What's the best way to make beef jerky?

Question

I purchased a smoker but can't find any decent recipes. Is a smoker the best way to make jerky? If not, what is?

Answer 1

Smoking definately makes the best jerky, however, to try to do this consistantly without burning the meat, having hot and cold spots and over smoking can be a challenge to say the least. A more consistent process is dehydrating but then you are forced to give up the smoke flavor unless you add a liquid smoke product to your jerky recipe. It is a trade-off that is up to the particular consumer.

Check out http://www.toxictommy.com/homemade-beef-jerky.htm and look at the smoker and dehydrator information for more information.

Toxic

Answer 2

Beef, chicken, or basically any kind of meat. Cut into thin strips. Marinate it in the fridge overnight. Experiment with your marinade, but things like worcestershire, soy sauce, teriyaki, brown sugar, pepper, can all make for a great marinade. Put the oven on the lowest setting, just so it is warm. Lay the marinated meat strips on racks in the oven, over a pan to catch any drippage. Keep the oven door open a bit. The oven must only be warm, they are drying rather than cooking. Turn them over occasionally. This will take several hours, but when the meat strips are mostly dry you will have jerky.

Answer 3

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 dash soy sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds sirloin, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
DIRECTIONS
In a large, nonporous bowl, combine the ground black pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and add the meat slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare an outdoor smoker for low heat and lightly oil grate.
Lay meat strips out on grill so that they do not overlap. Smoke over low heat. Jerky will be done when the edges appear dry with just a slight hint of moisture in the center of the slices, about 6 to 8 hours.

Answer 4

Beef Jerky

2 pounds flank steak sliced thin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
6 Cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon ginger grated -- heaping
1 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
OR
30 grinds black pepper freshly ground
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
Partially freeze steak to assist in slicing. Remove all extraneous fat, slice thinly (1/4 inch). Combine remaining ingredients, mix well, and marinate meat overnight. Dry with dehydrator or in oven on lowest temp.

Answer 5

Unless your smoker has heat control they will get too hot to make jerkey. Jerkey is best made by hanging it in the air and sun,but you don't get the smoke flavor.
I add liquid smoke to my marinade to taste. You can do the same thing by putting your meat into a 250 degree oven. You dry it until it will bend without snapping. Start with this recipe: 6 lb. eye of round roast,slice almost 1/4 " thick. Put sliced meat in a gallon ziplock bag with 2 cups good soy sauce,1/2 cup molasses,1/4 cup salad vinegar or lemon juice. i prefer lemon. add 1/4 cup liquid smoke.mix well and add to meat.put in fridge and mix and turn the meat throughout the night.Next morning do dry on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with black pepper. Han it on a fence until the buzzards refuse to touch it and it's ready.seriously,if ya prefer sun dried you leave it in the wind and sun all day and take it in at night. hang it out the next day and it should be ready. If you do it in the oven it should be ready and a couple hours.Keep checking it .Taste your marinade before ya pour it on the meat.It should be as salty as you can stand comfortably stand it. if the soy did not make it salty enough add kosher salt to taste. the salt is what cures the meat. Smoker is great but you have to watch it every minute until it is as dry as you want it. DO NOT OVER COOK. Best stored in the vacumn sealed plastic bags. I do as much as 20 lbs. at a time. experment with different marinates until it taste like ya want it to.anything goes. The black perrper is what keeps the flies and BUZZARDS off

Answer 6

See what you think about this one...

"Beef Jerky" - 1/2 lb.

1 lb. boneless beef round steak
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

1) Freeze meat 1 hour to firm (makes slicing easier); trim and discard fat from steak. Cut steak into very thin slices.
2) Place strips in single layer on wire rack in jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.
3) Bake at 200* - 6 hours until beef is dry. Cool; store in covered container in refrigerator.

Answer 7

the standard meat they put is beef chuck pot roast and they sliced it into stips, they put a marinate, and put it where you could smoke it,

Answer 8

i know how to eat it but i dont know how to make it.