Dehydration, while bad for the body, is actually helpful for food preservation. Dehydration involves removing all of the water from a particular food, such as meat or fruit. This allows you to keep certain foods fresh, without refrigeration--i.e. for camping. When you're ready to eat, simply re-hydrate the food by replacing the water you removed. Some foods, like beef jerky, are intended to remain dehydrated; however, if your jerky is too dry or you simply want to use it as fresh meat, you can re-hydrate it the same way you would other foods. Here's how.
Step 1: Place beef jerky in a pan.
Step 2: In a separate pot or kettle, bring water to a boil; (1 cup of water per 1 cup of jerky).
Step 3: Pour the boiling water over the jerky and let sit.
Step 4: Remove the beef jerky from the pan when it reaches the desired texture. If you wish to completely re-hydrate the jerky, leave it in the pan for up to 4 hours
Note: refrigerate the jerky and water if you plan to let it soak for longer than 2 hours.