Watermelon Jerky
Intro: Watermelon Jerky
Ever wonder what dehydrated watermelon is like? Watermelon jerky is a great way to experience a condensed watermelon flavor, and is a great healthy snack!
For this recipe I used:
- 2 watermelons
- sea salt
Yup, thats it! This snack is super sweet, and treat that disappears quickly!
STEP 1: Tools Needed!
For this instructable I used the following kitchen tools:
- A dehydrator, with non-stick sheets, and a timer that shuts the dehydrator off when it's done
- A large sharp knife for chopping
- A good little paring knife for carving off rinds
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STEP 2: Cut the Watermelon
Everyone has a different approach to slicing a watermelon. I like to cut off one of the ends and then stand it up on its end, and start quartering the melon.
I cut it in half, then those halves in half - then make 1" slices.
The small pieces can get a little toasted in the dehydrator, so you may need to discard your ends.
STEP 3: Remove the Rind, Put on the Trays.
Take the rind of with a nice paring knife, and then use the chopping knife to get slices down to about 1/4" thick.
After they were on the trays, I decided to salt about 1/2 of the the watermelon I sliced up. Salted watermelon was one of my favorite treats as a kid, and I wanted to see what it would taste like once it turned into jerky.
STEP 4: Put in the Dehydrator
Each dehydrator is different. I used an Excalibur Dehydrator Model D900SHD, it has 9 trays, and is wicked awesome. I set it to dehydrate the Watermelon for 18 hours at 135ºF.
Try and time it so you can get a good nap in, and dream of great watermelon flavor.
STEP 5: Remove and Serve!
The watermelon is ready to be removed from the trays if they separate without sticking. If you have some that are still sticking to the trays, let them go for another few hours.
I separated the melon I had salted, from the sweet stuff - and put it to a taste test. The results came back 50/50 as to which one was better. I liked the salted melon a lot, because the unsalted melon was a bit too sweet.
Experiment with your own flavors, like chile and lime juice! Yum!!!
58 Comments
sylviahamilton 5 years ago
I used one of those cheap, round dehydrators for years (got it at good will). I used it till it just absolutely disintegrated! worked just fine, but I ended up investing in an excalibur dehydrator and now i use it to dehydrate just about Everything! I don't even can any more. Can't wait to try watermelon!
Xonk61 5 years ago
I've done this in the last few years, a watermelon is more than I can eat, my fridge is tiny, so I dehydrate the rest. I've given pieces to people who didn't imagine watermelon could be dehydrated, and let them guess what it is. I do mine without the sea salt, so they're very sweet once there's no water to dilute the natural sugars in it.
lbrewer42 9 years ago
I wonder if a car dashboard parked in the sun would not serve as a dehydrator for this?
Xonk61 5 years ago
keep it covered with a screen to keep bugs off, and leave windows down a little to let moisture out, it should work!
Bagman2014 10 years ago
spark master 5 years ago
Yes you can, leave door ajar with a wooden spoon in the doorway.
audreyobscura 10 years ago
Eacon 10 years ago
I too would be interested in a version for the oven. Anyone got any experience? I imagine something like 18 hours at 135ºF would work in a normal oven as well.
spark master 5 years ago
the issue with ovens is they are too hot so you turn them on as low as you can yjen put in tasties then close door but put a wooden spoon in doorway so it does not seal, this drops temp and lets out moisture. Sadly one can not keep on the turbo feature as it only goes on when the door is closed. This is how I did it in a gas oven.
An electric oven may be able to have a lower temperature.
Check out ancient editions of The Mother Earth News for plans on build them yourself. You can make very simple ones if need be.
I bought a 40 pound box of apples when I was in my late teens and did the whole box as well as 10 pounds of pear leather, (pear sauce on trays). Acid dips keep color, but brown is fine. My kid borrowed my dehydrator and won't give it back! Still, he back packs a bit so stuff like this is great.
oldmicah 10 years ago
KristiO3 8 years ago
Oven is fine just prop the door open @ the lowest setting. I've even attached a small fan to blow into the crack of the oven but not necessary.
kmyers6 9 years ago
mite long as temp 135 and oven has a fan its the fan that is doing the job more than heat.
KnittersSerendipity 5 years ago
What if you don’t have a dehydrator? Is there another way to dry fruit?
jannie.lloyd 5 years ago
I don't have a dehydrator but do have a poly tunnel that gets very hot. I dry cherries and other home grown fruits in there. If I can get hold of a watermelon I think I'll give it a go.
wrchael 5 years ago
I tried watermelon when I first got my dehydrator, I wasn't thrilled with the results but I cut them thinner and tried to made crispy chips. I was curious what the material between the melon and the dehydrator shelf is.
HowToBen 9 years ago
Watermelon is 90 percent water.
kdimock 9 years ago
i would love to know how to do this without a dehydrator. Any tips?
auntlala410 9 years ago
use your oven put it on just warm and it should get to the 135 degrees and then just keep checking on it. the tray maybe some kind of a screen type of tray
JustDaveN 9 years ago
An oven at it's lowest temp (usually the "Warm" setting, which is usually about 170) may do the trick.
Kinnishian 9 years ago
Crack open the oven to reduce the temperature a bit (depending on it's control system) but moreover to allow moisture to escape.
also check out "alton brown food dehydrator" on google.