# Help me rejuvinate my beef jerky! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156 "2012-06-14T16:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156/1 "2012-06-14T16:46:08Z")
I made a batch of jerky in our smoker last weekend. (Flank, if that’s relevant.) It was _amazing_ … at first. Now, it’s just too dried out. I mean, I know jerky is a dried, chewy food but this is ridiculous. This has happened to previous batches as well. I was thinking: what if I soaked the strips in a marinade reminiscent of what they originally sat in (prior to being cooked) and then patted them dry. Do you think that would help at all? Has anyone ever played around with this? All advice and suggestions are welcome. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156/2 "2012-06-14T17:33:58Z")
I don’t think it will ever be jerky again but you can use dried meat in stews. Next batch stop early. Any jerky you eat within a couple of hours of it coming off of the smoker should feel a little underdone. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156/3 "2012-06-14T18:01:03Z")
I would not add more marinade, try lightly steaming a few pieces. Do you have a vegetable steamer or similar pan? Throw a few chunks in that first. I think that adding more salts, sugars and other flavors is not going to help. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156/4 "2012-06-14T18:04:16Z")
Don’t requests for medical advice go in IMHO? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156/5 "2012-06-14T18:15:35Z")
It \*was \* kinda underdone at first. I couldn’t stop eating it. Now, I wish I had gone for it and pigged out! Steaming is a good idea - I might try it with a few pieces and see what happens. I wasn’t really trying to add flavor so much as moisture, so your suggestion makes sense. Next stop: stew. (I’ve seen the Alton Brown episiode of “Good Eats” where he goes camping and uses jerky to make soup, so I can use that as a base.) ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rejuvinate-my-beef-jerky/625156/6 "2012-06-14T18:19:05Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > It \*was \* kinda underdone at first. I couldn’t stop eating it. This is the issue we have with beef jerky in our house. It takes longer to prepare than to consume no matter how large the batch is.