Alton Brown’s Beef Jerky Recipe: A Simple Snack from a Master Chef (Step-By-Step)
If you’ve ever watched Good Eats on the Food Network, you know Alton Brown. And you know that he’s got an expert eye for simple yet mouthwatering food — including beef jerky.
Alton may have been born in Los Angeles, but growing up in Georgia clearly taught him the ins and outs of stellar beef jerky. When we saw his beef jerky recipe, we knew we had to give it a try for ourselves!
Want to see how it came out and learn how to make some for yourself? Read on!
Alton Brown Beef Jerky Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound of beef
What Kind of Beef Should You Use?
If you want the best jerky, you need to start with the best beef. That doesn’t just mean going with a high-quality brand — it also means picking the right cut for jerky-making.
Lean cuts make the best jerky. The less fat your beef comes with, the less time you need to spend trimming it — and the less likely your jerky is to spoil later on!
We made Alton Brown’s beef jerky with our favorite cut: eye of round. It’s very lean, and the resulting jerky has an irresistible texture.
You can also use top or bottom round, sirloin tip, or flank steak. Avoid ribeye and other ultra-fatty cuts.
Preparing the Beef
Trimming the Fat
Even our lean eye of round still had a bit of fat on it when we brought it home. In all likelihood, your beef will, too.
So grab a sharp knife and trim that fat! 10 or 15 minutes is all you need, and it’ll buy you much more time with your precious, unspoiled beef jerky in the long run.
Freezing the Beef
This step isn’t strictly necessary, but we highly recommend it. Stick your beef in the freezer for an hour or two before slicing it.
Why? Well, briefly freezing the beef firms it up just enough that you can slice it thinly without the whole thing giving way under your knife.
Remove the beef when you notice ice crystals just beginning to form on its surface.
Slicing the Beef
Now it’s time to slice that beef! Cut it against the grain in strips no thicker than ¼ inch.
Going against the grain gives you a more tender, chewable final texture. And the thinner you slice, the less time it’ll take for your jerky to dry.
Marinating the Beef
We’re about to impart some serious flavor on our beef slices.
First, mix the 6 marinade ingredients together until they’re well-blended. Then combine the beef and the marinade in a lidded container or Ziploc bag.
Put the beef and marinade in the fridge for at least 7 hours; you can leave it for up to 24 hours for more flavorful jerky. We refrigerated ours overnight.
Dehydrating the Jerky
There are three common ways to dehydrate beef jerky: an oven, an electric smoker, and a food dehydrator.
We used a food dehydrator because it’s compact and easy to use. Just remove the excess marinade with a paper towel, lay your beef strips on the trays, load them into the dehydrator and let it do its job!
Dehydrate your jerky at 160 degrees F for 4 to 8 hours. Ours took 7 hours in our dehydrator (I bought mine on Amazon), but yours could take less time (if it’s thinner) or more time (if it’s thicker).
- Dry your jerky evenly without the hassle of rotating trays.
- Keep your oven free for dinner while your next batch of jerky dries.
- Make a bigger jerky stash by expanding to twelve trays. Extra trays are sold separately.
After you pass the 4-hour mark, check your jerky every 45 minutes or so. Bend a piece to check for doneness; if it cracks a little without breaking, it’s done!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Makes 5 servings Prep time: 30 minutes Marinade time: 7-24 hours Cook time: 4-8 hours
| Ingredients | Costs |
|---|---|
| 1 lb beef — top round London broil beef (but any cut of beef could work) | $5 per 1 lb at Walmart |
| 2/3 cup of Worcestershire | $1.00 for a 10 oz. container at Walmart (2/3 cup is 5 and 1/4 oz = $0.63) |
| 2/3 cup of soy sauce | $1.52 for a 5 oz. container at Walmart (2/3 cup is 5 and 1/4 oz = $1.60) |
| 2 teaspoon black pepper | $2.98 for a 3 oz. container at Walmart (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.17 cents or 0.34 cents per 2 teaspoons) |
| 2 teaspoon onion powder | $4 – 5 dollar range for a 1.73 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.38 cents or 0.76 cents per 2 teaspoons) |
| 1 tablespoon honey | $2.98 per 12 oz. container at Walmart (1 tbsp per oz. is 0.24 cents) |
| 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes | $0.98 per 1.75 oz. container at Walmart ( 6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.09 cents) |
| Total Cost: | $8.66/~7 oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients) |
Alton Brown’s Beef Jerky Recipe
Alton Brown is well-known if you've ever watched Good Eats on the Food Network. And you are aware of his exceptional eye for delectable, straightforward fare, especially beef jerky. We wanted to try making his beef jerky after seeing the recipe, so we did!
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim all fat from the beef.
- Place beef in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
- Slice beef against the grain in strips no thicker than ¼ inch.
- Mix all marinade ingredients together, then add beef and refrigerate for 7-24 hours.
- Remove excess marinade with a paper towel.
- Place beef in a food dehydrator at 160 degrees F for 4-8 hours. Remove when beef cracks without snapping when bent.
Nutrition
Serving: 36.6g | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.7g | Protein: 29.9g | Fat: 2.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1400mg | Potassium: 461mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 4.7g | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 17mg
QUOTE:
"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."
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About the Author
Charles Joseph
In 2017, a good friend introduced me to the most amazing beef jerky I had ever tasted. And his source was from the most unexpected of places--a random guy in Thailand whom he had met while living there. Although I had been eating jerky since as far back as I could remember, I was genuinely blown away by the flavor. I realized the best beef jerky doesn't come from a store. This experience inspired me to create Beef Jerky Hub and put into writing all the things I've since learned about this amazing food. If you're interested, you can read more about my story here.