Notes and observations around making beef jerky.

Meat

Leaner is generally better. Fats in the meat turn rancid and spoil the final product, with fattier cuts spoiling sooner than more lean cuts. Fattier cuts also tend to have more collagen and connective tissue, which is harder to render at dehydration temperatures. This lends to a tougher, stringier chew.

In order of my preferences:

• Lean Flank
• Eye round
• Bottom round (London broil)
• Top round
• Brisket flat
• Skirt

Slicing

When meat dehydrates, the fibers in the muscle dessicate and contract, making the final product chewy and sometimes fibrous. When preparing meats for jerking, slicing the meat across the grain shortens the muscle fibers and connective tissues, allowing the muscle to expel more liquid but remain tender. Slicing meats along the grain tends to render a tougher, more fibrous product.

If slicing with the grain, you may want to tenderize the meat first with a meat hammer, or use a meat tenderizer in the marinade. This will help to break up the long muscle fibers and connective tissues and muscle fibers that make the meat chewy.

Some meats like Flank or Skirt are striated muscles, with bundles of muscle fibers running the length of the cut. When jerked, these cuts may tear or break while dehydrating if cut directly perpendicular to the grain. These cuts in particular work well when slices on a bias against the grain.

Marinade

The meat can be marinated in either a wet brine, or dry rub marinated rub overnight Many of the wet marinade recipes I’ve researched seem rely heavily on Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce for their salt and umami. Soy sauce contains around 15% salt by weight, depending on the brand and style, and glutamates that give the flavor that “deep, dark roundness” called umami.

Worcestershire contains about 3% salt by weight. It also contains glutamates derived from onion and anchovy. Worcestershire sauce is sweeter than soy sauce, and has a blend of peppers and spices.

Generally, recipes seem to fall around 12% salt and 6% sugar by weight. Where water is added, additional salt is added to maintain 12% salinity.

Note: Sea water is between 5% and 7% salt by weight. Jerky marinades tend to be saltier in part to help cure and tenderize the meat. Many cuts of beef stand up well to a heavy salting.

In my recipes, I mainly rely on a 2:1 blend of Soy Sauce and Tamari, with one additional part of Worcestershire sauce. The combination gives a savory depth without over-expressing the soy flavors.

For sweetness, I use either honey or brown sugar depending in the recipe, though I have considered molasses, teriyaki and Mirin. I tend to like a more savory jerky, so I stick closer to 6% total sugar. Many prefer a sweeter product (e.g., teriyaki) and may find sugar 8% to 10% by weight more palatable.

The remainder of the marinade is spice and aromatics. Many marinades rely on granulated onion and garlic as the backbone, leveraging different pepper blends to round out the flavors. Depending on your preferences, you can also add aromatic herbs such as oregano, thyme or rosemary, and pickling spices such as ginger, allspice, mace or turmeric.

Sometimes liquid smoke is added, if not drying in a smoker.

Curing salts

Some recipes call for curing salt in the form of Morton Tenderquick, or Prague Powder. Curing salts contain nitrates that help to preserve the final product, protecting against spores and bacteria that contribute to botulism and other food borne illnesses. Cured meats have a longer shelf life, and may not require refrigeration.

Tenderquick and Prague Powder are not interchangeable in recipes. Carefully read the instructions for both, and follow the addition rates for the recipes carefully.

I use Prague powder #1 in my marinades at a 0.5% by weight.

Dehydrating

The dehydration process removes moisture from the meat both in the form of water, and in rendered fats that drip from the meat itself. Meat will lose between 50% and 60% of its weight through the dehydration process. That is, a 2 pound cut of beef will render about 1 pound of jerky. Most jerky sits at around 10% water by weight, with drier meats being more brittle and chewy.

When drying the meat, it should be heated between 165°F and 200°F, with good air circulation. The goal is to pasteurize the meat by raising the internal temperature of the above 145°F and holding it for several hours. This process kills any remaining microorganisms that could contribute. to food borne diseases. Fats and collagens begin to render and melt at 165°F, further tenderizing and desiccating the meat. Certain proteins in the meat begin to denature above 190°F and water boils at 212°F, both of which change the character of the final product.

Cooking times are always approximate, as drying time varies with the particular style of cut, thickness of the slices, water content, fat content, air temperature and humidity. Begin checking the meat as early as the earliest estimates, and remove any finished pieces when the complete.

However the product is dried, it is finished when the meat is stiff enough to support itself when held out parallel to the ground, and bends without cracking. Expect some carry-over, as when cooking a roast or a bird. Be careful not to dry the meat too much, as it can become too chewy or leathery.

Oven

The most widely available method to dry jerky is in the oven. Lay the strips out in a single layer and spaced to allow airflow on a cooling rack over a rimmed sheet. Preheat the oven to 175°F and place the pan inside. Maintain heat until the meat is dried, about 5-10 hours

Food dehydrator

Lay strips out in the dehydrator trays in single layers, allowing adequate space between the strips for air flow. Set the dehydrator for 165°F and allow 6-8 hours to dry, rotating stacks occasionally.

Smoker

A smoker provides a more authentic, if more labor intensive drying process. The goal here is to provide a low, even heat, maintaining between 165°F and 190°F, and to impart a smoke flavor without adding too much. Electric smokers in particular can impart a resinous, almost acrid flavor to a product if smoked too hot, or for too long. With wood smoke, plenty is plenty, and less is more.

As with the oven, arrange the slices of meat on a cooling rack over a drip tray, leaving space between for air and smoke to circulate. Preheat the smoker to 170°F, and place the tray.

If using a wet brine, allow 90 minutes without smoke for the meat to sweat and the fats begin to render. After 90 minutes add enough wood to allow for 30 minutes to 60 minutes of smoke abd monitor for a thin blue smoke. After 1 hour, remove the wood and allow 6-10 hours for the meat to dry.

If using a dry brine, add a water pan for the duration.