-4384 9d ago
How much for this beauty?
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
$500. I have the money and this is one of my hobbies so I bought it.
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u/Redditnspiredcook 9d ago
Honestly, pretty cheap on the hobby spectrum, and rewarding in more ways than most.
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
And making your own pays for itself over time when compared to purchasing jerky. My previous dehydrator and meat slicer have already paid for themselves in savings. I haven’t purchased jerky in years now.
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u/Guilty-Care-4384 8d ago
I agree, I'll have to look into getting one on a smaller scale. After I get my new offset smoker
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u/Gholland30 9d ago
What do you use to slice it up?
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
https://a.co/d/hXPah1S Cheaper than a 12 inch commercial unit. I have had it since last Father’s Day. It is perfect for jerky. Easy to clean and makes quick work of 10lbs of meat, slicer motor is powerful and has never bogged down on me. If I had to chose an upgrade, a meat slicer would be in my priority list. It saves so much time and the consistency in meat thickness enables better, more even drying even on my old small dehydrator. I also by cooked hams and turkey breasts from Costco and make my own lunch meat. Have also made deli roast beef for sandwiches and it is awesome.
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u/DirkDigIer 9d ago
I have the same slicer for about 10 months now. Used 8 times without sharpening the blade once yet
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
Yeah I have used mine at least a dozens times and the blade is still ridiculously sharp.
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u/DirkDigIer 9d ago
How well do you clean it? It takes me about 30 Minutes to fully clean it after each use.
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
I got it down to around 15 minutes. I disassemble, wash in scolding water and soap and dry. The first couple of times easily took me over 30 minutes. I don’t use the plastic shield so I don’t have to clean that. I am paranoid of leaving any food or meat juice on it. I also spray and wipe it down with simple green and have had zero issues. The only issue I have had is the rod that feeds through the back into the blade cover has slight corrosion. I started oiling that piece lightly with food grade oil and it stopped. I bought a cheap vinyl cover that goes over it when not in use.
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u/BiGSQUID_69 9d ago
Super jealous, but hats off to you good sir I will buy the same one soon enough. Isn’t cabelas such an emersive store holy hell my first time time was like a kid in a candy store
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u/Acceptable_Low_9032 9d ago
You can buy them at the Bass Pro shop or Cabela’s. I’ve had mine for over 10 years best way to clean get a couple wet paper towels put in there for a couple hours at Moen’s all the stains up and then you can wipe it clean easy
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u/brentrow 8d ago
What did that set you back? And how do you like it? Looking to upgrade from my janky Nesco!
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u/Wouldtick 8d ago
First batch was awesome. I love the timer, space, led lights on the inside. The 80 liter is $350. This is the 160 liter and was $500. The 80 liter is build just as well as the larger unit.
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u/Wouldtick 8d ago
Oh and it was packed so well. I picked it up locally but my god was it packed well.
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u/thetrueTrueDetective 9d ago
Time , temp , thickness , cut ?
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u/Wouldtick 9d ago
Eye of round 9 lbs before dehydration. Setting 4 on my meat slicer. Sorry don’t know how thick it actually is. 160 degrees the entire time. 6 hours as I like it dry and tough.
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u/dunnieone 9d ago
Is that monster flavored jerky