I've been following the lengthy flamewar over
germ theory and raw-meat consumption, so I thought I'd
comment that when I prepare meat for making jerky,
I usually marinate it in whatever extra flavor I want
to go with the meat (usually a bit of salt, maybe a
pinch of pepper or Thai curry paste). I also stir
in a teaspoon or so of ascorbic acid (aka Vitamin C),
which in solution is a potent antibacterial and
antiviral agent -- and of course is edible, a
preservative and a vital nutrient most people don't
get enough of anyway.

Pasteur may have recanted on his deathbed ("Beauchamp
was right"), and I do agree that the American
Lysol-and-Listerine anti-germ mania probably does
more harm than good. With "naturally" disinfected
but enzymatically intact dried meat, I don't have to
worry about being totally in the pink when I reach
for a hunk of jerky.

I don't know the efficacy of this technique against
organisms like worms and macroparasites -- maybe the
"freeze the heck out of it" method would work in
combination therewith.

BTW jerky really is a good way to consume raw (tho
dried) meat without taking on too many ingrained
food taboos.

Also, for you N. Americanos, the American Harvester
brand of food dryer works well on the highest temp
setting, 150-155F (65-68 C) does the trick overnight.
Haven't used the Mr.Coffee; sounds poorly designed
with no variable setting available.

-off-topic-
((Maybe the poor kids who ate those E-Coli burgers
were not very well, hadn't been breastfed as infants,
had recently had their shots, consumed the stomach
acid-neutralizing milk or milkshakes etc -- none of
the things that the CDC investigated because they
subscribe to the "virulant germ" theory.))

Just my two bucks' worth (inflation, you know).