What is Beef Jerky?

Beef Jerky is basically dried lean beef strips packed with the flavors of multiple spices. Its name, “Jerky,” comes from the Quechua word “Ch’arki,” which means “Dried Salted Meat.” The best thing about his recipe is that it’s Keto, Paleo, and Gluten-free. Plus, it doesn’t contain any sugar. So, even if you’re dieting, you can still enjoy this amazing protein-packed snack without disturbing your diet plan.

You may have tried many beef recipes throughout your life: sweet beef, spicy beef, and many more. But beef jerky serves the best as a snack. It’s flavorful, spicy, and healthy as well.

Oven baked Beef Jerky

If you’re following some sort of diet plan, it can be quite challenging for you to find the recipes that fit best for your plan. Most of the healthy foods are quite boring and you have to compromise on taste. There are only a few recipes that are tasty and healthy simultaneously. But beef Jerky is one recipe that promises a great flavor and texture and doesn’t interrupt your fitness goals.

Can you make Jerky in Food Dehydrator?

Food Dehydrators give you the best results when it comes to drying up fresh fruits. But they don’t work well when you use them for making Jerky. The results are not satisfactory and you get really disappointed after so many hours of waiting.

Beef Jerky in Oven

The oven will never disappoint you while you’re making the Jerky. It will give you impressive results and will make you the best Jerky at home.

The oven at its lowest heat is still hotter than a food dehydrator. It dries up the meat quickly without altering its flavor.

The basic ingredients of the Beef Jerky

There are many meat cuts and spices used to make beef Jerky. But I would recommend only a few that give out the best jerky.

1. Beef

One of the best beef cuts for Jerky is silverside. It’s a lean cut with little fat and is less likely to spoil. Other good cuts I would recommend are Sirloin and the Beef Eye of the round.

2. Soy Sauce

Use gluten-free soy sauce. But if you are following a Paleo diet plan, use coconut aminos instead.

3. Worcestershire Sauce

Worcestershire sauce enhances the flavor of the beef.

4. Liquid Smoke

Liquid smoke will give a smoky flavor to your jerky just like the real wood smoke.

5. Spices

You can add spices according to your taste. But I would recommend salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika to give a great flavor.

Cooking Method for Beef Jerky:

1. First of all, trim the fat and freeze the meat for 30 minutes. Once the meat gets frozen, finely slice it into thin strips of about 0.5cm thickness. Add these strips into a ziplock bag.
2. Add all the spices and ingredients into the ziplock bag. Mix them well and coat the strips well with the ingredients. Leave them in the fridge for 4-12 hours so that they get marinated properly.
3. Once they are marinated thoroughly, preheat the oven to 175°F—Line the baking sheets with aluminum foils. Place the rack on top of it. Drain off the remaining marinade mixture. Place the strips onto the rack placed over the baking sheets.
4. Bake the strips in the oven for 3 − 4 hours. Check after three hours to see if the jerky’s got your desired texture.

When the meat is done, take them out of the oven and let them cool. When cooled, you can store them in an airtight container.

Let’s get to the recipe in detail….

Oven Baked Beef Jerky Easy Recipe

Time to make this amazing oven-baked beef jerky! Just follow the instructions and you’ll be amazed at how simple this beef jerky recipe really is. 

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of Beef of your choice.
• ¾ cup of gluten-free Soy Sauce
• ¼ cup of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 ½ of Salt
• 2 tsp of ground Black Pepper
• 1 ½ tsp of Liquid Smoke
• 1 ½ tsp of Garlic Powder
• 1 ½ tsp of Onion Powder
• 1 ½ tsp of Ancho Chile Powder
• 1 ½ tsp of Smoked Paprika
• 1 tbsp of Dried Oregano

Instructions

• Trim all the fat from the beef and freeze it for 30 – 45 minutes.
• The meat should be frozen outside and soft from the inside. This helps in the fine slicing of the meat. When the Meat is frozen, take it out and slice it into thin strips of about 0.5 cm thickness.
• Add the strips into a large ziplock bag.
• Now add all ingredients into the bag. Close the Zip and shake it well to mix the ingredients well.
• Massage the strips well so that they get coated with the marinade mixture properly.
• Place the ziplock bag into the refrigerator and let the beef marinate for at a minimum of 2 – 4 hours and up to 12 – 16 hours. The longer you marinate, the more flavorful your jerky will be.
• Preheat the oven to 175° F. Line 2 – 3 large baking sheets with aluminum foil, and place baking racks over the sheets.
• Drain the excess marinade off the strips.
• Place the strips onto the baking racks. Remember, arrange the strips on the rack in a single layer only.
• Bake the strips in the oven for 3 – 4 hours, until you get your desired color.
• After 3 hours, take one strip out of the oven, cool it, and check if you’ve got your desired texture. If yes, dish them out. And if no, bake them a bit more.
• Once done, take the strips out. Cool them and Enjoy

Some Important Tips:

1. To get a flavorful beef Jerky, marinate the beef as much as you can. The longer you marinate, the more flavorful the jerky will be. It’s recommended to marinate it for 12 – 16 hours to take the flavor to another level.
2. It’s good to remove all the excess fat before marinating the jerky strips. This way the jerky can stay at room temperature for many days. But if you don’t remove the excess fat, your jerky strips will get soiled quickly.
3. It’s important to freeze the meat before cutting it into strips because the frozen meat is easier to cut into thin slices.
4. It’s important to place the baking racks over the baking sheets. In this way, all the meat juices and the liquid marinade drip off into the sheet leaving the strips dry.