Old Fashioned Smoked Beef Jerky Recipe
Unremarkably in depression and slow BBQ, dry protein is not the most desired outcome – unless of course, you're making Jerky!
I'm going to bear witness you how a couple of different methods to create flavorsome, succulent beef hasty that's not overly chewy or tough.
I'll also talk you through choosing your protein, the correct style to slice to ensure your jerky isn't tough, and a perfect marinade that's just the correct combo for archetype beef jerky.
Once you've made it, you'll be getting requests from everyone (and you lot'll never want to eat Jack Links jerky once again).
Beef Hasty 101
Drying and/or curing meat is an historic period-old method of preserving meat, going back centuries.
Hasty in particular comes from a South American tribe called Quechua, originally part of the ancient Inca empire.
The give-and-take derives from the word "ch'arki", which ways 'to burn down'. Fortunately, we won't be burning whatever meat today, but nosotros will be using like techniques to dry the meat.
I observe that the smoker is the best way to make beef jerky, only I have a mod twist that helps brand the process a little easier.
This jerky makes for a peachy snack, only can also be used for an crawly DIY souvenir.
What kind of meat practise you use to make jerky?
Traditionally, Jerky is made from beefiness, but I've experimented with all kinds of meat, including more exotic varieties similar elk hasty, venison jerky and adept quondam Aussie kangaroo jerky!
I've had success with all kinds of meats, and some that accept been a flake hit and miss (crocodile jerky, anyone??), simply experience costless to experiment and allow us know what wins you've had in the comments section below.
The principal thing to call up is that your cut of meat needs to be very lean – this is why kangaroo and venison are great different cuts to utilise to make jerky.
If you are making beef hasty, I recommend using an economical topside (or Round cut).
You could use filet, but you could also have your butler's manus feed you caviar if you're spending that kind of money on meat for jerky.
So why is choosing a lean cut better, and non, say, a Wagyu MB9 brisket or New York Strip?
Fat = season, right? That's what I've always been told.
Fat simply doesn't dry out out properly, meaning your finished product tin turn rancid pretty quickly. Besides, y'all don't want your hasty to take oily, chewy bits of fat running through it.
The best temperature to smoke beef jerky at
The ideal temperature to fume beef hasty at is between 160-180°F. This allows the beef to dehydrate, without being cooked. You tin can go upwardly to 200°F and you should be OK merely much hotter and you run the risk of drying out your hasty.
Making your own beef jerky
I'll run through my full procedure for smoking my ain beef jerky. There'south plenty of debate on if it'southward better to smoke or dehydrate jerky.
I similar to do both!
I start the process in the smoker to go the extra flavor and and then finish my hasty off in a dehydrator. You tin can practise it all in the smoker if you don't take one.
What you volition need
- A smoker or BBQ capable of low and tedious BBQ
- A dehydrator (not essential, but makes it a lot less hands on)
- A large plastic bowl
- Smoking wood – cherry, pecan or oak are all good
- A sharp pocketknife
- Ingredients for marinade
- Selected poly peptide
Making your beef jerky marinade
You'll want to prepare your marinade the nighttime earlier you lot program on making your beefiness jerky. Marinating overnight ensures the tastiest possible result.
For beef (or whatsoever lean red meat), mix the following into a large plastic bowl – it's important not to use a metal bowl as the acids in the marinade can react and spoil your meat – the amounts shown are for effectually 2.5lbs of beefiness round.
- 1/2 loving cup soy sauce
- one/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/two cup dark-brown sugar
- one/ii tbsp paprika
- one tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Preparing your beef
Now, really importantly, you'll want to slice your protein against the grain. This will ensure that your last hasty has a squeamish bite through, without being super tough.
That'south the thing with jerky; when you practise information technology properly, information technology should really be a bit soft and with some give when yous bite through information technology.
You don't want to be tugging information technology with your teeth similar some super chewy toffee. If you slice with the grain, you'll stop up with stringy, tough, and super chewy hasty.
And whilst that will nonetheless taste slap-up, information technology'll exist a big jaw workout for yous!
