How to Make Beef Jerky
by admin
–Arthur Fiedler
How to Make Beef Jerky
The ultimate snack food, great for football games, long car rides or camping: beef jerky. Who hasn’t popped into the 7-11 and grabbed a bag for the car? It’s salty and sweet, full of flavor, and lasts longer and is more satisfying than a bag of greasy potato chips. It’s healthier, too.
Dehydrated food like jerky is significantly lighter than fresh food. For example, five pounds of fresh meat will be dehydrated down to well under half its original weight. That’s why it’s so ideal for traveling.
Beef jerky can be made at home, too. Make your own, pop it into ziplock plastic bags, and presto–you have instant snacks for kids’ lunches or for between meetings.
Depending on how serious you are about making beef jerky at home, you may want to invest in a food dehydrator or a meat smoker. But if you just want to experiment or do a fun project with the kids, you can use your oven, too.
How to Prepare Beef Jerky in Your Home Oven
To prepare beef jerky in your home oven, choose a lean piece of meat like brisket (ideal) and slice into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick strips.
Marinate slices in the seasonings of your choice. Be creative. Here are some popular seasonings for beef jerky:
Worcestershire Sauce Onion powder and/or garlic powder Teriyaki sauce Garlic barbecue sauce Liquid smoke with brown
sugar Sea salt and pepper
To dehydrate jerky in the oven, place the strips on wire racks in the center of the oven. Place a pan on the rack below to catch drippings and protect the oven from becoming soiled.
You must first heat the meat well enough to kill any bacteria. The USDA suggests meat be heated to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
Once the bacteria has been destroyed, maintain a consistent drying temperature of between 130° to 140° Fahrenheit (54 to 60 degrees Celsius). Crack the oven door to allow air circulation, which is crucial to the drying process. If there are small children in the house, do not leave the open oven unattended.
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