Trying Out Beef Jerky
My brother-in-law gave me a taste of some of his homemade beef jerky a couple weekends ago, and it was fantastic! Apparently it was also easy to make. Easy, delicious, I’m gonna try it! He used a dehydrator, but I plan to use a smoker to keep my wife’s dehydrator from getting strong flavors stuck in it.
https://www.foxvalleyfoodie.com/homemade-beef-jerky
Jason’s Recommended Starting Recipe
I got a 2.5 lbs bottom round steak, sliced it thin, then started it in the marinade below at 2130. I plan to marinade for over 12 hours, then smoke the slices at 175℉ for 4 hours or so.
1 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce<br>1 tsp paprika<br>1 tsp black pepper<br>2 tsp cayenne pepper<br>1 tsp garlic powder<br>1 tsp onion powder<br>
I intended to use 1 Tbsp of paprika as in the recipe, and purposely left out the brown sugar for the first time.
1450: I dried the meat slices on paper towel, then put it on the smoker. The smoke holes are fully open to increase air flow and aid drying (not sure if this will really make a difference), the water pan is not even in the smoker, and the wood is hickory.
I’ll keep hickory in there for the first two hours, at least, then I suspect the meat will be as smoky as it can get. After that, I’m using the smoker like a low temperature oven.
That’s really why this method should be comprable to the recipe’s oven method. This is an electric smoker, and it can maintain temperatures up to 275℉, so 175℉ will not be a problem. Plus, the exhaust goes directly outside, so the house doesn’t smell like Worcestershire sauce for a week.
The meat took up all the smoker rack space except half of the bottom one. I’m pretty happy with how thin I got it.
1900: jerky is done! Final weight is only 11 oz! It is down to 27% of original weight.
I’ll freeze half.
The result should cost $1.59 per ounce, just in meat cost, since the original meat was $7 per pound. Normally jerky is $2.50 per ounce. While $1 per ounce is a good mark-up (and of course they aren’t buying their meat from the supermarket), it’s not preposterous. Meat seriously shrinks from water loss.
Changes for next time - maybe more flavorful if possible. Less spicy for sure (this is probably too spicy for Sarah). More spices though, and maybe a little salt. Same thickness cut I think - as thin as I could get it with the knife while being consistent.