Dehydrated meats, together with beef jerky, solely hold for round two weeks in a sealed container saved at room temperature. After that, the Nationwide Heart for House Meals Preservation recommends refrigerating or freezing it.
Retailer-bought dehydrated meats are cooked, dehydrated, and handled with preservatives that assist them last more, however even these will go unhealthy inside a few months if not saved accurately.
Dehydrating meat removes the moisture that might in any other case be a hotbed for micro organism and trigger it to go rancid. It’s one of many oldest and best strategies for preserving meat.
Sadly, not even dehydrated meat will final perpetually and might’t compete with canned meats, a few of which might final for years.
However, dehydrated meat is a superb survival meals. It’s excessive in energy and protein, offering a great vitality enhance whereas being small, light-weight, and simple to move.
What Are Dehydrated Meats?
The most typical and standard sort of dehydrated meat within the US is beef jerky, which is marinated and cured earlier than drying to boost the flavour and enhance its shelf life.
Nevertheless, you possibly can dehydrate nearly any meat, together with floor beef, elk, ostrich, and lamb.
Meat with a low-fat content material is extra appropriate for dehydration as a result of the fatty acids in pork and poultry speed up the degradation course of, inflicting it to go rancid faster.
What Causes Dehydrated Meat to Spoil?
A number of components trigger dehydrated meat to spoil. Publicity to air brings it into contact with oxygen and moisture, which creates the right surroundings for mildew and micro organism to develop.
Micro organism and mildew want water to flourish, so the upper the humidity, the sooner the product deteriorates, dropping each vitamin and taste.
Publicity to warmth and lightweight additionally reduces the shelf lifetime of dehydrated meals, inflicting fats oxidation and a lack of vitamins.
The right way to Inform if Your Dehydrated Meat is Secure to Eat
If there are any indicators of mildew in your dehydrated meat, it’s unfit for human consumption. Equally, if it seems, tastes, or feels totally different from common, it’s greatest to discard it. A slimy texture, unusual odor, or odd style are all indicators your dehydrated meat has spoiled and is unsafe to eat.
Consuming rancid dehydrated meat may cause meals poisoning, the signs of which embrace nausea, complications, fever, and stomach ache.
The right way to Retailer Dehydrated Meat
It’s best to retailer any dehydrated meat as you’ll beef jerky:
- In an hermetic container with an oxygen absorber
- Within the fridge
- Within the freezer
- Vacuum sealed
Any of those choices will lengthen the shelf lifetime of your dehydrated meat for a number of months, if not a 12 months.
Learn extra data on long-term storage options for jerky right here.
Is Dehydrated Meat Good For You?
Excessive-protein meals are good in a survival scenario, however not essentially in on a regular basis life. Retailer-bought dehydrated meats are extremely processed and excessive in sodium, an excessive amount of of which might trigger coronary heart issues, hypertension, and stroke danger.
Meats dehydrated at house are sometimes more healthy as they comprise much less sodium and fewer preservatives.
On the plus facet, dehydrated meat is relatively low in energy, excessive in protein, and a supply of varied minerals, together with zinc and iron. This mixture makes it a wholesome and dietary snack when eaten carefully.
Conclusion
When saved accurately, dehydrated meats can final for over 12 months, despite the fact that their preliminary shelf-life is just a few weeks. You will get very in poor health from consuming spoiled jerky or different dehydrated meats, so storing them accurately and checking for indicators of spoilage are very important.
For extra details about various kinds of dehydrated meals and the way lengthy they final, try our article on how long dehydrated food lasts.
As it’s best to solely get pleasure from small parts of dehydrated meats as a result of their excessive sodium content material, the longer you possibly can retailer them, the higher. A small each day serving will hold you going longer than something you possibly can forage and comprise fewer energy than many high-protein options.
Learn: How to make venison jerky