Home made jerky shelf life

[ThreeOhSeven]

What is typical shelf life for home made jerky?

I don't know why it took me so long, but I am just starting to make venison and elk jerky. Since I'm currently swimming in ground I am going the route of using a jerky gun and starting with the highly recommended Hi Mountain cure and seasoning. So far I've batched 2lbs of the hunter blend and vacuum sealed 4 strips per package.

My Food Saver vacuum sealer leaves a lot to be desired since I had to repack about half the time. This got me thinking, not a great seal will result in a short shelf life. So how long should I expect homemade jerky to stay stable in a vacuum sealed package? How long will said package be good if frozen?

 

[hoooogan]

Following as I'll be getting into this as well.

 

[taskswap]

It depends entirely on the "cure". High-nitrate cures can last years or longer with no refrigeration. If you want to minimize the nitrates you can make excellent jerkies that need to be kept in the fridge. It's a trade-off. I believe if you follow the instructions exactly, Hi Mountain is good for a year. YMMV.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

In my experience, forever. When I make jerky, I generally do 8lbs of meat which about maxes out my dehydrator. I then vacuum seal in the chamber sealer and freeze most of it. I've unearthed packs that were 5+ years old and were fine.

 

[Cordell Walker]

I’ll make a jerky marinade with soy sauce, Worcestershire, pepper, garlic salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Cut the jerky thin from whole muscle groups. Dehydrate at 149 degrees for 12-16 hours. I’ve found this to last 3 months with no refrigeration.

I think for me the main driver for long shelf life is how dry it gets. The jerky turns out crunchy but I like it like that.

 

[ThreeOhSeven]

In my experience, forever. When I make jerky, I generally do 8lbs of meat which about maxes out my dehydrator. I then vacuum seal in the chamber sealer and freeze most of it. I've unearthed packs that were 5+ years old and were fine.

Chamber sealers are legit.

I’ll make a jerky marinade with soy sauce, Worcestershire, pepper, garlic salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Cut the jerky thin from whole muscle groups. Dehydrate at 149 degrees for 12-16 hours. I’ve found this to last 3 months with no refrigeration.

I think for me the main driver for long shelf life is how dry it gets. The jerky turns out crunchy but I like it like that.

Agreed. Moisture breeds bacteria, so the drier it is, the longer it should last. But I'm not looking for that crunch.
Hi Mountain's cure is "all natural" containing salt, sugar, and .85% sodium nitrate. They recommend refrigeration.

I may just do a science experiment and see how many days it takes for an unsealed vs sealed strip takes to mold.

 

[CMF]

In my experience, forever. When I make jerky, I generally do 8lbs of meat which about maxes out my dehydrator. I then vacuum seal in the chamber sealer and freeze most of it. I've unearthed packs that were 5+ years old and were fine.

I'm sure it's a ridiculously long life in the freezer. I think we're talking about unrefrigerated storage.

I may just do a science experiment and see how many days it takes for an unsealed vs sealed strip takes to mold.

Maybe do a bag sealed with a dessicant package also. I wondered if that would extend shelf life?

Curious what you find, I'm always looking for a way to store more meat without adding a freezer.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Chuck them packs in tbe freezer they'll last forever

 

[eaglemountainman]

I use Hi Mountain also.
I pull them from the smoker when they very dry, bit still a bit plyable. I vacuum seal and place in my beer fridge (not the freezer). I've had it last well over a year, and believe it could have lasted much longer.

 

[judders87]

I haven't been able to test this... my wife eats any jerky I don't hide in the freezer within a couple of weeks...

 

[summs]

Cure isn't to extend shelf life, it's to prevent botulism when not being cooked to a high enough temp and then being stored in an anerobic environment. Cure will make it shelf stable at room temp and fridge temp. For how long, that I don't know. Salt, dehydrating, and smoke also reduce bacteria growth. I've never had jerky last more than a month in the fridge. When 1lb is gone, pull another from the freezer.

With or without cure, frozen jerky will last many years.

 

[MuleyFever]

I tend to get mine a little on the crunchy side just because I am always nervous its not done. I have had sealed bags in the pantry for almost a year and they were fine.

 

[KenLee]

I haven't been able to test this... my wife eats any jerky I don't hide in the freezer within a couple of weeks...

Mine Doesn't taste as good after being frozen. We eat it quickly and move on to the next

 

[hibernation]

I don't use nitrates in my cure, but I also dry it pretty thoroughly. More on the crunchy side like some have mentioned. Then chamber seal it.

I think the shelf life is probably indefinite as long as it's sealed up and moisture-free, but it gets an off taste after ~6 months or so at room temperature. I generally keep mine in the freezer until it goes on a trip, it consistently tastes better and fresher that way.

The only jerky that I've actually seen mold was in an open ziploc bag that fell behind some camping bins after a hunting trip, absorbed moisture from the air, and sat there abandoned for I'm not actually sure how long.

 

[Zdub02]

I have had a problem with it molding rather quickly using high mountain season and cure. But I left it in a ziplock on the counter and got mold after a week. This happened on multiple batches to me. Not sure what the problem was.

 

[Mcribs]

In my experience, forever. When I make jerky, I generally do 8lbs of meat which about maxes out my dehydrator. I then vacuum seal in the chamber sealer and freeze most of it. I've unearthed packs that were 5+ years old and were fine.

^^^ This exact thing ^^^

 

[ThreeOhSeven]

I have had a problem with it molding rather quickly using high mountain season and cure. But I left it in a ziplock on the counter and got mold after a week. This happened on multiple batches to me. Not sure what the problem was.

Hi Mountain recommends refrigeration. What temp and how long did you dehydrate for?
I'm trying to find the perfect balance of moist yet stable.

 

[Zdub02]

Hi Mountain recommends refrigeration. What temp and how long did you dehydrate for?
I'm trying to find the perfect balance of moist yet stable.

I do the highest temp setting my dehydrator allows which around 150-160 degrees. I think my dehydrator is not working properly as the last few batches have taken extra time (over 24 hrs) to get to an acceptable point. I used to run it at that temp for 6-8 hours with good results. Gonna have to try the oven method before I spend money on a new dehydrator.

 

[ThreeOhSeven]

I do the highest temp setting my dehydrator allows which around 150-160 degrees. I think my dehydrator is not working properly as the last few batches have taken extra time (over 24 hrs) to get to an acceptable point. I used to run it at that temp for 6-8 hours with good results. Gonna have to try the oven method before I spend money on a new dehydrator.

I have read that you want to get a dehydrator with a max temp 20° higher than your highest desired temp. I guess temperature regulation can be finicky with dehydrators.

 

[Wheels]

I do the highest temp setting my dehydrator allows which around 150-160 degrees. I think my dehydrator is not working properly as the last few batches have taken extra time (over 24 hrs) to get to an acceptable point. I used to run it at that temp for 6-8 hours with good results. Gonna have to try the oven method before I spend money on a new dehydrator.

You might put a temperature probe in the dehydrator when it’s running to monitor temperature. My dehydrator maxes out at 159* and it takes 7 hours to make crunchy jerky, the probe typically reads mid to upper 150’s.