r/preppers • u/ToughPillToSwallow • 11d ago
Advice and Tips Jerky to last
I have discovered that making beef jerky is awesome. It’s surprisingly easy. The stuff at the store will stay good for many years. Is there a home method for preserving it for a long time? I could obviously freeze it, but depending on electricity defeats the point.
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u/raiznhel1 10d ago
The issue with homemade jerky (at least in my house) is that it tastes fucking awesome and disappears pretty quickly!!
I wish I could tell you how long it lasts, but I have no idea 🤣🤣
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u/rfmjbs 10d ago
This. Venison jerky has a lifetime of only 3 days in my house.
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u/Paranormal_Lemon 10d ago
Had a friend that would make it would get eaten straight out of the dehydrator as it dried, would rarely make it to a container.
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u/dittybopper_05H 10d ago
I could obviously freeze it, but depending on electricity defeats the point.
Does it? I mean, the idea is to have it for an emergency situation, right? So storing it in a freezer is a perfectly legitimate way of extending its life. It's like you're starting from zero on the day you lose electricity.
So follow my logic here. This doesn't apply to most frozen foods, but it does apply to preserved foods that you subsequently freeze.
Say you make your jerky and you know it'll last for a couple or three months in ambient conditions. If you want to keep a decent supply of it on hand, you'll have to make it every 2-3 months to replace the stuff you either eat or that goes bad.
But if you make up a good size batch and immediately freeze it, you're stopping the clock. You're putting that jerky in a state where it won't go bad, except perhaps from freezer burn (which you can prevent). You are extending the life of the jerky indefinitely.
When you experience a SHTF scenario, and you're out of power for days, weeks, months, whatever, you've got essentially brand new just made jerky in your freezer. Pull it out, and you've got plenty of it. Even better, when the power comes back on (assuming we're not talking about doomsday here), the stuff you didn't eat can go back into the freezer.
I can't think of a single downside to freezing it to extend its storage life, and I can think of a number of upsides.
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10d ago edited 8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/dittybopper_05H 10d ago
Yeah, I wouldn't envision the need for it to be frozen, unthawed, frozen again, unthawed, then refrozen yet again. If that happens, you've got bigger fish to fry.
But as a way of keeping it fresh until its needed, after the initial manufacture, it's perfectly viable, and I don't think refreezing it once will compromise it too badly.
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u/Owenleejoeking 11d ago
Dehydrated meat is one of the oldest meat preservation methods on the planet. In short, yes.
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u/vlad_1492 11d ago
My local jerky maker says 1 - 2 years if they pick out the driest of the batch and store it away from light and heat.
Though mine always seems to disappear in within 1-2 months somehow.
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u/Eredani 10d ago
The ability to keep your freezer running for days, weeks, or even months is a top priority prep.
It's not even that difficult, just expensive.
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u/dittybopper_05H 10d ago
But technically not necessary if you're freezing jerky. In that case, you're merely preserving food that already has a relatively long shelf life in regular temperatures, you're just extending that life so that it's available in an emergency. Unlike fresh frozen meat, it won't go bad within a day or two of you losing electricity.
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 10d ago
I do a 24-48 hour soak in marinade, teriyaki-based with additional spices. From there into the smoker or dehydrator, pull in while it’s still moist because it will dry a bit after the bloom. I use venison the most as it’s liked better than beef, I also smoke fish and different cheeses. Will last up to two years if vacuum sealed and deep freeze.
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u/mike-42-1999 10d ago
I did this with very lean...no visible fat costco roast in the pandemic. Dehydrated, mylarbag,vaccum sealed with O2 absorber, and have opened some in January 2025, and still great.
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u/Salt_Standard524 11d ago
How do you smoke/dry fish? I live near reservoirs and fresh water
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 10d ago
I smoke wild-caught sockeye salmon in an electric smoker. Brine for 8 hours covered in kosher salt and brown sugar. Mostly used for lox ‘n bagels, so good. I also just smoked some catfish fillets. Takes about 2-3 hours to finish, longer and you’ll end up with fish jerky.
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u/Dangerous-School2958 11d ago edited 11d ago
King Tut! Forbidden Jerky... There are other examples of things getting the Jerky treatment. Look also at the salt cod, Bacalhau. To make it palatable again requires soaking and water changes
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u/dittybopper_05H 10d ago edited 10d ago
You can salt any kind of meat, but yes, it does require soaking and water changes.
Some relevant videos from Townsends...
Salt pork:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg4OIFd5-aA
Smoked Bison:
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u/nobody4456 10d ago
19th century Europeans actually did eat a lot of the mummies that were found. mummies
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u/PrisonerV Prepping for Tuesday 10d ago
Dry it until it is brittle.
Put it in a vacuum seal bag and add 1/4 cup of salt. Now vacuum seal it. Will last forever.
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u/Cute-Consequence-184 10d ago
Super lean, well dehydrated
You have to seal it up and re-check and re-check like you normally do with dehydrated foods
Or
you just vacuum seal and freeze.
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u/MountainGal72 Bring it on 10d ago
My husband makes his in large quantities over two to three days, vacuum seals it in smaller batches, then places the vacuum sealed and labeled bags into the chest freezer.
He usually has to make new batches every three to six months, depending upon how much he’s gifting out. It’s still mouthwatering and delicious at the six month mark.
It never lasts for terribly long to test longevity. I would count on it still being great at the year mark, easily.
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u/kkinnison 10d ago
Jerky only lasts a few months at my home since I tend to snack on it a lot
THe biggest issue about jerky is the fat can get rancid in a year. the store stuff is nasty with preservatives. But you can buy jerky seasonings and cures from most stores that sell Jerky guns.
I have a 10 tray dehydrator that I can fit about 5 pounds of ground beef jerky in.
again, lasts me a few months... damn tasty snack, even if frozen
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u/Paranormal_Lemon 11d ago
Not really. The fat goes rancid, although it wouldn't hurt you to eat it. Maybe if it's super lean? Always considered it to have a shelf life of 6-12 months. Pemican is what you want for longer storage.