I like to piece my jerky about 1/3″ broad, and around half that thick. That is to say that the grain should run left to right (or right to left) beyond the widest office of your piece.
In one case you've sliced all your protein, mix information technology all together into the plastic bowl with your prepared marinade and cover with cling wrap, and place in the fridge overnight.
Smoking your beef jerky
You'll desire to set up your smoker super depression for this. You lot don't want to cook the meat, the smoking process is really well-nigh dehydrating it and remove all the moisture.
If you smoke at too loftier a temp, and yous'll cook and fire the meat. Too low and yous won't be able to effectively remove the moisture. Unless y'all desire to watch your smoker for 3 days. I like to aim for around 140-160°F.
Some smokers can struggle to striking these low temperatures, which is why electric smokers are popular with home hasty makers.
There are a couple of methods that I employ to make jerky, both are time heavy, simply one of them is fairly hands-off. Either method will result in absolutely incredible hasty.
Seriously, the commencement time I made jerky years ago, I was amazed at how much better it was than shop-bought. And I love store-bought…
Apply a smoker and dehydrator
Dehydrators are fairly cheap to buy at present, and they aren't just a one-trick pony.
That is to say that yous won't only use it for hasty – although even if it IS all yous apply it for, information technology'southward still worth it!
I use my dehydrator for fruit for snacks for my kids, or on the rare occasion I'm trying to lie to myself about eating good for you snacks I'll practise kiwi or banana in the dehydrator for a great energy-rich snack.
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However, let's get back to what nosotros're here for – delicious hasty!
Fix your smoker up at a super depression temp – 160°F is what I like to aim for. This low temp can be difficult to control on some smokers, specially offsets, and so if y'all pitter-patter upward to 200°F or and then, that's ok.
Endeavour to keep it as low as you can – only don't stress over temp if you're a bit over, you're still going to produce better jerky than you tin purchase in Walmart.
Take your marinated meat out of the fridge, and here's a tip – use wire cooling racks to lay out your strips of meat. This makes it easier to get into and out of your smoker in quantity and besides means you can stack multiple racks on pinnacle of each other if yous're doing bulk amounts – which you will want to.
Lay out all your strips of marinated meat on your cooling rack – taking care not to permit pieces to touch – and and so smoke using your favorite smoking wood. I accept had great results with oak, hickory and pecan, as well as Ironbark, which is an Australian hardwood like to Oak.
I like to requite the protein a couple of hours to take on a nice smoke and then for my lazy method, I pull them out of the smoker and load them into the dehydrator at 160°F for effectually 5-vi hours.
You lot tin exit information technology in longer if y'all desire to, but I prefer the texture at this time.
If you don't accept a dehydrator then just leave it in your smoker for the full time, but endeavor to use charcoal lump or briquettes for a cleaner burn rather than wood, as I've plant there is such a affair as Also smokey. I know, crazy hey?
Once you're happy, leave to cool and either keep in a sealed container in the fridge or vacseal and go on in a absurd place.
Enjoy as a succulent snack with a beer or two watching Football, or if you lot're stupid, take to work and spend the next weekend making for all your workmates who now want to identify orders for hasty!! I call up you lot can guess which camp I'thou in!
Thanks, mate.
- ii.5 lbs beef circular
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tbsp paprika
- one tsp ginger powder
- ane tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
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Piece the meat against the grain into 1/iii" strips.
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Mix the marinade ingredients together in a big bowl.
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Add your meat to he marinade, cover and identify in the refrigerator overnight.
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Next twenty-four hour period gear up your smoker to 160°F.
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Identify the meat on to wire racks and smoke for ii hours, so remove and place into the dehydrator at 160°F for a further 5-6 hours. If you lot are not using a dehydrator smoke for seven-8 hours in the smoker.
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Cool, then place in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy!
Calories: 220 kcal | Carbohydrates: 14 g | Protein: 26 1000 | Fat: six g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 70 mg | Sodium: 1082 mg | Potassium: 542 mg | Fiber: 1 m | Saccharide: 12 k | Vitamin A: 27 IU | Vitamin C: two mg | Calcium: 49 mg | Iron: 3 mg
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