🔥 Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe: The Ultimate Snack! 🍖💪
The ultimate portable protein beef jerky was a staple of pioneers and adventurers and is enjoyed worldwide by many cultures. Its lightweight and highly nutritious nature makes it perfect for fueling up on the go. You can snack on this delicious food on the trail, traveling, or at work.
The tradition of preserving meat goes back thousands of years. Preserving meat in this fashion was widespread before refrigeration, as meat would spoil in only a few days at room temperature. However, if you could dry out your meat by smoking or placing it near a fire, it could be made to last much longer.
You don’t need any special equipment to make beef jerky, but there are some advantages to using a dehydrator versus an oven. For one, dehydrators offer a stable temperature and are less likely to over or under-dry the end product. Additionally, dehydrators have a built-in fan to help remove additional moisture. You can also use a convection oven to get the same effect.
It’s essential to remove as much moisture as possible to avoid spoilage. Another key to preserving meats is to remove as much fat as possible, as fat contains a lot of water, which can contribute to mold.
You will want to use lean cuts of beef like top or bottom round cuts of meat or eye of round roast. You can buy thine-cut steaks that are 1/8 to ¼ inches thick or slice a roast yourself. If you cut your own, one tip is to put the roast in the freezer for an hour and then slice it. Doing this firms up the meat, making it easier to slice it thin. Cut the roast against the grain when slicing to avoid chewy beef jerky.
Describe what the food should look or feel like at each stage.
A good beef jerky should last in an airtight container for up to a year or longer at room temperature, but this recipe is so good that it won’t last more than a few days before you eat it all.
Most jerky on grocery store shelves and in gas stations is loaded with sugar and other preservatives, artificial flavors, and other harmful chemicals. It could be a better option than ultra-processed protein bars, but it’s better for your gut not to consume these things when you can.
Even most homemade beef jerky recipes use ingredients that are not health-promoting, like sugar and artificial flavors. This recipe has none of that garbage and tastes better, too.
This is a basic recipe to introduce you to the practice of preserving meat, but you can mix it up and customize it to your particular tastes. Add some red pepper flakes and fresh ground black pepper if you like it spicy.
Many recipes call to marinate your beef before dehydration, and soy sauce is primarily used as a base for this. I try to avoid soy as much as possible due to its estrogenic properties, and I recommend you do the same; nevertheless, if you want to try marinating your beef to get another layer of flavor, try using coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Coconut aminos do contain sugar, but it’s in a more natural state than cane sugar.
Try using balsamic vinaigrette, pineapple, juice, and some of my beloved coconut aminos for a totally unique flavor experience. Marinate your beef for an hour or even overnight in the fridge. Beef jerky tends to be dryer in Mexico, and it’s a popular practice to add lemon juice and tajin to this style of beef jerky to moisten it and add some spice to it.
There is more than just beef jerky. Turkey, chicken, and even pork jerky are options, but using these meats presents a greater challenge due to their low and higher fat ratios.
The key to making jerky that lasts is getting all the moisture out. One tip is to use a fan to completely dry your jerky before you store it.
Beef jerky is a convenient snack that you can take with you when you’re on the go and enjoy anytime you need some vital protein.
Beef Jerky Recipe
| Nutritional Facts: (Per Serving)Calories 317Protein 50gFat 11gTotal Carbohydrates 0g |
Difficulty Level: 1 Meatball
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 Hours
Servings: 6
3 pounds of lean beef, sliced thin, against the grain (1/8 and 1/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon of fine salt
Pre heat your oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dry the beef with a paper towel.
Sprinkle salt on both sides of the beef slices and place them on a baking sheet or baking rack
Bake at 175 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-4 hours, flipping the slices over every hour to ensure even drying.
Check your beef at the 3 hour mark to determine if it is done. Do this by taking a piece out of the oven and letting it cool for a few minutes. It should be dry to the touch, leather-like in appearance, and chewy but still somewhat tender.
If it’s not done put it back and check it every 30 minutes.
Once your beef jerky is dehydrated, dry off any moisture that may have accumulated on the meat and let it cool on your counter top for at least an hour before storing it in an air tight container.