I slice up the packages of ground beef into fingers, put them on my dehydrator screens, uncovered, exposed to as much air as possible, and I turn the fingers of ground beef to expose all sides. I don't fear rot, I welcome it. I've found that the key appears to be to make sure there is oxygen available during the rotting process. Plastic cuts off oxygen and promotes pathogenic bacteria, so never rot stuff in plastic packages or other plastic containers. Aajonus' main method is to use a glass jar and open the lid periodically. I think his method probably promotes more bacteria, since it keeps the meat moist, but it produces a smellier and less tasty product. I currently use both methods, in case Aajonus' does produce more healthful bacteria. I think the meat produced by my method is just "aged" meat, not high meat.
Aajonus apparently also uses the aging method by just putting meat on a plate exposed to air (and sunlight in cold climates). That's how I accidentally first aged some meat, by leaving it on the counter and forgetting about it and then finding the air-exposed side to be pleasantly crunchy/chewy and tasty. Using a plate instead of a screen is slower, because the underside stays moist and doesn't dry/age.
After a few days the aged meat aquires an interesting mustardy taste. I wouldn't say the flavor is better than fresh, just different, about equal, and the texture and crunchewiness of the crust is a mouth-feel improvement that also makes the beef nice and dry so I can hold it with my fingers.
I have dried jerky (thin slices of top round steak or liver) this way too and the product is also superior to the heat-dried method. (Note: I'm not big on the liver jerky because, as with steak jerky, it concentrates the flavor and I'm not yet big on the sweet taste of liver.) It's not surprising, since air-drying is how Native Americans make their jerky and is a gentler process. Luckily I live alone, so there's no one to gross out with the meat lying out all the time. When I have visitors I re-assemble the dehydrator to cover the meat. If they were staying long I might put the meat in the fridge on warm days, because it appears to get moist again when I cover it, even in the dehydrator.
