How to Make Thick Soft Beef Jerky

June 05, 2022 Post a Comment

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Looking to acquire how to brand bootleg beef jerky? Await no farther, hither you will larn footstep by step instructions on how to make beef jerky in a dehydrator. This includes everything from choosing which meat to use, slicing said meat, marinating with a great recipe, dehydrating the jerky, and testing for when information technology'southward finished.

Jump to:

🎥 Watch how to make beefiness jerky
🐄 Choosing the all-time cutting of meat
🧾 Where to buy meat - Free Sam's Club Membership
🥩 How to slice the meat
🧂 How to make the marinade
⏲️ Drying the jerky
🌡️ How to tell when information technology's finished drying
💭 FAQ
👨🏽‍🍳 Old Pro Tips:
How to Make Beef Jerky in a Dehydrator

🎥 Watch how to make beef jerky

🐄 Choosing the best cut of meat

Step i - Start with a lean piece of meat. The goal is to find a piece of meat that has as footling fat as possible.

Best Meat:

Centre of Circular Roast
Top & Lesser Round Roasts
Flank Steak
Sirloin Tip
Ground Beef (ten% fat or less)

I used a 2lb Beef Eye of Round for this beef hasty recipe.

🧾 Where to purchase meat - Costless Sam'due south Guild Membership

Big box stores tend to have the all-time prices when information technology comes to meat for beefiness jerky. These include the master 2, Sam's Club and Costco. If you lot like purchasing local, keen! Local butchers accept smashing cuts of meat, they just tend to be more expensive. Yet, yous are supporting local businesses.

Unfortunately, I do not take whatever skillful butchers locally and and then I shop at Sam's Social club. Right now there is a promotion for Sam'due south Society where yous tin can buy their membership for $45 and so receive a Sam'due south Gift Card the aforementioned day in store for $45. So basically, the membership is complimentary. Nosotros tested the offer on 3-16-21 and it works every bit advertised. Costless Membership Valid until 4-xxx-2021.

Why go this membership?

Great prices! I found that locally the toll of USDA Choice Beefiness Middle of Round Roast (one of the best cuts for jerky) at Sam's was $4.68. This is compared to $6.99 a pound at the local chain grocery store, that'due south a 33% savings!

Not to mention savings on merely nearly everything else; ground meat, salmon, tuna, Prime brisket, newspaper towels, seasonings, etc...

How to get the gratuitous membership?

Click hither for the $45 souvenir card with sign up. (Jerkyholic is in no way associated with this bargain. We practise not go anything from Sam's or y'all for you signing up; just passing along a cracking deal!)

It volition give you a coupon code when filling out information. Brand sure to copy that lawmaking downwardly and give it to the person at the membership table at Sam'southward. The lady we dealt with already had information technology, just brand sure to write it down just to be certain.

🥩 How to slice the meat

Step two - Trim off the fat cap and other visible fat from the meat. Fat volition make meat spoil faster, and so removing as much fat as possible at present will extend the shelf life of your finished beefiness hasty.

Step iii - Place the beef in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze for easier uniform slices. Your meat should be hard to the touch simply non fully frozen.

This is i of the well-nigh of import steps when learning how to brand beefiness jerky. Piece the meat against the grain of the meat around ⅛"-¼" thick for an easier chew or with the grain for a more chewier beef jerky.

Meat on cutting board with arrows showing direction of the grain of meat

The way you lot slice the meat has a big impact on the final texture and whether you will take a tough or soft beef jerky. If y'all need more information on slicing meat, visit my slicing meat for beef jerky page.

Slicing meat for jerky on cutting board with sharp knife

You can as well skip the freezing stage and piece your jerky using a jerky slicer. I use a Weston Jerky Slicer. Information technology makes sure all your strips are the same width which allows them to dry evenly. Having a slicer is great when making a lot of beefiness jerky, if y'all are simply making pocket-sized batches every one time in a while information technology is not as important.

Dale's Steak Marinade Beef Jerky Slicing

🧂 How to brand the marinade

Step 4 - Terminate slicing all of your meat and gear up bated. At present it's time to get the marinade ready. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl or ziplock purse and stir well. Since this recipe doesn't accept any whole peppers, a blender is Not needed.

Step 5 - Add the beefiness strips and shake the container so all the meat is evenly covered with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from half dozen to 24 hours for great season, the longer the better. This beef was marinated in the fridge for xviii hours.

