Beef Jerky Original #1

This recipe uses a nitrite curing salt in the brine, and will be shelf stable in an airtight container 1-2 weeks.

Recommend a lean beef cut: eye round, top round, bottom round, flank, skirt or lean brisket flat.

Cut thinly across the grain, ⅛” to ¼”, for a more tender final product, or thinly with the grain for a chewier end product. Par-freeze the meat 30 minutes to 2 hours before slicing to achieve a consistent, thin slice.

When dehydrating, the meat is done when it is stiff when held, but barely cracks when bent.

Ingredients

Dry measures are approximate, I was eyeballing the ingredients.

  • Approximately 2lb lean eye round, bottom round, skirt, flank or lean brisket flat
  • ⅔ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • ⅔ cup dark soy sauce
  • 1½ to 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tbsp granulated onion
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp hot paprika
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne powder
  • ½ tsp white pepper
  • ½ tsp Prague Powder #1

Directions

Trim any surface fat from the beef roast and freeze 30 minutes to 2 hours to help with slicing thin.

While the beef freezes, prepare marinade. Combine ingredients in a nonreactive steel or glass vessel. Adjust ingredients to taste.

Slice frozen meat thinly across the grain (recommended) into approximately ⅛” thick slices, about 2 inches wide. Combine sliced meat and marinade in a zip lock bag, thoroughly coating the meat. Displace air and seal. Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight, redistributing the marinade once or twice.

To dehydrate, spread meat slices evenly in a single layer on a dehydrator screen or metal rack, leaving a small gap between each piece. Blot each side dry with a paper towel to help drying.

Place in food dehydrator, electric smoker or oven at 165°F for 4 hours. After 4 hours, check meat for doneness. Recheck periodically until done, up to 2 more hours. Do not overdry.

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