Homemade Beef Jerky Made Easy

Homemade Beef Jerky Made Easy

  Orginal source: My Man`s Belly

Homemade Beef Jerky RecipeIngredients

• 1 1/2 – 2 Pounds of London Broil (or other piece of lean beef like eye of round – the cheap cuts of beef)  ( or venison)

• 1/3 Cup Orange Juice ( try using  freshly made or even apple pulp- soft boiled)

• 1/3 Cup Bourbon ( omitted)

• 1/3 Cup Honey( replaced with agave syrup)

• 3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

• 2 Tablespoons Chipotle Powder (or less if you don’t want that much heat)  ( omitted, see below)

• 1 Large or 2 Small Cloves of Garlic  ( added more)

• 1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

( I also added some soy sauce and Worcester sauce, some cayenne pepper, onion powder)

Directions

Make a paste out of the garlic by chopping it then sprinkling a tablespoon of the kosher salt onto it.  Using the side of your knife, run the edge back and forth over the garlic and salt.Add all of the ingredients (except for the meat) into a one gallon zip top bag.Remove any excess fat from the meat (and discard it).  Add the meat to the mixture in the bag.  Having extra fat on the meat will prolong the drying time and will cause the jerky to go rancid more quickly.Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.  Work the marinade with your hands so that it gets mixed up and coats the meat.  (Most recipes tell you to slice your meat before putting it into the marinade.  I like having more of the beef flavor in the jerky.  With this method, the marinade penetrates about 1/8″ into the meat leaving the center of the jerky with more of the beef flavor.)Refrigerate overnight.  Turn the bag over halfway through the marinating process so that both sides sit in the marinade evenly.Remove the meat from the marinade and slice, against the grain, 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick slices.Put the slices back into the marinade for two hours and refrigerate.Remove the slices from the marinade and lay them out into a single layer on the racks of your dehydrator.Set the temperature to 165 degrees Farenheit and dry for 6 – 8 hours.  You’ll need to check periodically to see how your meat is drying.  ( I use dehydrator )Once done, place the strips into a zip top bag.Your jerky should last 2 weeks at room temperature or at least a month refrigerated.* I have not tried making jerky using the oven method, but if you click on the Michael Ruhlman link you’ll find his instructions for the oven drying method