Customer Reviews

Nesco American Harvest FD-28JX Jerky Xpress Dehydrator Kit with Jerky Gun

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this dehydrator kit for my son as a gift. I found it so easy to use that I have been using it myself.

The actual drying unit is pretty straight forward. It swirls air inside the drying chamber to dry the meat product. It does this in an efficient and predictable manner. It is efficient because I know that almost every area of the inside chamber is covered by the airflow. It is predictable because of the use of the jerky gun. The jerky gun makes the meat the same size. Because of this the cooking times stay the same.

When I start, I prepare the meat as per the instructions. You are directed to take hamburger and add their dry mix. Combine the ingredients, and insert the meat in the jerky gun. The jerky comes out the same size every time. Add those pieces to the tray, and in two hours you have jerky. There is a small fan that makes a fairly substantial noise. I move the appliance to another room to avoid the sound.

I have learned that following the instructions will give you jerky that can be kept for some time with out spoiling. The objective here is to remove as much as the fat from the meat as possible. The fat is what will cause the meat to spoil quickly.

I have experimented with other ways to prepare the meat. I have bought roasts when they go on sale. I used a slicer once. I didn't like that way because the meat would not come out thin enough. If you have a very nice slicer this way might work.

I also tried cutting the meat with a knife. That was a pain too. It was a lot of work but the jerky came out more like what you might see in the stores, chunky. I don't think this type of jerky will stay fresh as long. There will be a substantial amount of fat left in the meat even after drying.

The best alternative preparation is to ask the butcher if he will grind the meat for you. I buy the roast on sale. Then the butcher grinds it for me. I think the fat percentage is quite low. The hamburger with the lowest fat percentage I can find is around 12%. It costs 30% more than my method.

I take the hamburger and add ingredients from recipes that I have found on the internet. I let the ingredients marinate the meat. I use the jerky gun to make the pieces. I use this type of jerky as a snack for around the house. The jerky I make with the dry prepackaged mix is best for backpacking. This is because it is much drier and hence less fat. The jerky will not spoil as quick.

Overall, I found the dryer easy to use. The jerky gun is a welcome addition to the preparation. Good Luck

Love it, comes complete as advertise for the lower price, the gun helps a lot to create the jerky and its included.

Buy the next step up, spend $49 instead of this cheaper model, I have both models and the more expensive model takes less time and is better.

If you want a dehydrator for making Jerky then you should NOT waste your money on them ones sold in most kmart or Walmart stores, those units just don't have the watts needed to make good jerky. This dehydrator does a GREAT job for making jerky and any other heavy duty needs.... A+++++

I bought this dehydrator as a birthday gift for my husband. As soon as he plugged it in the motor blew up, literally. Nesco did send a replacement and the machine worked great for the next 3 sets of jerky dehydrations. Now, the motor will automatically shut off after about 15 minutes. I wonder if it is overheating and shutting off to protect itself. When working the jerky comes out great, but I have had way too many issues and am junking this machine and switching brands.

I am so very happy with my purchase. I have not had this two weeks and have already made a lot. One of the first things I made were dried mushroom and squash chips. They came out wonderful and will become a regular in my household. I have also made turkey jerky. I got a lot of rave reviews about that. It is very easy to use, and clean. Also, I did not find it to be too loud.

This is a good cooker I bought 2 of them I love beef jerky and this is great,I would buy it again

This product is awesome - we absolutely love it!! Vendor was also great to work with. Would definitely use them again.

Great product with great price!

I haven't used it to make jerky at this time but I have dehydrated lots of fruits and made fruit rolls for snacks. My husband and I really enjoy the fact that we can make healthy snacks of our choice. It's not loud when at work and warms your house while at work too =) Perfect for winter and all year round.

i bought this for my fiance. he absolutely loves it. very quiet. cleans easily. can't wait to experiment with it more.