My question is this. I made deer jerky about 4 wks ago and vacumn sealed some of it to send to my brother. Before I could mail the pkg I came down with flu that turned into bronchitis/sinusitis. When I got over that round I was well for a couple of days and then had a worse flu than the first. I cancelled my drawer at the morgue today and plan to mail my pke tomorrow. The question is will the jerky still be good. Its been in the box since the weekend after Thanksgiving. I dont want to make anyone sick. Thanks for your help. Blessings, Peggy

-- Peggy Carr (wclpc@cookeville.com), December 14, 2000

Answers

If it was thoroughly dried it will last a very long time. If it wasn't it would probably be growing mold. I've had some vaccum packed in jars for several months at a time. (It was hidden or it would've never lasted a week in my house. Too yummy for that). God bless, Nancy

-- Nancy in CA (sonflower35@icqmail.com), December 14, 2000.

Ive had jerkey keep for a year,, with no problems,,, as long as its dried enough

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), December 15, 2000.

Peggy, regular jerky keeps a long time (at least a couple of years, maybe a lot more), however, I would be worried about the moisture trapped by the sealing method. If there were bacteria in the meat, with the trapped moisture it is a good growing medium (like a culture). All the jerky I am familiar with and use is just kept in a cloth bag or a box of some kind that can breathe.

-- JLS in NW AZ (stalkingbull007@AOL.com), December 16, 2000.

I wholeheartedly agree with JLS. Unless your are completely certain that food is sterilized, do not seal it without hard freezing. Some bacteria and fungi can grow that will use up oxygen, and then other bacteria can grow that are definitely unwelcome, e.g. Botulina or the bug that makes botulism. It also likes warmth. The white crud that appears on dried meat products exposed to the air seems to be fairly innocuous, even essential for flavor. But please don't seal anything at room temperature or above that is not completely sterile, i.e. passed through a pressure cooker at high heat or sterile irradiated with a gamma source (right...), for at least 15 min. Microwaving is, at best, marginally effective. The odds are you won't die, but Botulina has no discernable odor and the toxin is rather heat stable. Sorry. This is my opinion based on memory. I urge you to check with other sources.

Take care, Marty

-- Marty Boraas (boraas@miliserv.net), December 17, 2000.