Method and apparatus for drying food item

The apparatus for curing a food item comprising:

• a closed environmental control system having an internal sealable curing chamber;
• a vacuum pump communicably connected to the internal sealable curing chamber and configured for creating a vacuum in the internal sealable curing chamber, and said vacuum pump is controllable to maintain the vacuum for a time sufficient to achieve a predetermined moisture content for a selected food item;
• a closed heat transfer system configured to direct heated fluid into the internal sealable curing chamber by convection through an inlet port in fluid communication with the internal sealable curing chamber and where the closed heat transfer system is configured to pull spent fluid from the internal sealable curing chamber through an outlet port thereby elevating a temperature within the curing chamber concurrently with the vacuum;
• a scale operatively attached to a support structure for the food item for measuring a weight of the food item and having a weight signal transmitter transmitting a weight signal representative of the weight of the food item;
• a temperature sensor operatively positioned for detecting a food item temperature and having a temperature signal transmitter transmitting a temperature signal representative of the temperature of the food item;
• and
• a controller configured to control the closed heat transfer system and the vacuum pump for adjusting the temperature within the curing chamber based upon and responsive to receiving the weight signal for the food item and the temperature signal food item.