Nesco FD-28JX JerkyXpress Food Dehydrator with Accessories for Beef Jerky, 4 Trays, White

I bought one of these in early October 2013 to make treats for my dogs - no more "made in China" for me. I went with the lower priced dehydrator thinking I wouldn't really be making a lot of jerky etc. but boy, was I wrong. I've made several batches of sweet potatoes, one batch of chicken jerky, lots and lots of beef jerky, several batches of banana chips (sliced bananas) and some apples. AND, for myself, pineapple slices. I don't do a thing to the meat, bananas, or pineapple but I did learn I much prefer to bake the potatoes first. The meat is put in a 250º oven for 1 hour as given in the instructions to be sure you don't have any problems with anything "bad". For the meat I buy thin slices at the store (generally sold for Italian or German dishes) and then cut them crossways into strips about 1 inch wide. (A friend said they bought fajita sliced meat - both beef and chicken rather than slicing it themselves and it worked very well.) I can fit about 2 # beef on the 5 trays that came with the dehydrator. Because I've dealt with beef from two different stores and one is sliced thinner the drying time takes 10 - 13 hours plus the hour in the oven. Be SURE to buy the leanest beef. I think I eat about as much of this as I give to the dogs. I store it in a container in the refrigerator. Because it's easier to break off pieces of the jerky if it's slightly "crispy" I dry mine a little more than most people might. Also easier for our Chihuahua to chew up if it isn't too chewy. The bananas are simply sliced about 1/4 inch thick, placed on the drying racks and dried. Again, I want them on the crisp side so they're easy to carry in my pocket for a training treat. Our Australian Terrier LOVES them. Apples were cored then sliced (I left the peel on) about 1/4 inch thick - no treatment. I do want to try doing the apples "french fry" style using my mandolin next time. I didn't get the apples "crisp" (over dry) because I wanted them a little chewy. Yes, the bananas and apples brown a little bit, but certainly not much and I definitely prefer that to anything treated. Slightly under ripe bananas work best. I store them in a Rubbermaid container on the counter. Sweet potatoes are very easy - I tried them unbaked but they were really hard and unappealing so I baked the next batch, cooled them in the fridge overnight and then peeled them (the peel slips right off), sliced them about 1/4 inch thick and dried them about 10 - 12 hours until they were dry but still "pliable" and not too crispy. Our terrier LOVES them and enjoys having something a little chewy. The red or bright "orange" look best dried. I did some of the yellow variety and while the dog didn't seem to care, I thought they looked blah and uninviting so I will stick to the brighter colored varieties. I store them in a Rubbermaid container on the counter. The pineapple I did for ME - I love dried pineapple but all I've found for years that has been for sale has been sweetened. I took out the core and sliced it about 1/4 inch thick. It took about 13 hours to dry and still be pliable. It did get a little sticky (maybe I needed to dry it just a tad more) but I keep it in the refrigerator and there is no problem. It's slightly chewy, tart / sweet and absolutely delicious. Next time I'm going to slice it a little bit thicker even if it takes a little longer to dry as it did shrink up quite a bit. I got a jerky gun but haven't used it because I wanted to use the sliced beef so I loaned the gun to a friend who has used it with hamburger and ground chicken. I've seen pieces of her jerky and they are very evenly made. They didn't use any seasoning at all with their meat. All in all I'm extremely pleased with this product. I think I've given it a good workout over the past few months and haven't had any problems. It's easy to clean - a big plus with me. It's also not overly bulky so it can sit nicely on the counter top when in use. I don't think it's loud when operating but you can hear the motor humming away.

This kit is easy to use and easy to clean (just throw everything in the dishwasher). The motor noise can be annoying so I set it up before I go to bed and let it run overnight. I can't hear it from my bedroom. The jerky comes out cruncy and easy to chew. I don't get much stuck in my teeth like I do with store-bought jerky. The flavor packets are pretty good, except the teriyaki doesn't taste like much of anything. The hot and spicy is very hot (I think it's just a packet of curry powder), but still very good. By the time you use up the seasoning packets, the unit will have paid for itself. Each pound of beef gives you a sandwich bag filled to capacity with jerky. I figure the kit plus the 5lbs. of 93% lean meat costs about as much as buying the equivalent amount of jerky that it made. (Most of the jerky you find in stores still have moisture in them somehow; they're heavy. They rip you off by selling by weight.) I am going to experiment with seasoning the beef myself, but I will also be buying more of the seasoning packets because they're cheap and easy.

My husband is a hunter. He bought this so we could try our hand at making our own deer jerky. Let me just say, we will never pay a processor to make jerky again. The seasonings that came with it are great, and they are also a learning tool so you can learn the steps of adding cure and seasoning so that you can try your own recipes with curing salt and the seasonings you have in your cabinet already. The jerky gun it comes with is also really handy and easy to use and clean. This machine runs a couple times a week for most of the winter and spring, until we run out of ground venison. I think this is going on it's 3rd season and its running like a champ. I have also dried plenty of fruits with it and it worked great for that as well. I was just thinking how awesome it was and decided to come back and write this review for anyone questioning if it's a solid buy or not. In my opinion it is money well spent.

