Does anyone make their own jerky or dehydrate their own fruit? What brand of dehydrator do you recommend? I am in the research phase and have no experience with this. Please point me in the right direction.

I have an Open country sportsmens kitchen Model, jerky maker... got it at one of the sportsmen places..cost about 54$ 350 watt. I checked on their site, the price for my unit is about the same as one year ago... Does what I need either meat or veggies/fruit. has the motor on the top so it is easy to clean, juices from meat and fruit does not fall down into motor.

Does not have a temp variation, for high or low, just one temp. so you must vary with time. There are many more expensive ones, If you are just starting dehydration this is a model that would be good for starting or for a back up for the times when you have more than will fit in one unit.

Here is what I have:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090WOCN0?psc=1&redirect =true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

I know there are cheaper ones out there, but you must spend the extra money if you are making jerky, especially if you use poultry. There are only a couple of dehydrators on the market that get hot enough to make poultry jerky unless you want to risk salmonella poisoning. I use the cheapest chicken breasts that Trader Joe's sells to make delicious chicken jerky. It is the best way to carry around protein that doesn't need to be kept cold. Sure you can make other kinds of jerky too, but chicken is the lowest in calories and it's easier to buy raw than turkey. I haven't tried using it for anything else yet.

Edited to add that dehydrators without a temperature control dial are specifically advised against for making poultry jerky.

We have had this one for years, never had a problem, and it works great! Excalibur-3926TB-Food-Dehydrator

We have this really awesome tool that we use to make jerky from ground meats!! jerky gun

I have a dehydratr but have only used it too make protein bars.. it is no longer being sold. Watching this thread and looking for good jerky recipes!

How do you make protein bars. Sounds like a good idea. Can you share?

I made my own jerky using Alton Brown's method. It was a heck of a lot of work and really not worth it. :(

My gas convection oven has a dehydrater function. have never tried it. I think I would have to buy some trays. If you have a convection oven you can make it work...