How long to dehydrate jerky comes down to three things: how thick you slice it, what meat you use, and what temperature your dehydrator holds. For standard 1/4-inch strips of lean beef, plan on 4-6 hours at 155-160°F, with thicker or fattier batches running up to 8 hours or more. You’re not cooking in the traditional sense. You’re removing moisture at a controlled temperature until the meat reaches a stable, shelf-safe state.
Time is only half of it. Your dehydrator won’t reliably kill bacteria on its own, so the meat also needs to reach 160°F internally (165°F for poultry) either before or after drying. Below you’ll find drying times by meat and thickness, the safety step, and how to tell when jerky is actually done. If you want every temperature and thickness combination in one place, use our full temperature & time chart.
- How Long to Dehydrate Jerky: The Quick Answer
- How Long to Dehydrate Jerky by Meat Type
- How Long to Dehydrate Beef Jerky by Thickness
- What Temperature to Dehydrate Jerky
- The 160°F Heat Step: Before or After Drying
- Total Timeline: Prep to Finished Jerky
- Step-by-Step Timing Guide
- What Changes How Long Jerky Takes
- When Is Jerky Done?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Long to Dehydrate Jerky: The Quick Answer
4-8 hours in a dehydrator set to 155-160°F, depending on thickness. Standard 1/4-inch beef strips usually finish in 4-6 hours. Heat the meat to 160°F internal (165°F for turkey or chicken) before or after drying, start checking at 3.5 hours, and use the bend test to decide when it’s done.
Those numbers assume a home dehydrator, lean meat, strips patted dry after marinating, and normal indoor humidity. The rest of this article explains why the range is so wide and how to narrow it down for your batch.
How Long to Dehydrate Jerky by Meat Type
Different meats dry at similar speeds once they’re sliced to the same thickness. What really changes is fat content and the safe internal temperature. Use this quick reference for 1/4-inch strips (or 1/4-inch ground-meat strips from a jerky gun) that have been through the heat step and dried at 155-160°F, then confirm with the bend test. For other settings and thicknesses, see the full temperature & time chart.
| Meat | Safe Internal Temp | Dehydrator Setting | Drying Time (1/4″) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef (eye of round, top round) | 160°F | 155-160°F | 4-6 hours | The baseline. Trim all visible fat. |
| Venison, elk & other game | 160°F | 155-160°F | 4-6 hours | Very lean, so check early. See our deer jerky timing guide. |
| Turkey or chicken breast | 165°F | 155-160°F | 4-6 hours | Always use the heat step. Texture is softer than beef. |
| Pork (lean loin) | 160°F | 155-160°F | 5-7 hours | Trim well; fat slows drying. Read our pork jerky guide first. |
| Ground beef or venison | 160°F | 155-160°F | 4-6 hours | Use 90%+ lean. Flip strips at the 2-hour mark. |
| Ground turkey or chicken | 165°F | 155-160°F | 4-6 hours | Blot fat often; flip at 2 hours. |
- Beef: the baseline most jerky times are based on. Eye of round and top round are lean and predictable.
- Venison and elk: leaner than beef, so thin strips can finish at the low end of the range. Start checking at 3 hours.
- Turkey and chicken: similar drying time to beef, but poultry must reach 165°F, and it tends to feel softer when done. Don’t mistake that softness for underdone; use the bend and tear tests.
- Pork: even lean loin carries more fat than round steak, which slows drying and shortens shelf life. Trim hard.
- Ground meat: extruded strips dry evenly but release fat. Blot the trays and flip the strips at 2 hours.
For recipes built around these times, see our ground beef jerky recipe and turkey jerky recipe.
How Long to Dehydrate Beef Jerky by Thickness
Slice thickness is the single biggest factor in how long beef jerky takes. Thicker strips hold more water, and that water has to travel farther to reach the surface before it can evaporate. At 160°F, expect roughly:
- 1/8 inch (thin): 3-4 hours. Start checking at 2.5 hours.
- 1/4 inch (standard): 4-6 hours. Start checking at 3.5 hours.
- 3/8 inch (thick): 6-8 hours. Start checking at 5 hours.
- 1/2 inch (extra thick): 8-10+ hours. Start checking at 7 hours.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends slicing meat no thicker than 1/4 inch, and its after-drying oven step is written for strips of that size. If you go thicker, use the pre-heat method (boiling or steaming to 160°F) and check the center of the thickest piece with a thermometer.
Consistency within a batch matters more than the exact number. If some strips are 1/8 inch and others are 3/8 inch, the thin ones turn brittle while the thick ones are still wet in the middle.
Partially freeze your roast for 1-2 hours before slicing. The firmness makes it much easier to cut uniform 1/4-inch strips. Even slices mean even drying.
