Snack Sticks in Dehydrator?

[JF7FSU]

If I make snack sticks and use cure, is it really necessary to bring it up to 152* and then dehydrate?  The reason I ask is for GB jerky and muscle meat jerky, I never bring it over 145 and wonder why?  Why can't I just smoke the sticks and then dehydrate, or can I?

[pikeman_95]

AT 145 you are at the bottom edge of the cure temperature 152 in my opinion would be the middle. You will not see the cure affect if you do not get it hot enough. I always get my ground jerky up to cure temperature right off the bat. I make a point to put the newest sheets in the smoker into the hottest area of the smoker. You can see the curing affect as it turns pink. Once it changes color I slip the trays into the upper areas of the smoker. This is where it takes on all the smoke. I have 12 trays in my smoker and after a couple hours of heavy smoke they are ready for the dehydrator. This way I can do a continuous process. New sheets coming in and smoked ones going to the dehydrator. Another point you need to consider the meat cure breaks down the protein fiber of the meat and with the heat it recombines to make a chewy jerky like full muscle meat. If you do not get hot enough I feel it comes out more crumbly. [is there such a word]?? Oh well you know what I mean. The cure is there to protect the meat but the affect on the jerky does not happen with out enough heat.

Kirby

[Gizmo]

There is a lot of leeway that people take with food safety and some of it is a personal matter and a lot of what you will read or hear is legal speak for food safety.

The cabelas commercial dehydrator has a warning label to heat the meat to 160 deg internal temp before dehydration as they state it is not an oven.
There is a difference between the safety of ground meat as compared to whole muscle.  Whole muscle being more safe as there is less chance of contamination with it still being whole and less handling (no grinding).

The cure is to prevent the bugs from developing while in the under 140 deg range while smoking.  Cure does not kill the bugs.  I have read where there are some strains of bacteria that take more than 165 deg to kill.  I would personally take the ground meat to at least 145 deg.  I have never had a problem with snack sticks at 152 Deg.  BTW, I do eat raw meat.  Steak Tartar is wonderful.

[JF7FSU]

Thanks for the info guys.  The reason I am wondering is most of the guidance I have received esp when it pertains to jerky is to smoke at 130-140 then I toss in the dehydrator at 140-or 145.  That being said I will never hit 152*.  Now I am worried that I have gotten by on luck and cleanliness and fresh meat.  I guess I believed because I put cure in the marinade that I was covered completely.  Now I don't think I am.   

I only made GB jerky twice and am sure it never went past 145 although it came out ok and I lived.  The whole muscle nuggets I just made also never went over 140* in the dehydrator although they spent about 8 hours in there.  So I guess the question is do I smoke 'em, bring to 152* in the OBS then dehydrate? Or heat to 152* then smoke, then dehydrate?

[pikeman_95]

I my opinion your first choice is best. Bring them up to 152-155 in the smoker pour the smoke on the whole time and get the level of smoke you want. Watch the temperature close do not let it get away from you. Burnt jerky is no joy. Over dried edges are not that great either. This is why I always finish my jerky in a dehydrator. It is a slower process and allows the moisture to move out of the meat more evenly. You will have less dried edges and under dried centers. Just make sure that you hit a temperature that kills the bugs.

[Gizmo]

Sorry if I scared you away or may have mislead you.  
When I make jerky, whole muscle, nugget, or ground beef, I never measure the internal temperature of the meat.  Strips and GB is awefull thin to try and get an accurate reading from.  I will often take the meat straight from the smoker after 1:40 to 2 hours or smoke with the box temp around 160, to the dehydrator and have never had a problem.  I suspect the meat would have reached close to 145 and I am good with that.  Some times I do put the meat into the oven at 165 before going into the dehydrator if I feel the top of the smoker tower wasn't getting the meat temp up, usually on colder days with full loads of meat.
For the snack sticks, I always take them to 152 deg.

I suspect you keep your work surfaces and equipment really clean which helps prevent picking up any contamination.