So i made me some venison jerky from the deer i harvested the day after thanks giving, and i got to thinking as to what the shelf life would be of said jerky?! i planned on making quite a bit and then possibly vacume sealing some of it for later in the year when the craving really kicks in. i imagine it would be stable and edible for a long time if all moisture is removed and seal properly. also, does anyone dehydrate any foods for semi-long term storage?
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home made jerky shelf life?
- Thread starter PriestEG
- Start date
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grunt soldier
Master
If it's not growing anything when you open it up your good lol. most vacuum sealed stuff is good for a couple 2 years or has been as my experience.
IndyGunworks
Grandmaster
depends on your moisture content and oxygen content. the stuff you buy at the store lats a long time but is soaked in preserver. low moisture content, an 02 absorber and vaccum sealing should make it last over a year, freezing it would probably add a few years onto that even.
I have seen jerky go bad w/in a year though, it was a low moisture content and i just had it in a ziploc baggy in the fridge, about 6 months in it grew mold and had to be tossed.
YMMV
I have seen jerky go bad w/in a year though, it was a low moisture content and i just had it in a ziploc baggy in the fridge, about 6 months in it grew mold and had to be tossed.
YMMV
dice dealer
Master
Mine never last long enuff to test 
thats what i figured and i only used kosher salt as my preservative. good insight gents, thanks
Airborne33
Marksman
it's good until it turns moldy. You do a good job sealing it in a bag and that wont happen for a long time. Never eat modly jerky though.. sure it's extra soft... but not in a good way.
Hoosierdood
Grandmaster
Mine never last long enuff to test
+1
+1
this is very true if it is the correct kind of mold. Penicillium chrysogenum is the mold that generates antibodies against some microbial pathogens and is used to create Penicillin. i suppose, realisticly could be used to make a "shtf antibiotic" with the sme simple lab materials and the right know how..
looks like i figured out what im going to be researching tonight!!
I made a large batch of jerky in 1980. Ate the last of it in '09.
It was treated with only a very little salt, dried until just before becoming brittle and sealed in Seal-a-Meal bags (not vacuum). Was as good that day in '09 as it was in 1980.
I think it is critical to not use anything except a little salt and possibly a little pepper and to get it very dry. Might not be as chewy and tasty as some of the soft, heavly marianated versions, but it will keep longer.
Although I do have some retail jerky (Pemmican brand [the brand, not the substance]) in original packaging purchased in 2001 that was still good the last time I checked it (late 2010). But again it was plain stuff, with no flavorings and with only a very little moisture. Not quite as dry as what I made, but close.
Just my experience.
It was treated with only a very little salt, dried until just before becoming brittle and sealed in Seal-a-Meal bags (not vacuum). Was as good that day in '09 as it was in 1980.
I think it is critical to not use anything except a little salt and possibly a little pepper and to get it very dry. Might not be as chewy and tasty as some of the soft, heavly marianated versions, but it will keep longer.
Although I do have some retail jerky (Pemmican brand [the brand, not the substance]) in original packaging purchased in 2001 that was still good the last time I checked it (late 2010). But again it was plain stuff, with no flavorings and with only a very little moisture. Not quite as dry as what I made, but close.
Just my experience.
great information thanks for the heads up. did you do this as an expirement or was this just some jerky you made and forgot in the back of a cabinet..
I just ate some beef jerky that has been in the freezer for a year in just zip lock bags. It did have a little frost in the bag but it still tasted great.
I would think with a vacuum sealer 2 years + would be easily accomplished.
I would think with a vacuum sealer 2 years + would be easily accomplished.
Look up on youtube Alton Brown's good eats beef jerky. He tells you exactly how to store it for max shelf life.
The key AFAIK is having as little fat and moisture still in the meat. Lots of salt can make the cells retain moisture and go bad faster. When we've made it, we use no extra salt. Black pepper, liquid smoke, and worcestershire sauce. Thats about it, there were a few different things as well, but that was mostly it. I can't remember how much soy sauce, but it was less than 5% of the mix.
I would not put a lot of stuff in the marinade. I like to "keep it simple stupid" though.
The key AFAIK is having as little fat and moisture still in the meat. Lots of salt can make the cells retain moisture and go bad faster. When we've made it, we use no extra salt. Black pepper, liquid smoke, and worcestershire sauce. Thats about it, there were a few different things as well, but that was mostly it. I can't remember how much soy sauce, but it was less than 5% of the mix.
I would not put a lot of stuff in the marinade. I like to "keep it simple stupid" though.
It was an experiment, first and foremost, though I did use some over the years. The last bag I did forget about in my car kit. When I redid it a couple years ago I decided to replace it and try it, just to see if it was still good. It was.
Not quite stiff enough to sharpen into a point, but close. Again, only a very small amount of salt and dry to almost brittle stage. It was iron rations for the field, not something to snack on, so no flavorings, marinades, or anything else to enhance flavor that reduces storage life.
