Beef Jerky

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Choosing and cutting meat for jerky

There are three important decisions/tasks to be performed before marinating and dehydrating your jerky:

  1. What kind of meat will you use?
  2. How much fat can you trim away?
  3. How will you slice the meat – with or against the grain?

CHOOSE YOUR CUT

Beef eye of round, bottom round, and top round are the best meat for beef jerky. Choosing a cut that has very little fat is important, fat will spoil faster and shorten the shelf life of your jerky. More on that later.

Any cut of meat can be used, but lean flavorful meat is best. Read more on your choices here:

https://peopleschoicebeefjerky.com/blogs/news/question-what-cuts-of-beef-can-be-used-for-beef-jerky

TRIM THE FAT

When trimming your meat to make jerky, try to remove all visible fat. Jerky is designed to be held at room temperature. Fat doesn’t dehydrate well and will make the jerky go bad quickly (and potentially kill someone). Get rid of ALL of it.

Regardless of what cut you choose to turn into Beef Jerky, make sure you trim away all visible fat and chill in the freezer for about 2 hours prior to making your first slice. Cold meat is MUCH easier to cut accurately than room temperature meat.

CHEF

CUT THE MEAT

You have probably heard about the “grain” of meat; how you cut the meat – against the grain or with the grain – will DETERMINE the texture of your jerky. The simplest explanation is:

  • Slicing WITH the grain = Chewy / Tough Jerky
  • Slicing AGAINST the grain = Less Chewy / Soft Jerky

So what exactly is the “grain” of meat? The grain of meat refers to the direction the muscle fibers run within a piece of meat. Okay, so how do you know what direction the muscle fibers run?

You will be able to see the lines of fibers that run parallel to each other along a cut of meat. In the picture below, the fibers are running vertically from bottom to top.

Slicing in the SAME direction of the fibers is called “slicing WITH the grain”. The 3 slices of meat seen above were sliced WITH the grain at about a ¼” thick. As mentioned earlier, slicing with the grain will produce a more chewy / tougher piece of jerky.

Cut thick, chewy cuts of meat to make “cowboy jerky.”

In the picture below you will see the blue arrows again showing the direction of the grain of the meat. When slicing the meat perpendicular to the direction of the grain (in the direction of the black arrows), you will be slicing AGAINST the grain. Again, as mentioned earlier; this will produce a softer / less chewy piece of jerky.

Below is an example of slicing AGAINST the grain

CHOICES

On the left is a picture of jerky cut across the grain to reduce chewiness and improve texture.

If you cut against the grain, you create a much less chewy, much more tender kind of jerky. It’s not BETTER than cowboy style, just different.

There is no “right” or “wrong” way to make jerky… the only question is this: What kind of jerky do you want to make?

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How to Use a Dehydrator to Make Beef Jerky

Instructions

  • Wrap the meat in butcher’s paper or plastic film and chill it in the freezer for one to two hours to firm it up before slicing.
  • Slice into strips.
  • Make Marinade
  • Transfer meat to plastic bag.
  • Marinate for 24 hours.
  • Remove from marinade and remove excess liquid. Transfer beef to rack to dry. Jerky must be as dry as possible when going into the dehydrator to prevent steaming.
  • Preheat dehydrator to 175*F.
  • Arrange beef slices in a single layer on dehydrator rack so they are not touching each other. Place a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil underneath to catch drippings.
  • Dehydrate until dry and leathery, 3 to 4 hours. Cut with scissors into bite-size pieces.
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Classic Beef Jerky

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon honey or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon seasoned salt

Instructions

  • Make marinade by combining all ingredients.
  • Add the sliced beef to a plastic bag. Pour marinade over the sliced meat and mix by hand to coat. Seal in plastic bag, refrigerate, and allow to marinade overnight.
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Sweet Jerky

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gingerale
  • 2 T fresh ground ginger
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup liquid smoke
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

Instructions

  • Make marinade by combining all ingredients.
  • Add the sliced beef a plastic bag. Pour marinade over the sliced meat and mix by hand to coat. Seal in plastic bag, refrigerate, and allow to marinade overnight.
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Tangy and Spicy Beef Jerky

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice, fresh
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, and some cracked black pepper. Season the meat lightly, using only part of the mixture. Reserve the remaining spices. Place into an airtight plastic container or bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke flavoring and pineapple juice. Heat until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Refrigerate marinade overnight.
  • Add the sliced beef a plastic bag. Pour cooled marinade over the seasoned meat and mix by hand to coat. Seal in plastic bag, refrigerate, and allow to marinade overnight.