We’re excited to introduce a new and mouthwatering beef jerky recipe that’s sure to become one of your favorites.
Infused with the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness, this irresistible creation will leave your taste buds craving more.
It’s honestly so tasty and easy to make that you almost have no reason not to give it a try.
Trust me, once you taste this jerky, you’ll never want to go back to the store-bought stuff.
Step 1: Beef
For most folks, choosing the right cut of beef is their biggest challenge.
I’ve made beef jerky using a variety of beef cuts, but the eye-of-round has been my favorite the last few years because it’s a lean cut with minimal fat, resulting in a better texture.
Additionally, it’s easy to slice into thin, uniform strips, ensuring even drying and great flavor.
London broil, top round, or bottom round are also excellent choices.
For this recipe, I choose eye-of-round (as observed below).
Next, we need to prepare approximately 1 pound of beef.
Cut your beef into the thinnest possible slices, making sure to remove any visible fat.
I recommend cutting the meat into thin slices, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
You can also buy pre-sliced beef to save time.
For softer jerky, cut the meat in the opposite direction to that of the muscle fibers.
Just put the beef in the freezer for 50 – 60 minutes before slicing to help firm it up a bit.
Step 2: Prepare Your Marinade
My marinade consists of the following:
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Onion powder
- Minced garlic
- A mix of fresh red peppers
If you like hot flavors, you can crack extra black or red pepper on top of the strips when you lay them out to cook.
Try to experiment.
If you like sweeter beef jerky, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar instead of extra pepper.
Ingredients for Wild Bills Beef Jerky
For the Wild Bills Beef Jerky recipe, mix the ingredients listed below:
- 1 lb of beef
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of Worcestershire
- 1.5 tsp freshly ground paper
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 6 cloves minced garlic
Combine the sliced beef and marinade in a big ziplock bag or a container and toss it until the meat is thoroughly covered.
Then place the bag in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to meld for at least 4 hours, or for even more flavor, up to a day.
Step 3: Drying
Put the beef strips on a paper towel to soak any marinade left after the beef has finished marinating.
Although beef jerky can be made in an oven, in my opinion, a dehydrator produces a better result.
You can get an excellent dehydrator for between $45 and $85 dollars.
And it’ll quickly and evenly cook your jerky.
Dehydrators are multi-purpose, too, so if you don’t think you’d make enough beef jerky to make it worth your while, don’t forget that you could produce a variety of other dishes with it, like vegetables, fruit, and chips.
If you share my love of beef jerky, I’d highly recommend the NESCO dehydrator, which is the one I own.
- 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.
Now it’s time to arrange your beef strips on your dehydrator’s trays.
Then dry them at 160 degrees F for between 4 and 7 hours.
It’s very important that you check your jerky every 30 minutes after the 4-hour mark.
The best result will be when the jerky has dried to your preferred level.
I prefer my beef jerky to be a bit dry.
Generally speaking, your jerky will be ready when it’s black and barely bendable so test for this.
After dehydrating, I weighed my beef jerky (see below).
Recipe of Wild Bills Beef Jerky Recipe
Makes 5 servings Preparation Time: 30 minutes Marinade Time: average 8 hours Drying Time: 4 – 7 hours
| Ingredients | Costs |
|---|---|
| 1 lb beef — eye-of-round — or your favorite cut (any could work) | $3.98 for a 3.12 ounces container at Walmart (which comes out to 0.33 cents for 1.5 teaspoons of ground black pepper) |
| 1.5 teaspoon of freshly ground paper | $3.98 for a 3.12 ounces container at Walmart (which comes out to 0.33 cents for 1.5 teaspoon of ground black pepper) |
| 1 teaspoon of onion powder | Between $4 and $5 for a 1.73 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.38 cents) |
| 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper | $0.98 per 1.75 oz. container at Walmart (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.09 cents) |
| 1/4 cup of Worcestershire | $1.00 for a 10 oz. container at Walmart (1/4 cup or 2 oz. = 0.2 cents ) |
| 6 cloves of minced garlic | $3.98 for a 3.12 ounces container at Walmart (which comes out to 0.33 cents for 1.5 teaspoons of ground black pepper) |
| 1/4 cup of soy sauce | $1.52 for a 15 oz. container at Walmart ( 1/4 cup or 2 oz. = 0.20 cents ) |
| Total Cost: | $8.24/6.6 oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients) |
Step-By-Step Instructions
Wild Bills Beef Jerky Recipe
We're excited to introduce a new and mouthwatering beef jerky recipe that's sure to become one of your favorites. Infused with the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness, this irresistible creation will leave your taste buds craving more.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice the meat into 1/8-inch thick strips either with the grain for chewier beef jerky or against the grain for more tender beef jerky.
- I suggest chilling the beef for between 50 and 60 minutes before slicing it to make it easier to cut.
- All the ingredients should be combined together, then add the mixture into a sealed ziplock bag. Now toss the bag until the beef is completely coated.
- Keep the meat chilled for at least four hours, or, for more flavor, up to a day.
- Spread the strips onto your dehydrator's trays.
- Dry your beef at 160 degrees F for between 4 and 7 hours. Check your beef jerky every 30 minutes after the 4-hour mark and stop the dehydrator when the beef is black and barely bendable.
Nutrition
Serving: 37.4g | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.4g | Protein: 28.7g | Fat: 5.8g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 912mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2.9g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 18mg
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.