For everyone who likes snacking, we are sure they would be a fan of munching on jerky. On the other hand, for those who don’t know, jerky is the lean meat strips that are dried for long-term preservation. For this purpose, dehydrators and smokers are utilized as they are helpful with preservation and can help increase the lifespan of your food. In simpler words, both dehydrators and smokers are used for making jerky, but it can be challenging to select the one.
Dehydrator vs Smoker For Jerky
To begin with, the dehydrator is suitable for drying out different foods, including fruits, spices, and vegetables, by removing extra moisture while the smoker utilizes smoke for food preparation and doesn’t lose the flavor. So, which one should you purchase for jerky?
Smoker
The smokers are suitable for beginners as they are designed with user-friendly features. The smokers are incredibly easy to use as these appliances are only integrated with the switches and push buttons for operating the smoker. As the name suggests, it creates a smoky environment around jerky when it’s being dried. Moreover, some of the advanced models are designed with digital control panels which allow the users to set the temperature.
When you cook jerky or other food items in a smoker, it surely provides the assurance that it will turn out exactly how you like. To illustrate, the heating elements are beneficial for circulating uniform airflow, and jerky is placed on the complimentary trays. So, once the time is up, the jerky will have a delicious and crunchy texture. In addition, these appliances use electricity for creating a smoky environment to smoke up the jerky.
The best thing about using a smoker is that it’s suitable for retaining the flavor as well as taste because it involves smoking or burning for making jerky. As far as the temperature is concerned, you can adjust the temperature while it’s working. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that smokers operate as a grill and can be utilized for cooking different recipes. While we have already mentioned that smokers can retain the taste, the smoke actually enhances the flavor.
Smokers are meant to use less power for making jerky because these are designed as energy-efficient appliances – it won’t need much power and time for food cooking. Also, the controls are pretty easy, and you will be able to have evenly cooked jerky without changing its position. However, you need to remember that it’s not suitable for beginners.
Dehydrator
The dehydrators are integrated to use heated airflow for eliminating moisture and juices from the food, and the same goes for jerky. The dehydrators are meant to provide consistent results as users have the power to set temperatures that are important for drying up the jerky. This means that the dehydrator will be able to retain the nutrients, color, taste, and flavors of the jerky even after it is dried. In addition, dehydrators are 100% insulated, which helps protect the jerky and provides sufficient heating.
When it comes down to the dehydrator, it has the capacity of eradicating the juices and moisture, but it actually prevents the chances of microbes growth, which actually leads to long-time preservation. The best thing about using a dehydrator is that it cooks the jerky quickly, and you can use it for making jerky in bulk quantity, so you will have snacks at home. All in all, it’s pretty obvious that dehydrated jerky won’t spoil, and the nutritional content will be saved.
On top of everything, the dehydrators can be utilized for cooking healthy jerky, and it doesn’t require much preparation because the features are pretty convenient. Even more, the dehydrators can be stored in smaller corners and actually speed up the drying process, which reduces the dehydrating time. However, you need to remember that it can consume too much electricity, which is why you should use them with care.
When it comes down to the benefits, the dehydrators can be set in the kitchen and the cooking time is pretty efficient. Also, the dehydrators are more economical, and their maintenance costs aren’t expensive either. Not to forget, it provides great control over the temperature.
To summarize, both these appliances are great for making jerky, so which one will you use?