What Temperature to Dehydrate Jerky
There are two different temperatures to keep straight: the internal temperature the meat has to reach to be safe, and the dehydrator setting you dry it at. Mixing them up is a common jerky safety mistake.
Safe internal temperature
According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, meat should be heated to 160°F and poultry to 165°F. That covers beef, venison, elk and other game, pork, and ground meat at 160°F, plus turkey, chicken and ground poultry at 165°F.
Dehydrator setting
A dehydrator’s air temperature doesn’t bring the meat to 160°F before it starts drying, and FSIS notes that bacteria become much more heat resistant once the meat is dry. That’s why the heat step exists. Once the meat has been heated, the dehydrator’s job is simply to dry it fast enough and steadily enough:
- USDA FSIS: after heating to 160°F/165°F, hold a constant 130-140°F during drying.
- NCHFP: dry at 140°F, using either the pre-heat or the after-drying oven step.
- University of Minnesota Extension: keep the dehydrator at 145-155°F throughout drying.
Most home cooks run the dehydrator at 145-160°F because it dries faster than the minimum settings. Higher settings shorten drying time, but they don’t replace the heat step. For pre-heated 1/4-inch strips, 145°F takes about 6-10 hours, 155°F about 5-7 hours, and 160°F about 4-6 hours. Going to 170°F or higher risks case hardening and isn’t recommended.
Case hardening happens when the outside dries too fast and seals moisture inside. For dehydrator-by-dehydrator settings and presets, see our dehydrator temp settings guide.
The 160°F Heat Step: Before or After Drying
USDA FSIS recommends heating meat to 160°F internal temperature (poultry to 165°F) as part of making jerky. Without this step, bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella can survive the drying process. FSIS cites research in which pathogenic E. coli survived drying times of up to 10 hours at temperatures up to 145°F.
You can do the heat step at either end of the process.
Option 1: Pre-heat before drying (USDA’s preferred method)
- Boil in marinade: At the end of marinating, bring the strips and marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes (the NCHFP method). Drain, pat dry, and load the trays.
- Steam or roast: FSIS lists steaming or roasting as ways to reach 160°F/165°F. Check the thickest piece with an instant-read thermometer.
Pre-heated strips dry faster, so start checking early. NCHFP suggests checking pre-heated jerky after 3 hours.
Option 2: Heat in the oven after drying
If you’d rather dry raw marinated strips, NCHFP’s alternative is to heat the finished jerky for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 275°F. This applies to strips originally cut 1/4 inch thick or less. Drying raw strips takes longer (NCHFP lists 10-24 hours at 140°F for strips not heated in marinade).
Either way, the heat step adds only 10-15 minutes of hands-on time.
Total Timeline: Prep to Finished Jerky
Most people ask how long jerky takes to “cook,” but the dehydrating phase is only part of the total timeline. From raw meat to finished jerky, the whole process takes about 12-30 hours when you include marinating:
| Phase | Time | What You’re Doing |
|---|---|---|
| Trim & Slice | 20-30 mins | Trim fat, partially freeze, slice into strips |
| Marinate | 6-24 hours | Strips soaking in marinade in the refrigerator |
| Pre-heat (USDA) | 5-10 mins | Bring meat to 160°F internal (165°F poultry) |
| Pat dry & load | 10-15 mins | Blot strips, arrange on trays |
| Dehydrate | 4-6 hours | Drying at 155-160°F with tray rotation |
| Cool & store | 30-60 mins | Cool completely, then seal in containers |
The marinating phase is passive (overnight is easiest). Active hands-on time is roughly 1 hour total, spread across the beginning and end. The dehydrator runs itself for the 4-6 hour stretch with a quick tray rotation every 2 hours.
Once cooled, NCHFP says properly dried jerky keeps about 2 weeks at room temperature in a sealed container; refrigerate or freeze it for longer storage. Our guide on how to store dehydrated food covers jars, bags and oxygen absorbers.
Step-by-Step Timing Guide
Here’s what happens inside the dehydrator hour by hour with pre-heated 1/4-inch strips at 160°F:
Hours 0-2: Surface Drying Phase
The first phase is all about removing surface moisture. The strips will darken slightly and the edges will start to curl. You shouldn’t see significant changes yet, because the interior is still wet. At the 2-hour mark, rotate your trays and blot any surface moisture or grease with a paper towel.
Hours 2-4: Deep Drying Phase
Moisture from the center of each strip is now migrating to the surface and evaporating. The strips shrink noticeably and become darker. The texture shifts from raw-feeling to leather-like. At hour 3.5, start checking thinner strips for doneness.
