I can’t even begin to tell you guys how much I LOVE my food dehydrator. I’ve been dehydrating fruits and veggies like crazy… by the way dehydrated pineapple is INCREDIBLE!
So yesterday I decided to get up the nerve to make beef jerky for the first time. I had some freezer-burned frozen steaks tucked away in the back of the freezer, and since this was an experiment I figured I would use them. I let the 3 steaks thaw, trimmed most of the fat off, and then cut the steaks into 1/4 – 1/2 inch strips.
I then put the steak strips in a bowl and marinated them (covered and in the fridge) for about 3 hours in the following mixture:
:: A few shakes of soy sauce
:: Another few shakes of Worchestershire sauce
:: A little bit of Jack Daniels Steak Sauce
:: About 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
:: Several sprinkles of ground mustard
:: Several sprinkles of dried parsley
:: Several sprinkles of dried tarragon leaves
:: A can of diced tomatoes (I would’ve used tomato sauce instead if I had had some)
There are all kinds of beef jerky recipes on Pinterest, so just play around with different options until you find one that you like.
Once they finished marinating I laid them on the dehydrator sheets and set the fan for 155 degrees.
They were ready after about 6-7 hours and they tasted GREAT!
Have you ever made beef jerky? What’s your favorite recipe?
My husband loves to make it and uses London Broil. I think it is SO much better than the store bought stuff. We have given it as Christmas gifts to the men in the family and it went over really well.
Ahh… We know all about jerky in our house. My husband is an avid hunter, with the rule that if he shoots something then he has to eat the meat. So we have had a lot of deer jerky and goose jerky. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can also just use your oven on the lowest setting with the door slightly ajar. I think it is more moist this way, but probably not the most economical since the oven would be running for several hours. But if you have meat that you need to use up this is a pretty good option.
Partially frozen meat is easier to slice. I use a 3-5 lb sirloin tip or London broil. Mix kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, red pepper flakes, and a little bit of onion powder. I have also used steak seasoning, such as Canadian steak or Montreal steak seasoning, sparingly! Slice meat and place in layers in a refrigerator container, sprinkling the seasonings on each layer. Marinate overnight. Place in dehydrator and TRY to wait to test, but it’ll be hard once it starts getting dry and chewy! Seems I never can make enough!
Thanks for the tip! And I need to try your recipe since I can’t have any of these sauces anymore (we’re grain-free). Your recipe sounds perfect!
For denture wearers use ground hamburger easier to bite off and chew. Lessen the spices you use because it all stays with the meat.
did the beef jerky taste good even though they where freezer burnt?
what kind of dehydrator do you use?
I want to try this…can I use a beef roast instead?
I make my jerky using liquid smoke as well as soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce, and pepper.