Beef Jerky

Go to foodtv.com and search for “Beef Jerky”. Look for the entry from Alton Brown and the Good Eats episode. It contains all the information you need to make wonderful beef jerky!

This is the recipe I found, I’ve never tried it but from the ratings and reviews seems to be a good one;

4 pounds round steak
4 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/3 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 pinches salt
1 teaspoon dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Cut meat into strips no thicker than 1/4 inch. In a large bowl, mix together onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, salt and Italian seasoning. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and pepper sauce. Place meat into a container, and combine with marinade. Cover, and refrigerate 24 hours.
Place oven rack on the highest level. Place aluminum foil on bottom of oven to catch drips. Preheat oven to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C).
Insert round toothpicks through the tops of the strips of meat, and hang them from the oven rack. Bake in preheated oven for 4 hours, or until dried to desired consistency.

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My mom always used flank steak, cut thick. She would freeze for about an hour & then cut across the grain into very thin strips. She then soaked them in a marinade with garlic, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt & a few other things. She never wrote the recipe down unfortunately.

Alton Brown does have a great recipe & method of making it. I plan to try it soon.

Beef Jerky

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
8 hr 0 min
Cook Time:
12 hr 0 min

Level:
Difficult

Serves:
10 to 12 ounces

1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Special Equipment: 1 box fan, 4 paper air-conditioning filters, and 2 bungee cords

Trim the flank steak of any excess fat, place in a zip-top bag, and place it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours in order to firm up.

Remove the steak from the freezer and thinly slice the meat with the grain, into long strips.

Place the strips of meat along with all of the remaining ingredients into a large, 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag and move around to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Place the bag into the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours.

Remove the meat from the brine and pat dry. Evenly distribute the strips of meat onto 3 of the air filters, laying them in the grooves and then stacking the filters on top of one another. Top these with 1 empty filter. Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright, plug in and set to medium. Allow the meat dry for 8 to 12 hours. If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Once dry, store in a cool dry place, in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.