Drying beef to preserve it without any equipment

Question

I have high quality beef muscle meat, beef liver and beef heart. All completely grass fed from healthy animals with clean practices thus I am not that worried about botulism ("Botulism outbreaks occur when animals eat improperly stored or spoiled silage, decaying vegetation, poultry manure, or feed and water contaminated with bird or rodent carcasses.").

Is it possible to air dry thin slices of this meat at home without dehydrator or an oven, in order to preserve it? It's in my apartment so I can't really smoke it.

Answer 1

Simply hanging meat likely won't result in a safe drying environment. The moist, room temperature surface is the environment that bacteria and mold thrive in, which is why holding food at room temperature is considered unsafe.

Alton Brown offers a method for homemade beef jerky without any specialized equipment, but does make use of a box fan and air conditioning filters:

Evenly distribute the [thinly sliced, marinaded] strips of meat on 3 of the air filters, laying them in the grooves and then stacking the filters on top of one another. Top these with 1 empty filter. Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright, plug it in, and set it to medium. Dry the meat for 8 to 12 hours. (If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s directions.)

Once dry, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Note that deviation from Alton's recipe & method may require additional changes to compensate to make it food safe. For example, changing the marinade may affect cure & dry times.

Answer 2

There are lots of recipes for "air dried beef" online, many of which can be accomplished in an apartment. You will need equipment, some of which you likely already have. Some you can hack very inexpensively. The process goes like this:

1. Slice meat

2. Season and cure (you will need a refrigerator). I would also strongly suggest curing salt, also known as "pink salt"

3. Dry (you will need to create a drying chamber)

To do this safely, you need to cure. A salt based cure removes water and creates an inhospitable environment for pathogens. This is a critical step in making this safe. During this time, your meat needs to be kept at refrigeration temperature.

Once cured, you need to dry. Again, the safety hurdle is decreasing water activity. A dehydrator is ideal, but a very low temperature oven can work, or some other type of hacked dehydrator that you can build on the cheap. You want consistent airflow and temperature.

Of course, there are versions of whole muscle cuts that are cured and hung to dry. Italian bresaola comes to mind. Again, it needs to be cured, typically with the addition of curing salt. It can be hung to dry in a cool place, but again, temperature and humidity are critical. I have successfully made bresaola in my basement. I have also had it go wrong. For example, when the humidity got too low, the outside of the muscle became hard, while the inside did not dry (known as case hardening). So, these variables are important. Temperature and humidity are important factors to manage drying and mold growth. As long as you are sanitary, cure correctly, maintain proper temperature and humidity, and avoid bad mold, you won't harm yourself...however, you introduce risk each time you bypass of ignore each of these points. Botulism is not the only potential pathogen or problem.

Answer 3

You should try following a borts recipe. Borts is basically air dried cuts of meat(beef). Its recipe requires no equipment whatsoever and creates delicious strips of dried meat. The Mongols have been using this technique for centuries as a way of preserving meat for long periods of time without refrigeration. Here is a quick guide. Hope you enjoy!

Answer 4

Just air drying seems risky to me, even with the highest quality beef. You could make beef jerky though, provided you have an oven and some time on your hands. Seriouseats has a recipe for it.