DYI: Homemade Beef Jerky I've always loved beef jerky but it gets expensive fast. Even if you buy the cheap stuff (which lets face it, it's not the best tasting stuff in the world either) it's still not that cheap. So I finally started making my own beef jerky at home. I originally read a bunch of different recipes and everyone had a different version, so I just took a little information from a bunch of sources, added some of my favorite spices and kinda made my own recipe which I'll post here. Keep in mind, this is the version I came up with, don't be afraid to try other stuff and see what you like. Also you can always make a bigger batch by doing a little math to make the correct amount of marinade for the meat.
Chop meat into 1/8" thick strips at lengths less than 8" long and toss into a pile or the bowl you will use for soaking it in. Add the marinade to the bowl and cover with clear wrap. Soak the meat 8 hours or overnight in the fridge. Next Day: Remove the strips from the bowl and stab a toothpick through an end of each strip. Line the bottom of your stove with aluminum foil. I usually place one rack on the lowest level and line that rack with the foil. Raise the other rack to the highest or second highest level. At this point you can turn your stove on to 150-170F. Start hanging the strips of meat from the top rack. To make things easier, slide the rack out a little and start from the rear left and work your way to the right and forward. Should be able to fit quite a bit in a full size oven. I've been able to cook about 4lbs of meat at once and had a little extra room left over. At this point close the over, set the timer for about 4 hours. This can vary depending on how thin you actually cut the meat, the exact type of meat you decided to use, etc. So check it after 3 hours or so and see how it is doing. You want it to by dry where there is little to no moisture, but don't want it crispy or burnt. Once the meat is dried / cooked to your preference, turn off the oven and let it cool for a couple minutes. A little trick I've found to save time is just shake the oven rack which will cause all of the jerky to drop onto the foil below, then pickup the foil and move it to the counter. Remove all of the toothpicks, let cool completely and enjoy! I also add a little extra coarse pepper on top at this point because I love pepper. I hope you get a chance to make and enjoy some homemade beef jerky. I've found that it cost me about 1/3 the cost to make my own and it is actually much more flavorful than store bought jerky as well as more satisfying.
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Tactical-BushcrafterI'm an avid outdoorsman who enjoys a good mix of primitive bushcrafting skills and modern tactical gear and survival equipment. Archives
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