Can You Make Jerky At 140 Degrees?

We may earn commissions for purchases made through links on our site. Learn more on our about us page.

Making homemade jerky is fun and more delicious than store-bought ones. However, you may be wondering what temperature to use when making homemade jerky.

Can you make jerky at 140 degrees? If so, how long? If not, what is the lowest temperature that you can make the jerky at?

Read on to get your questions answered so you can make the best homemade jerky to snack on in the future.

What is the Lowest Temp for Jerky?

The lowest temperature you can cook jerky at is 145°F. This will be the ideal temperature if you want to avoid grease on your jerky. The problem with cooking lower than this is that it will take longer to cook, and it won’t taste as good.

If you would like to cook it at 140 degrees in the dehydrator, keep in mind that it will take as long to dehydrate the meat, taking just as long to get rid of the bacteria.

 

How Hot is Too Hot for Jerky?

You do not want to go above 200 degrees when making homemade jerky. This is because, above that, it will burn the meat and won’t be the jerky you were hoping to get.

Instead, it will form a crust and won’t let the moisture go back into the meat, making it the jerky that it’s supposed to be.

Instead, make the jerky at the ideal temperature so that you can get the results you want. Check out below the ideal temperature that you should make the jerky at.

 

What is the Ideal Temperature?

There is no exact answer here, but most people agree that anything above 200°F will yield too much heat on the meat’s surface and cause it to burn.

While many people prefer the flavor of burnt meat when cooking other foods like steak or hamburger patties, when dealing with different types of meats like fish or poultry, you don’t want them burnt! The higher heat also causes your meat to become tough and chewy instead of tenderizing it as you want it to!

That’s why we recommend staying within the 150-170 degrees Fahrenheit range while cooking your own homemade jerky recipes!

 

Should You Change It While Cooking?

It is important to keep the temperature the same when making the jerky. Constantly changing the temperature will result in a jerky that may not be enjoyable in the end.

But, on the other hand, even temperatures help it cook properly and dry out the way it’s supposed to.

 

What Temperature Destroys the Bacteria?

You’ll need the meat to be at least 160 degrees (165 degrees for poultry) to kill off the harmful bacteria. Any lower can put you at risk for E. Coli, Salmonella, and more.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

 

Final Thoughts on Making Jerky at 140 Degrees

We hope that we have answered your questions about making jerky at a certain temperature. While you may not be able to make jerky at 140 degrees, you also don’t want to burn the jerky by cooking it over 200 degrees.

The ideal temperature for making homemade jerky is 150-170 degrees, where it’s not too dry or too moist at the end. So now that you know what temperature to make the jerky why not start and make your own today?