Another Ground Beef Recall - How to Safely Make Jerky With a Food Dehydrator

More than 800,000 pounds of ground beef processed at a Fresno, California meat plant was just recalled due to concerns that the meat may contain salmonella. Most of the meat was sold through Safeway and Vons stores in California.

To protect against salmonella, e.coli or other pathogens that may be in ground beef or other meat, the following safe handling steps are recommended for making jerky (these steps should also be followed while making any meat dish:

•Before and after working with meat, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.

•Use clean equipment and utensils and wash them thoroughly after use.

•Clean the kitchen surfaces that will be used in making the jerky, both before and after working with the meat.

•Thaw frozen meat on the lowest refrigerator shelf so meat juice will not drip onto other food. Do not thaw meat on a kitchen counter.

•Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

•Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Do not marinate meat on a kitchen counter. Do not reuse marinade.

•Before putting the meat in a food dehydrator, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends heating meat to 160 degrees+ Fahrenheit and poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This is recommended to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present in the meat. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat.

•Dry meats in a food dehydrator at a temperature of at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit.