Growing up, we started our love affair with beef jerky on road trips. It was tradition to pick out road trip snacks at a gas station on the way out, and we instantly fell in love with these little morsels of savory heaven. Whether it was spicy or sweet, we didn’t care, we loved it all. However, everything changed once we tasted homemade jerky, and there was no going back to store-bought. It was surprisingly easy to make, and we now always keep a small baggie wherever we go in case of emergency snack needs!
Can I use this recipe to make wild game jerky?
You absolutely can! Just make sure to still slice your meat super thin, against the grain.
Beef Cut Options
The key to a good beef jerky is to use extremely lean cuts of beef. Fat does not dehydrate well at all, so you will also want to trim off any large pieces of fat.
Recommended cuts include:
- Eye of Round
- Top Round
- Bottom Round
- London Broil
Slicing Tip
Freeze your meat for a few hours before slicing to help keep the shape and uniform thin slices.
Spice Level
Chili flakes and cayenne pepper are optional spices to add. If you want to keep your jerky mild, leave them out. Alternatively, you can add the spices to your own personal taste preferences for a medium to more hot spice level.
Soy Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce Substitute:
Liquid aminos can be used as a direct replacement for either soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, or both!
Smoker Instructions:
Using a smoker is a great way to make beef jerky. Simply omit the liquid smoke from the recipe and keep the temperature below 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch closely and rotate.
Oven Instructions:
If you do not have a dehydrator or smoker, you can still make beef jerky in your oven so long as you can adjust the temperature low enough. Keep the temperature at or below 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Storage Instructions:
Store your jerky in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious beef recipes:
Made this today. Marinating now. Can’t wait to see how it turns out 😃
Very easy to make. I had everything already in my cupboard!!!
Too salty (soy and Worchershre). I prefer teryahki, but good spice mix
My first time making jerky. Bought London broil on sale and semi-froze it before using a meat slicer for thin slices. Didn’t have liquid smoke and used low sodium teriyaki sauce for 1/3 with the regular.
Ended up marinating for about 30 hours. Drained it in a sieve hanging over a pot pushing off excess liquid. No patting dry needed and they were done in about 7-1/2 hours in a dehydrator.
The jerky came out GREAT! The kind you can’t stop having “just one more” over and over again. I froze most of them in small portions thinking they’ll last for many months. That plan is not working out too well. I’ve taken out three of them already. They froze very nicely.
Definitely a keeper recipe!
Nice and easy recipe and taste great!