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So I bet a lot of you get tired of eating nuts for a snack when on the go, I know I sure do! I have a freezer full of amazing grass fed beef and a lot of times I just don’t know what to do with some of the economical cuts. So today I am going to share with you this amazing beef jerky recipe and also show you how easy it is to make your own beef jerky right out of your home. Jerky does not need to be refrigerated so this makes for a great protein packed snack that is great to take on the run. Add a piece of fruit and you have a wonderful balanced snack.
So there are several things I want to mention first. Try to get your hands on some grass fed meat, but if you can’t then organic is your next best option. For this recipe you can use eye of round or round steak, and flank steak. If this is your first time making jerky then I would recommend using flank steak. It is a long cut of meat and it is easy to see the grain of the meat, which will make this process a lot easier for you as I will show you later in the recipe.
The other thing I want to mention is that you can use soy sauce (which is fermented soy), or you can use liquid aminos or coconut aminos. I will put a link below on where you can purchase some liquid aminos. It is great for stir fry recipes and other recipes that call for soy sauce. If you are looking for a soy free jerky then try Coconut Secret Raw Organic Vegan Coconut Aminos 8 Fl Oz. This recipe also has worcestershire sauce. Be sure to buy the “all natural” Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce because it is the only one that I could find that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it. If you find another brand that has healthy ingredients then that is fine to use that as well.
Finally I want to talk to you about a dehydrator. I will put a link at the end of this post showing you where you can purchase a dehydrator. Now there are all sorts of price points out there….but for me the important factor was price. I spent around $65 and I love it. I use it for my soaked nuts/crispy nuts, to make sweet potato chips (recipe to come), for this beef jerky recipe, and for many other recipes that I will share in the upcoming months. So in my opinion, you don’t have to spend a lot (some of these dehydrators are around $500) to get a quality product.
So lets get to this recipe. It really is quite easy, it just takes some time to marinate and then to dehydrate it, but your efforts are well worth it when you taste the finished product!
The first thing you want to do is get a 1 1/2-2 pound flank steak. It is best to have the steak partially frozen, it will make it much more easier to cut thin strips. If your meat is not frozen, place it into the freezer for about 45 minutes and then pull it out and cut your meat then. You want to cut the meat along the grain. Cut in 1/8 inch thick strips. If using a flank steak your strips will be about 8-12 inches long, but very thin. If you are using a round steak (like I did for this recipe), you will have shorter strips of meat, but still 1/8 inch thick. Here is what your meat should look like once it is cut up.
Now put together your marinade by placing the following into a small bowl. 2/3 cup soy sauce or liquid aminos, 2/3 cup “all natural” worcestershire sauce (make sure it is “all natural”, they do not use high fructose corn syrup in the “all natural” version, 1 tbsp raw honey (melted slightly), 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tbsp of liquid smoke. Mix together well. Place the meat into a gallon size plastic bag or a dish and pour the marinade on top of meat and seal up. Place in refrigerator for 3-6 hours. I marinated mine for 3 hours and it was just right, and wasn’t to salty.
After you are done marinating your meat, take the meat out of the marinade and place on a paper towel. Blot the meat to dry it off a bit. Line the meat on your individual trays of your dehydrator or if you do not have a dehydrator then you can put them on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven. Dehydrate the beef pieces for 4-8 hours or until desired consistency. I dehydrated mine at 165 F for 4 hours and it was perfect.
If you are using the oven, turn the meat over every hour. Place the temperature as low as your oven will go. Ideally it is best not to go above 185 F but if your oven doesn’t go any lower than 200 F, you will just have to start checking it after a few hours to see if it is done.
Once your beef is done dehydrating, you will have the best beef jerky! Store in an airtight container and grab a few when you are in need for a quick snack. If you should have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 pound grass fed flank steak or round steak
- 2/3 cup soy sauce, liquid aminos or coconut aminos
- 2/3 cup "all natural" worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp raw honey, slightly melted
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- See instructions above in the post.
This post was featured on Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, Homestead Barn Hop, Make Your Own Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Scratch Cooking Tuesdays, Hearth & Soul Hop, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday
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