Hours 4-6: Finishing Phase
Most strips reach their ideal dryness in this window. Remove pieces as they finish; thinner strips and edge pieces will be done first. Check every 30 minutes using the bend test. Continue drying thicker strips until they crack when bent without snapping.
Do not set a timer and walk away for 6 hours. Start checking at the 3.5-hour mark and remove pieces as they finish. Different strip thicknesses and positions on the tray mean different finishing times. Leaving done strips in the dehydrator while waiting for thicker ones results in overdone, brittle jerky.
Do not stop the dehydrator mid-process and leave the jerky out for hours. If you must stop, refrigerate the partially dried jerky and resume drying as soon as possible. Partially dried meat at room temperature sits in the bacterial danger zone (40-140°F).
What Changes How Long Jerky Takes
1. Slice Thickness
The most impactful variable. Every 1/8-inch increase in thickness adds roughly 1-2 hours of drying time. Aim for 1/4 inch.
2. Ambient Humidity
Your dehydrator expels moisture into the surrounding air. If that air is already humid (rainy day, no air conditioning, coastal climate), evaporation slows. A batch that takes 4 hours on a dry winter day might take 6 on a humid summer day. Running your dehydrator in an air-conditioned room helps.
3. Cut of Meat and Fat Content
Lean cuts like eye of round dry faster than fattier cuts like flank steak. Fat doesn’t evaporate; it renders and can go rancid in storage. See our best meat for jerky guide for cut-by-cut advice.
4. Cut Direction
Slicing against the grain shortens the muscle fibers, which gives a more tender jerky that tends to dry a little faster and turn brittle sooner. Slicing with the grain gives the classic chewy strip and usually needs the upper end of the time range. Pick one direction per batch so everything finishes together.
5. Marinade Sugar Content
Sweet marinades (teriyaki, honey, maple) tend to add 30-60 minutes because sugar holds onto water. Classic soy-based marinades with little sugar dry fastest.
6. Tray Loading
Overcrowded trays block airflow. Pieces touching or overlapping create moisture pockets that extend drying time and cause uneven results. Leave at least 1/4 inch between strips.
7. Patting Dry
Loading dripping-wet strips straight from the marinade can add 1-2 hours. The dehydrator has to evaporate that surface moisture before real drying begins. Always blot with paper towels.
8. Dehydrator Type and Accuracy
Not all dehydrators dry at the same speed. Box-style units (such as Excalibur or Cosori) push air horizontally across every tray at once, so trays dry at about the same rate and 1/4-inch jerky often lands around 4-5 hours. Stackable units (such as Nesco or Presto) push air vertically, so trays nearest the fan dry faster, the others need rotating every 2 hours, and 5-7 hours is more typical.
Budget models can also run 10-15°F off their dial. An inexpensive oven thermometer on a tray shows your unit’s real temperature. If it runs cool, drying takes longer. If jerky is your main use, see our best dehydrator for jerky comparison.
Using an oven instead? Expect a 170-175°F setting and 4-8 hours with the door propped open, and the same 160°F heat step still applies. Our dehydrator vs oven guide compares the two.
Keep a jerky log. Record the cut, thickness, marinade, dehydrator, weather, and total time for each batch. After a few batches you’ll have a reference for your own setup that beats any generic chart.
When Is Jerky Done?
The most reliable test is physical, not time-based. NCHFP’s rule is simple: dry until a test piece cracks but does not break when bent.
The Bend Test
Let a strip cool for 5 minutes at room temperature (jerky firms up as it cools). Bend it in half:
| Result | What It Means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Bends easily, no cracks | Underdone, still too moist | Continue drying 30-60 more minutes |
| Bends with visible cracks | Perfect, ideal doneness | Remove and cool completely |
| Stiff, deep cracks | Slightly overdone, still good | Remove immediately |
| Snaps in half | Overdone, too dry | Still safe to eat, just crunchy |
The Tear Test
Pull a strip apart. The fibers should separate cleanly and the inside should be uniformly dry, with no wet, dark, or glossy spots.
The Touch Test
Press your finger against the surface. It should feel dry and leathery, and no moisture should transfer to your fingertip.
When in doubt, pull a piece early and let it cool. If it’s too soft after cooling, put it back in. You can always dry more, but you can’t add moisture back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Cooking
Plan for 4-6 hours of dehydrating time at 155-160°F for 1/4-inch strips, heat the meat to 160°F (165°F for poultry), check starting at hour 3.5, and let the bend test be your guide. The rest is patience and tray rotation.
Ready to start? Our classic beef jerky recipe walks you through every step from raw meat to finished jerky, and our complete guide on how to make beef jerky in a dehydrator covers cuts, marinades and storage. For temperature precision, our temperature and time chart covers every scenario.
