# Tips for dehydrating meat in oven for treats?



## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

I don't have a dehydrator but I'd really like to start dehydrating meat for treats for the dogs because training treats are getting so expensive. Tips please!

What meat works best for you?
How do you cook it?
How do you prepare it - how do you cut it up and etc?
Any general tips?
Do you season it with anything?
Etc!

Thanks guys!


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Wonder if you would just follow a recipe for making beef (or other meat) jerky but not add the marinade to the meat if it has ingredients you wouldn't want your dog to eat (I mean, follow along with all the instructions for how to cut the meat, how long to dehydrate)
PS My brother made beef jerky once and said it was so much work


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## Capt Jack (Dec 29, 2011)

I have a dehydrator but I buy the cheapest meat the store has that has little or no fat(often London Broil).Slice wth the grain & for the dogs no seasoning they love it.For me I maranate in Allegro & bbq sauce no need to let the dogs have all the fun.LOL


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Valerie
I routinely make oatmeal peanut butter treats for Brooks. 
At Thanksgiving, I had that big turkey liver (that I didn't care to eat myself) so I cooked it in water, then pureed it up in the blender with the water and then used that puree as the moisture in the recipe I always use for treats (but left the peanut butter and honey out---I figured even a dog wouldn't think liver, honey and peanut butter went well together).
Treats Recipe
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 T oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup rolled oats
2 c flour
Mix together to make a dough (like a pie crust dough in consistency). Roll to desired thickness (1/2" fine) and cut into squares or other shapes. Bake at 350 for 15 min or til dried hard


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

I sun dry, I take the strips of meat, dip them in salt water, ( 10% salt, to limit microbial growth, although dogs are accustomed to the bacteria so you could reduce the salt a fair bit. And I hang them all on my clothes hangar (you should see the look on my neibors faces) the time it takes depends on the season. I feed tuco a raw diet so to save money il often buy game meat off hunters, I get a lot of elk, caribou, deer, and sometimes even goat. Your generally want lean cuts with both no intramuscular fat nor visible fat, beef is another good option along with all the game meats above, avoid pork and definately poultry. 


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## Sydney's Mom (May 1, 2012)

If you're going to dehydrate yourself, just make sure your boys are fine w/ richer foods. Sydney can eat Benny Bully's or freeze-dried treats all day. But a few pieces of dehydrated and she'll be up all night w/ the poos - I once made her TONS of liver and I had to throw it all out after.


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## CStrong73 (Jun 11, 2012)

I just tried this this weekend using a recipe from an organic dog treat cookbook. It was 1 lb ground turkey, 2 Tbsp olive oil & 1/4 tap garlic powder. Purer in food processor. Spread on cookie sheet lined with parchment. Put in oven at 200 with the door slightly ajar for 2 hours. Take out and cut up with pizza cutter. Turn over and put back in 1-2 more hours.

I think I made it too thick because its not 100% dried. But its supposed to be stored in the fridge anyway, and Rocket LOVES it. I made them tiny for training treats.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

My dehydrator says to do meats at 155 degrees. 

I find I prefer doing apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Sydney's Mom said:


> If you're going to dehydrate yourself, just make sure your boys are fine w/ richer foods. Sydney can eat Benny Bully's or freeze-dried treats all day. But a few pieces of dehydrated and she'll be up all night w/ the poos - I once made her TONS of liver and I had to throw it all out after.


I doubt that had anything to do with the fact that it was dehydrated, but the fact that it was liver. Liver is supposed to be introduced very slowly into a dog's diet.


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## Gold Digger (Sep 19, 2012)

If you go to dogtreatkitchen.com they have great recipes for treats. I always make dried sweet potatoes and chicken jerky. Actually have jerky in the oven now! it's extremely easy... Just slice chicken very thin and put it in the oven at 200F for 2 hours.


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Sydney's Mom said:


> If you're going to dehydrate yourself, just make sure your boys are fine w/ richer foods. Sydney can eat Benny Bully's or freeze-dried treats all day. But a few pieces of dehydrated and she'll be up all night w/ the poos - I once made her TONS of liver and I had to throw it all out after.


Lol liver is a laxative, in raw feeding you use it to balance out the bone, anything that can soften bony shits will be an owners worst nightmare as treats


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

Before I got a dehydrator, I routinely used the oven to make jerky treats for the dogs

I have a pretty old oven and the lowest setting is 200. I would set it at 200 degrees and leave the oven door slightly open. 
I used chicken, beef, liver, sweet potatoes, and turkey. It needs to be cooked on a rack so that the air can circulate around the meat. 
Make sure that the meat is as dry as possible. After I slice mine, I lay it out on paper towels before putting it on the drying racks. 
Best to do in the winter so that it will also heat your kitchen. 
I store mine in the freezer till I am ready to use them.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Thanks guys, this is awesome! Sometime this week I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes!


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

I don't like to cook them because it takes away a lot of nutrition I figure if your gonna treat them it should also be healthy


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I have an inexpensive Nesco dehydrator that I got several years ago at Bed Bath and Beyond. I dehydrate sweet potatoes, chicken and steak (really thin cheap cuts - $6 for a package) as my really good girl treats for going in your crate - she hates going in and for doing something really special. I dehydrate hot dogs for training treats. I cut them lenghtwide into quarters and then slice each one into 12-14 pieces. A package will last me all week at least. I put everything in at night and put it on high. Done in the morning.


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