Nice machine, but a pain to clean. But I'm sure that's the case with most cheaper dehydrators. The meat gun that came with it is very cheaply made. It will not last. It broke while doing my 2nd batch of jerky. Went and bought a steel tube gun from scheels. But the dehydrator is doing it's job. Probably takes a couple hours longer than. High end models but this is a decent one especially for the money

Works pretty well. The fan is a bit loud so I'd suggest running it in an area of the house away from where you hang out. Not sure how much electricity this thing uses but I fear it may be up there as the whole mechanism is essentially a blow dryer on low. You have to keep this thing on for at least 5 hours (or more depending on conditions). Included jerky spices ratings: Hot/Spicy is pretty much as it says. 4 out of 5 stars Teriyaki was nasty. I don't know if I just got a bad packet or what, but even my dog doesn't like it. Ended up throwing it away. 0 out of 5 stars. Pepperoni flavor is "meh", it has a strange black licorice-like after taste. 1 out of 5 stars. Original is a winner. Will be ordering more of this for sure. 5 out of 5 stars. I'm using 96%/4% ground beef from the local Wal-Mart (sells it for $4-5$/lb). The manual says to blot out any fat accumulating on the jerky but I've noticed that 96/4 pretty much leaves no fat to mop up. Clean up is pretty easy overall except for the tubular nozzles. These are kind of a pain to clean. I'm using some Q-tips to clean within them.

i made my first batch of beef jerky with this dehydrator today. it took almost 6 hours with all 4 racks filled. i used the cajun spice pack which has a bit of a kick to it. i spent a good deal of time in southern texas so it was perfect to me. the machine was easy to use as well as easy to clean and the jerky is very good.its a great product for those who want to do smaller batches of jerky and with added trays of course you can make bigger batches. i read reviews about the gun breaking and the racks too. were these people using power tools to clean them? the gun worked perfectly and with ease. its a nice little jerky maker.

First off, I purchased the reboxed one. It arrived without the jerky gun, but Amazon offered a partial refund, so I'm satisfied with that. The dehydrator itself has worked very well, and I am quite pleased with it, especially considering how much cheaper it was than the other dehydrators. I used it to dehydrate several peeled sliced pears. I don't mind the fan at all. In fact, I prefer it to the convection-only ones because I feel like it's doing more dehydrating, less cooking. Plus, if my meat drips while dehydrating, the simple bottom tray of this one is much easier to clean than other models.(The fan is in the top middle as opposed to the convection model my friend has with the heating elements under the trays) Alton Brown has instructions on making your own jerky at home including a setup with a fan. I figure if Alton Brown uses a fan-based dehydrator, then that's probably the way to go. ;-) Anyway, I haven't gotten around to making jerky in it, but I was quite pleased with the fruit I dried in it.

Made jerky and have been making jerky since I got it. This thing works very well and easy to clean as long as you clean it when your done don’t give the juices and marinade time to dry and cake on the grates. I have my own recipe with a lot of ingredients I use and let the meat marinade for 24 hours and I could sell this stuff it comes out so good. I haven’t used the packets that came with it nor the gun yet. I suggest buying from Walmart (Milanesa) meat! It’s beef already cut and packaged in perfect slices. All you have to do is cut them in however big strips you want. Works perfect! Thank me later! I posted a pic of the meat I don’t have any after pics it doesn’t last in the house with family. I have some on right now in the machine may post pics later if I remember. Update pic: After results! Caribbean jerky.

Definitely giving this a 5 Star. I received this on Thursday and have made 3 batches of beef jerky already. Every time they turned out pervect. My fiancé and best friend love it- as do I. I told my dad all about it and how great it was he ordered himself one! We will be making large batches together in the future and looking forward to giving it to our friends and family as gifts. The gun is a bit cheap and I thought it didn’t work at first but if you look straight at it there is a small bump that was caught to allow the gun to squeeze out the meat. I just used a knife to push it through and after that Worked perfect. I can’t get over how easy it is to make it. I’ve already ordered two more trays and more seasoning too! Also looking forward to trying out some fruits and veggies- and even dog treats! Definitely worth the price!!! Andrea

Used a few times already for drying fruits, sweet potatoes and tofu. Kept running overnight, and the food was ready in the morning. Super simple and works really well!

Does what it should! Like it as a beginner! Two bags of spice where cut so didn't use them. Other than that the sound is kind of disturbing but I feel like it is legit for what it does! Finally, it is very simple to use. Thanks!

I like it however I did end up returning it since the fixed temp is too high for most foods. Will definitely buy another nesco, probably the snackmaster would be a better choice. Arrived with a lot of red skid marks but I'm sure it's just packaging. I had no problem returning it.

I love this, the ground beef jerky i made tasted amazing , gave a bunch out for Christmas presents when i made my first big batch no complaints, not an overly loud unit either, great bang for your buck!