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Feb 23rd, 2009 by Amy

It was Matt’s birthday last week and trying to do a mostly homemade gift, I decided on homemade beef jerky, homemade butter, and some locally crafted spirits. The butter didn’t turn out great, but it looks cute in the pig mold from Matt’s mom. You are thinking that I should have come up with something more special than beef jerky for a birthday, but Matt loves beef jerky. I knew that he would be a happy guy if it was good. Not wanting to take chances, I opted for a simple recipe. It was a good choice because it turned out great and Matt loved it. And it doesn’t have any of the preservatives found in commercial beef jerky.

In reading about making jerky on various sites, I learned that a lean cut was important, as well as slicing it uniform and thin. A lean cut is important because chunks of fat in the jerky develop an off taste. The slicing is important so that is dries out thoroughly and evenly. I visited our local butcher, Long’s Meat Market, to help me select the best cut. They recommended top round, which they use for their beef jerky. When I told them I was making my own beef jerky, they also offered to slice it for me. Both challenges solved…

I used this recipe almost exactly as written, except I used regular soy sauce instead of gluten free. I could have used our dehydrator, but I wanted the texture to be a little more carmelized on the outside and thought the oven would do a better job. After spending about 8 hours in a 170F oven, the jerky came out perfect.

Homemade beef jerky, from Hey, that tastes good who got it from Chowhound

2 lbs lean beef (top round or london broil)

1/2 c brown sugar

5 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp fishsauce

1 Tbsp chili flakes

Slice beef in 1/4 in slices. Your best bet is to visit a local butcher and ask them to slice it for you. If you have to slice it yourself, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before slicing and it will be much easier.

Stir marinade ingredients (brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili flakes) until combined. Place sliced beef in a large ziplock bag and add the marinade, turning several times to evenly coat all of the meat. Place bag in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.

Empty contents of the bag into a colander and let drain for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 170F. Grease cooling racks or oven racks. Place beef slices on cooling racks and place in the oven. You will likely need two cooling racks for 2 lbs of beef. The rack on the top will dry more quickly than the bottom, so switch them after a few hours. Test every few hours.

Tags: beef jerky

Posted in Preserves

8 Responses to “Homemade beef jerky”

on 23 Feb 2009 at 9:47 pm1Matt

I am spoiled. Really spoiled.
on 24 Feb 2009 at 6:48 am2Tracy Hutchinson

Hi Amy,

I used to make Jerky and haven’t thought of doing it in a long time. Thank you for the reminder and the suggestion to make it in the oven. I’ve always used a dehydrator with success but using the oven seems like a no brainer. You’ve inspired me to make a batch this weekend.

Take care, Tracy
on 24 Feb 2009 at 9:34 am3donna

This looks really good and something I should try with some our the 1/4 cow we just got! One question — what is fishsauce? I’m not familiar with that. Thanks!

BTW, are you going to the flatbread class next weekend?
on 24 Feb 2009 at 4:50 pm4Amy

Tracy - let me know how your jerky turns out…
Donna - fish sauce is an ingredient used in Thai cooking. It would say that it’s not required for this recipe, just add a little more soy.
on 26 Feb 2009 at 9:59 pm5Steve Orr

Amy: Thanks for the recipe. Beef jerky is one of those dirty secrets of mine, that I **love**. You’ve put it back on the map. so I am off to get some suitably raised and slaughtered beef and try it. Sounds to me like good food to bring on an airplane ride! Just bring enough for your seat mates!
on 01 Mar 2009 at 10:57 am6Kate

Matt, you definitely seem spoiled…good for you. I remember one birthday that you got homemade chocolate chip cookies from my sister and I. I love this website. You two seem to live the life that Roger and I strive for, but in Virginia (Norfolk) it is very hard. Our biggest contributions are walking to and from work/school and buying meat from a local butcher. We keep on trying. I hope, and am sure, you enjoyed your beef jerky.
on 02 Mar 2009 at 4:09 pm7Amy

Steve- Beef jerky is a perfect plane food. I plan to bring some on my next venture. And it’s not all that bad if you make it yourself and don’t add a bunch of preservatives and salt. I would be interested in hearing about your recipes. I am planning to try adding a little hickory salt next time.
on 07 Mar 2009 at 5:32 pm8Matt

Kate,

Keep up the efforts - it’s a very rewarding journey. And it’s a snowball effect, it just kind of takes off after awhile. I highly recommend visiting a farmers market, maybe hook up a CSA after you get a handle on a favorite grower. A big deal for us was getting one that delivered direct to us. Made it a no-brainer.

Oh, and the best thing we’ve done is purchase a dedicated freezer (upright type is best) to stockpile the good stuff. It works awesome for meats, fruits and some veggies.