Followed this recipe to a 'T,' which I believe is necessary to rate it properly. Absolutely perfect 'as is,' no changes to the ingredients. Just a suggestion for prep -- there's no need to marinate in two steps, just combine everything in one glass bowl (plastic absorbs smell) or Ziploc bag overnight. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use skewers and hang them from one end in the oven at 150F for 4-5 hours. I also boil the leftover marinade for at least 10 min to rid of bacteria or until desired consistency and use it for BBQ sauce on beef, chicken or pork. Why waste it? Everyone loves this jerky, so it's the only one I make. Great recipe! :)
My husband used venison instead of beef. It turned out great, although I didn't read the instructions thoroughly and mixed together all the ingredients listed. I didn't cook the marinade in a saucepan either. I just put everything in a big ziploc and let the meat soak overnight. My family and his family all thought it's the best jerky recipe we've found.
Excellent stuff! I improvised slightly: first I got home and realized I had no brown sugar. I did however have Sweet & Low Brown (brown sugar substitute). I used the recommended conversion amount for the sweet & low. I also used low sodium soy sauce - but ran a little short on the amount. I use Wright's liquid smoke - and it's really REALLY strong so I only used about half the amount. I substituted Penzey's Spices Black & Red Spice (black pepper & spicy cayenne blend) for some of the pepper too. Results? Amazing! The fake brown sugar worked really well the smokey flavor is definitely there and the Black & Red Spice gives it an added kick. Can't forget the pepper flakes! Definitely will make this again and can't wait to share this with my friends!
Parents have an organic farm and we got a half a cow for Christmas... there's no way between the two of us we can eat that much meat, so I recently purchased a dehydrator and this is the first recipe I tried. I feel no need to search for additional recipes. This is perfect! Purchased mason jars and will make custom lables filled with this jerky to give as gifts... if there is any left :) Thank you!
If you don't have a food dehydrator, this can be made in the oven too. Just lay the meat on cooling racks on top of foil-lined baking sheets and bake on 150 degrees for 5-6 hours. Open the door every now and then to let steam escape. So easy!
This was so yummy. I've made it twice in the past month. I tried to follow the exact recipe but had a problem with the onion powder in my cupboard. I ended up using minced onion it was delicious. Oh yeah only used 4 tbls liquid smoke too. I plan to make it a lot. Thanks Dixychik!
This can easily be the best jerky that you have ever tasted. Necessary changes: marinate at least 24 hours in the fridge, and use too much marinade (too little will leave too little flavor). A few options to try: cut the meat cross-grain (this allows for tenderness and flavor soaking), use reduced sodium soy, gourmet teriyaki (make sure it contains some type of wine), use any lean cut of meat (typically some kind of round/top round), and finally the pepper flakes and spices should coat the meat before marinating.
The jerky was perfect! I tried the marinade with turkey legs and chicken thighs and YUM! The meat melts off the bones! I'm making it again today and I'm going to fill my smoker with chicken, turkey, and short ribs. Delicious!
customized this to 12 servings and had a quart of marinaide too much. overall tasted good but could not tell if pineapple juice was there or not.
This was not good! I'm not sure how it got such high reviews. I followed the recipe exactly. The end result was slightly sticky jerky with a caramelized coating. It was more of "spicy beef candy" than a traditional jerky. