The short answer: slice a lean cut of meat about 1/4-inch thick, leave the seasoning out entirely, and dry it at 160°F or higher until it cracks when you bend it. That's it. No marinade, no salt, no garlic — just meat. Done right, homemade jerky is a single-ingredient treat you can feel good about, and it's the same principle we build every product at Bully Sticks Central around.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. We've been in the single-ingredient chew business long enough to know that the fewer things you put in a treat, the fewer things can go wrong. Here's how I'd do it in your kitchen.
What meat should you use for dog jerky?
Lean is the rule. Fat doesn't dehydrate — it goes rancid, and it's the main reason a homemade batch spoils early. Good choices:
- Beef: eye of round, top round, or flank. Trim every bit of visible fat.
- Chicken or turkey breast: boneless, skinless.
- Organ meat: beef liver and heart dry beautifully and are nutrient-dense. Feed in smaller amounts.
- Sweet potato: not meat, but it makes a great chewy strip for dogs who need a lower-protein option.
Buy the best meat you can. We source our chews from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms because the input quality is the product quality — the same is true of anything you make at home.
What do you leave out?
Almost everything. Most human jerky recipes are built on ingredients that are a bad idea for dogs:
- Onion and garlic (including powders) — both are toxic to dogs. The ASPCA lists them among foods to avoid feeding pets.
- Salt — dogs don't need it, and too much causes sodium ion poisoning.
- Soy sauce, teriyaki, Worcestershire — salt plus onion and garlic, usually both.
- Xylitol — in any sweetener. It's severely toxic to dogs.
- Black pepper, chili, spice blends — irritating, and pointless. Your dog cares about the meat.
Plain meat isn't a compromise. It's the whole point.
How do you actually dry it?
1. Slice thin and even. About 1/4 inch. Firm the meat in the freezer for 30–45 minutes first — it slices far more cleanly. Cut with the grain for chewy strips, against it for jerky that breaks apart more easily.
2. Hit a safe temperature. This is the step people skip. Drying alone doesn't kill pathogens. The USDA's guidance on jerky and food safety is to bring meat to an internal temperature of 160°F (165°F for poultry) before or during drying. The simplest route: dry at 160°F+ the whole time, or precook the strips briefly and then dehydrate.
3. Dehydrator: single layer, no overlap, 160°F for 4–8 hours depending on thickness.
4. Oven: lowest setting (usually 170°F), strips on a wire rack over a sheet pan, oven door propped open an inch with a wooden spoon so moisture escapes. Expect 3–6 hours.
5. Know when it's done. Bend a cooled strip. It should crack but not snap clean in half. Still bendy and soft means more moisture — and more moisture means mold.
How long does homemade dog jerky keep?
Less time than you'd think, because you left out the preservatives — that's the trade. Airtight container at room temperature: about a week. Fridge: two to three weeks. Freezer: a few months. Check every batch before you feed it. If you see fuzz or catch a sour smell, throw the whole batch out. Don't pick around it.
Is homemade jerky worth the effort?
Sometimes yes. You control the ingredients completely, you can match a dog's dietary needs, and it's satisfying work. But be honest about the tradeoffs: it takes hours of oven time, spoils quickly, and getting the food safety right matters more than the recipes on the internet let on. There's also a reason to be cautious about jerky generally — the FDA has investigated jerky pet treat illnesses for years, primarily tied to imported products. Knowing your source, whether it's your own kitchen or ours, is the actual safeguard.
The honest version: homemade jerky is a fun weekend project, not a treat program. Most people make a batch or two and go back to buying. That's fine — just buy carefully.
What we make instead
Our chews come out of the same thinking, minus your oven. Every one is 100% natural, single-ingredient, 100% real meat, fully digestible, with no rawhide — ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms and 100% high-quality guaranteed.
- If the appeal of homemade is knowing exactly what's in it, start with our take on single-ingredient chews — same philosophy, longer shelf life.
- For a longer-lasting chew than any jerky strip, bully sticks are the workhorse.
- If you want something light and easy on the stomach, trachea treats are a good place to look.
Whatever you land on — homemade or ours — read the ingredient list. If it's longer than one line, ask why.
This post was last updated at July 23, 2026 19:58