Beef Jerky strips marinating ziplock bag

Step 6 - After marinating, drain and pat dry the jerky strips to remove any excess marinade before dehydrating. This helps in speeding up the dehydration procedure.

⏲️ Drying the jerky

Stride 7- It's fourth dimension for the easy part! As I mentioned in a higher place, I used my Excalibur Dehydrator for this batch. Identify the beef strips on the racks making sure that they are not touching or overlapping.

Leaving space in between the beef hasty slices allows the air to better circulate and dry out the meat.

Step viii - Beefiness jerky takes around 4-v hours to dry out when dehydrating. Turn the dehydrator to 165° and let it run for almost iv hours until the internal temperature of the jerky reaches a safe 160° as per guidelines from the USDA. Depending on how thick your slices are will make up one's mind how long it will have to finish dehydrating, this beef hasty took 5 hours to dry.

🌡️ How to tell when it's finished drying

Pace 9 - Make certain y'all check your beef hasty throughout the drying process to avoid over drying. The jerky will be done when it bends and cracks but does not break in one-half. You will also see white fibers within the meat. If information technology'south washed, permit it sit on the rack and cool for a couple hours.

Beef jerky on cutting board with crushed red pepper

Step 10 - Now it's time to either shop the beef jerky in ziplock bags, vacuum sealed bags, glass jars, or my favorite; your tum! Beef jerky will stay expert for 7-10 days if kept in ziplock numberless. For longer storage, using vacuum sealed bags will permit the jerky to last one-ii months. Please visit my folio on storing beef jerky for farther information.

That's it! Those are the ten like shooting fish in a barrel to follow steps when learning how to make beef jerky at habitation.

💭 FAQ

Do I have to use a dehydrator when making beef jerky?

No. Using an Oven or Smoker is another great mode to make jerky.

👨🏽‍🍳 Old Pro Tips:

Use a sharp knife or partially freeze the meat earlier slicing. Here is my Slicing Meat Page for more information.
Using a ziplock bag allows you to use less ingredients, saving money on marinades. Put meat in the ziplock purse and roll it upward expelling all of the air inside. This allows all the meat to exist covered past a relatively small amount of marinade.
The longer y'all marinate, the more flavor the jerky will have. If I have time, eighteen hours in the minimum I marinate my meat.
Take jerky strips out of dehydrator and allow to absurd for 5 minutes earlier checking to see if it's finished. It should bend and cleft just not break when finished. You should also encounter white fibers in the meat when aptitude.

Beef Jerky in mason jar with american flag

Other recipes and information

Beef Hasty Recipes (75+ Homemade Hasty Recipes)
The Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Jerky [2021]
How to Make Ground Beef Jerky

Jerky in jar with red pepper flakes on wood

How to Brand Beef Jerky in a Dehydrator

Making jerky in a dehydrator is the easiest and best way to make homemade jerky. They are relatively cheap and hither I volition show yous how like shooting fish in a barrel information technology is to make great tasting beef jerky!

Prep Time: one hour

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: vii hours

Course: Beef Jerky, Snack

Cuisine: American

Blazon: Beef Jerky

Flavor: Savory, Spicy

Servings: 5

Calories: 151 kcal

Marinade

▢ ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
▢ ¼ cup soy sauce
▢ 1 teaspoon blackness pepper
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ ii teaspoon brownish sugar
▢ 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
▢ 1 teaspoon ruby-red pepper flakes

Pick a lean cutting of beefiness. Trim the fat cap and other visible fat. After trimmed, place the meat in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until partially frozen. This will allow for more compatible slices when cutting your beefiness.
In a plastic container that has a tight fitting lid or ziplock bag, add the marinade ingredients and mix well.
Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an like shooting fish in a barrel chew. Cutting with the grain for a more than chewy jerky.
Add the sliced meat to the marinade and milk shake well until all slices are covered evenly. Identify in the fridge and allow to marinate for half-dozen-24 hours. Shake the container/handbag two or 3 times while marinating.
After marinating, dry slices with paper towels to remove any excess marinade.
Place strips on your dehydrator drying racks with plenty of spaces in betwixt for like shooting fish in a barrel air catamenia.
Dry for 3 hours at 165 degrees allowing the internal temperature to reach 160 degrees and then plough down to 145F. Check the meat later 4 hours and keep drying until the hasty bends and cracks, simply does not interruption in one-half.
Allow hasty to cool for several hours earlier storing.

Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky in one case information technology's finished drying
Use curing salt or celery juice pulverization to extend the life of the jerky
Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavour