This study investigated the effects of drying methods, namely freeze-drying and vacuum-drying, and heating plate temperature (20 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C) on the drying kinetics, specific energy consumption, proximate chemical composition, colour, peroxide value, pH and cutting force of beef eye of round muscle, pork loin, and chicken fillet. Drying time ranged from 360 min for pork loin freeze-dried at 60 °C to 1050 min for beef eye of round muscle vacuum-dried at 20 °C, and freeze-drying was generally faster than vacuum-drying at the corresponding temperature settings. Among the tested models, the logarithmic model provided the best fit to changes in the moisture ratio, with R2 values of 0.9972–0.9997 and RMSE values of 0.0053–0.0151. Increasing the drying temperature reduced the specific electrical energy consumption per kilogram of dried product in both drying methods, which was associated with shorter drying times at higher temperatures. Fat and protein contents did not differ significantly in products dried at 20 °C and 40 °C, but decreased at 60 °C, reaching 8.85–12.26 g/100 g d.m. and 76.16–79.86 g/100 g d.m., respectively. Drying also affected lipid oxidation and pH. At 20 °C and 40 °C, changes in peroxide value were moderate, whereas at 60 °C lipid oxidation markedly increased, especially in chicken meat and vacuum-dried samples. Both drying methods reduced pH compared with the raw material, with the greatest decrease observed at 60 °C, particularly after vacuum-drying. The highest L* value among dried samples was recorded for chicken fillet freeze-dried at 20 °C (85.44), whereas the lowest was observed on the surface of beef eye of round muscle vacuum-dried at 60 °C (41.98). Increasing temperature decreased lightness and redness but increased yellowness and cutting force. Cutting force ranged from 35.7 N for chicken fillet freeze-dried at 20 °C and cut across the fibres to 231.4 N for beef eye of round muscle vacuum-dried at 60 °C and cut along the fibres. These results indicate that the drying method and temperature strongly affect the quality attributes of dried meat and should be selected according to the desired product characteristics. Future studies should focus on the optimisation of drying parameters for specific meat types and include a broader quality assessment, particularly microbiological safety and sensory properties.