Beef Jerky Recipe

My dad let me borrow his jerky maker (I’ve since bought my own) – a NESCO FD-28JX JerkyXpress Dehydrator – over the holidays and now I have the bug. No, not covid, the other one, the jerky-bug. Anyways, these make for nice, little Christmas baggies. Let’s geaux.

Aug 28, 2022 Update, Sweet Chili Edition #

You can still try the original recipe if you want. But I’ve stumbled upon my new favorite. Mmm.

I plan to try a few more seasoning packs from the Walmart aisle. Caribbean Jerk looks interesting.

Ingredients #

• Beef: eye of round, sizzle steak, milanesa, etc.
• Sweet Chili Wing Seasoning Mix
  • I get the Walmart brand which is about $1, but it doesn’t matter
  • Use 1 pack of seasoning for every 1 pound of beef
• A splash of Worcestershire sauce

Directions #

1. Cut beef into thin strips
2. Mix everything together and let marinate overnight
3. Place in the dehydrator. Let it go for 3 to 4 hours

Results #

Original #

Ingredients #

• Beef: eye of round, sizzle steak, milanesa, etc.
• Cajun seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Course black pepper
• Crab boil
• Brown sugar
• Worcestershire sauce

Directions #

1. Cut beef into thin strips
2. Mix everything together and let marinate for a few hours. Quantities were intentionally not specified. My unpopular opinion is that each batch of jerky should be different
3. Place in the dehydrator. The pieces can lightly touch but should not stack. Let it ride for 6 hours or more

Notes #

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has some good info.

On prep:

Partially freeze meat to make slicing easier. The thickness of the meat strips will make a difference in the safety of the methods recommended in this book. Slice meat no thicker than 1/4 inch. Trim and discard all fat from meat because it becomes rancid quickly. If a chewy jerky is desired, slice with the grain. Slice across the grain if a more tender, brittle jerky is preferred. A tenderizer can be used according to package directions, if desired. The meat can be marinated for flavor and tenderness. Marinade recipes may include oil, salt, spices and acid ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, teriyaki, or soy sauce or wine.

On storage:

Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature for two weeks in a sealed container. For best results, to increase shelf life and maintain best flavor and quality, refrigerate or freeze jerky.

Results #

Beef #

I’ve used eye of round and sizzle steaks with success. Other folks on the internet say milanesa works too. I’ll give it a try once Walmart restocks it. – I tried it. Can confirm, it works well.