Description
One of the most common methods of making beef jerky at home is using a food dehydrator. Learn how to make spicy beef jerky with this easy-to-follow dehydrator recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1-pound lean beef (eye of round or similar)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon liquid smoke (or smoked paprika)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Buy a lean cut of beef such as flank steak, top round, or bottom round. Remove the fat cap and any other excess fat. Once trimmed, keep the beef in the freezer for one or two hours until slightly frozen to make it easier to cut the beef into more uniform pieces.
- In a ziplock bag or any other airtight container, combine the marinade ingredients.
- Slice the meat into ¼-inch-thick beef strips for easy chewing. Slicing it against the grain will help produce tender beef jerky.
- Add your sliced beef to your marinade and ensure the meat pieces are evenly covered. Put in the fridge and marinate for 4 to 24 hours. Remember to shake the Ziploc bag/container two to three times when marinating.
- Once the meat is done marinating, use paper towels to dry the sliced meat to remove the excess beef jerky marinade. This step is crucial – you don’t want your meat to have excess moisture while drying.
- Arrange the beef strips in a single layer on the dehydrator trays, leaving enough space between the slices to ensure proper airflow.
- Dehydrate at 165°F for 3 hours until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Then reduce the temperature of the dehydrator to 145°F. Check your jerky after four hours and continue dehydrating it until it is fully dry. For food safety, you must ensure that your meat reaches 160°F and finishes drying at 145°F or above.
- Let your homemade beef jerky cool before storing it in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 6 hours
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 70g
- Calories: 151
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 1310mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 21g
- Cholesterol: 56mg