How do I use potassium sorbate on dried meats...

[paul1979]

I am making beef jerky and other dried meats and want to use potassium sorbate to help preserve it. The questions are as follows;

1.) A lot of the potassium sorbate I find is for home brewing, is this okay to use?

2.) As it will be powered form and need making into a solution, how do I go about applying this to the meat? Before baking in the oven? Spread it over after? :)

Or is there a better way to help keep dried meats preserved?

Thanks people!
Paul.

[MKG]

I can't find any application at all for the use of sorbate BEFORE meat is dried or cured. After that, it seems to be a matter of dipping the already-preserved meat into a 2.5% solution of sorbate to inhibit mould growth.

Mike

[paul1979]

Thanks Mike,

Kind of what I assumed, although I was concerned that dipping dried meat into a solution would just be wetting it again... if you catch my drift.. or am I being silly? :) I mean the meat will be vacuum packed anyway, just want to help extend the ole shelflife.

Danke,
Paul.

[MKG]

Yeah - it's particular use is for cured sausage which, having a skin, sort of makes sense for a dipping process. But I would have thought that as long as the jerky (for instance) isn't allowed to sit in the solution and is then air-dried as quickly as possible, things should be OK. But I'm no expert.

Mike

[paul1979]

Well I am going to contact some small producers of jerky and see what they say. Just need to know if the PS used in Homebrewing is okay to use in cooking, assume it is as it's all going in the belly :)