Homemade Beef Jerky

I made a mistake tonight...I went to the grocery store on a Saturday night. It is never a good thing for me. I always end up spending way too much money on stuff that I don't need, that just makes me more fat anyway.

Tonight wasn't any different. I spent way, way too much money, BUT at least a little of that money went toward my preparedness plan. The butcher was advertising London Broil for $2.99 / lb. After talking to him for a few minutes, I was convinced that I needed to get some and try to make jerky. The butcher was happy to slice the London Broil into nice thin strips and send me on my way.

I've tried to make jerky before. It wasn't a horrible experience, but it wasn't the greatest either. I had a lot of ground turkey in the fridge...For the record, I do not recommend trying to make turkey jerky for the first go around. It tasted fine, but it stunk up the whole house! It was so stinky that no one wanted to eat the stuff.

 

Well tonight is different. I spent a lot of time researching different marinades. I decided on this one...

 

Long story short, the meat is marinating in the fridge. I will put it in the dehydrator in the morning.

I'll post the results tomorrow night.

 

Western BBQ Jerky

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Pepper
• ½ cup Red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• ½ cup Ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Onion powder
• 1 pound Lean Meat (buy the best cut you can afford)
• ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dry mustard

Directions:

1. Slice meat into across the grain into long strips about ¼ inch thick. Quick tip – Have your butcher slice it for you.
2. In a medium, non-reactive (see note below) bowl with a good sealing lid, combine all ingredients except meat. Stir to mix well.
3. Place meat in bowl, seal and shake.
4. Place in refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours, shaking occasionally.
5. Place strips on a drying rack if you have one or lay them in a single layer on a foil covered cookie sheet.
6. Place in an oven at 140 to 160 F for 8 to 10 hours, turning the strips every 2 hours if not using a drying rack.
7. If meat is not dry lower oven temperature to 130 and continue until dry (see note below).

Note on Testing for Dryness: Test jerky for dryness by cooling a piece. When cool it should crack when bent but not break.

There should be no moist spots.

This recipe came from

http://www.beefjerkymarinade.net/