It cracks when you bend a cooled strip and stays in one piece. Test it cold, because warm jerky is always more flexible than it will be an hour later.
The bend test
Take a strip out, let it cool for five minutes, then bend it. It should crack along the bend and hold together. If it snaps clean through, it is over dried. If it folds without cracking, it needs longer.
Testing a warm strip is the most common mistake, and it is how people end up with a batch that turns brittle in the jar two days later.
What it should look like inside
Tear a thick strip in half. The cut face should be an even dark colour with no glossy or wet-looking band down the middle. A darker damp core means the outside dried faster than the inside could keep up.
There should be no beads of fat on the surface. If there are, the cut was too marbled and the batch will not keep long.
Timing by thickness
| Thickness | At 70 C | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 mm | 3 to 4 h | Dries fast, easy to over dry |
| 5 mm | 5 to 7 h | The usual choice |
| 8 mm | 8 to 10 h | Chewy style, watch the centre |
| Ground meat strips | 4 to 6 h | Even thickness matters more than the number |
Cutting decides most of the outcome
Against the grain gives tender jerky that breaks cleanly. With the grain gives the chewy, stringy style. Neither is wrong, but mixing both in one batch means uneven drying and no reliable bend test.
Part-freezing the meat for an hour before slicing makes even 5 mm strips far easier to cut by hand.
If the batch is uneven
Pull the finished strips and leave the rest in. There is no benefit to drying a whole tray to the state of its thickest piece, and doing so ruins the thin ones.
Let a finished batch cool completely, then leave it in a loosely closed jar for a day before sealing. If moisture appears on the glass, it needs more time.
Questions people ask
Should it snap? No. Snapping means over dried. It should crack and hold.
Can I test it warm? No, it will read as done when it is not.
Does the bend test mean it is safe? No, that is a separate question answered by temperature.
Safety note. Texture is not a safety test. Follow USDA guidance and heat beef to 71 C or 160 F and poultry to 74 C or 165 F, either before drying or as an oven step afterwards.
What this is based on
- USDA FSIS, jerky and food safety
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, drying meat
- Manufacturer guidance on jerky settings and timings