Beef jerky strips in an air fryer
Marinated — the short answer
70°C (158°F) for 300–420 min
- For
- 500g in total, about 6mm at the thickest point
- In
- Multicooker with air fry, single layer, pieces not touching
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Check
- Bends and cracks along the fold rather than snapping cleanly
- Safety
- Plug an air fryer directly into a wall socket. Do not run one from an extension lead. Full rule below.
Five to seven hours at 70°C for 6mm strips marinated overnight.
Marinated
The quick answer
70°C (158°F) for 300–420 min
Strip thickness, for published 6mm slices marinated overnight.
- Assuming
- 500g in total, about 6mm at the thickest point
- In
- Multicooker with air fry
- Loaded
- Single layer, pieces not touching
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Result
- Cooked but dry
Preparation
Cut into 6mm slices across the grain and marinated overnight, then patted dry. No oil.
No oil needed.
How to load the basket
Single layer, pieces not touching. The reference condition. Air reaches every surface, and times are the shortest the food will achieve.
How to tell it is done
- Bends and cracks along the fold rather than snapping cleanly
- No moist patch in the middle when torn
Where these figures came from — marinated
- Applies to
- Specific to this model
- Why this rating
- A published dehydrating row with a stated slice thickness, which is the only variable that materially moves a drying time. The manufacturer's booklet states separately that the appliance does not preheat in this mode.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-13
What this does not cover
- Published by the manufacturer for this appliance. It is evidence about this machine and is not general advice.
- Dehydrating removes water without cooking. Nothing here is a cooking time and none of these figures brings food to a safe temperature.
- Dehydrating does not bring meat to a safe temperature. This is a texture instruction only, and jerky made from raw meat is not covered by any food-safety rule in this catalogue.
Sources (1)
Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK — Inspiration Guide and cooking charts (PDF)
SharkNinja Europe Limited — Manufacturer cooking chart (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: The temperature, time and quantity for beef jerky strips.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-08-13 from argos-support.co.uk
Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 735/0124, published alongside the instruction booklet as a second document.
What usually goes wrong
Uneven drying across the batch, because strips cut by hand are never all the same thickness and drying time scales steeply with it. Slicing against the grain also decides whether the result is chewable or leathery.
Running the appliance safely
These apply to every food and every air fryer, so they are here once rather than repeated under each state above. They come from Electrical Safety First, from UK product-safety notices and from the manufacturers’ own manuals.
- Plug an air fryer directly into a wall socket. Do not run one from an extension lead.
- An unusual smell, an unusual noise, or scorch marks on the plug mean stop using it and contact the manufacturer.
- Do not overfill. Food touching the heating element is a fire risk, not a cooking problem.
- White smoke from fatty food is usually normal. Black smoke means unplug it immediately.
- Do not leave an air fryer running unattended.
- Leave clear space above and around the appliance, and never cover the air intake or the outlet.
- Aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter on starchy foods such as chips and roast potatoes, rather than a darker brown.
- Buy from a reputable retailer rather than a third-party marketplace seller.
- Clean the drawer, the plate and the element after use. Accumulated grease is what smokes, and then what burns.
- Register the appliance with its manufacturer. It is how a recall reaches you.
- Do not rely on the appliance's own thermal protection. A UK recall was issued because it did not operate.
Each links to its own page, with what it means in practice, what to do if it has already happened, and the source it comes from. Every safety rule AirfryerHQ holds.
Why beef behaves this way
A steak in an air fryer is a compromise: moving hot air browns a surface well but not as fast or as hard as a pan, so the centre gains temperature during the time the crust takes to form. Thickness therefore decides whether air frying is the right tool at all — thick cuts do well, thin ones overcook before they colour.
Where to go from here
The pages that answer the questions this one tends to raise.
- How food actually gets crispyWhy patting it dry, spacing it out and a little oil are all the same instruction — so you can apply it when a page runs out.
- Why published timings differIf another chart says something else, this is usually why — and which one to believe.
Easily confused with
- Chicken jerky strips — A different cooking problem with a different answer.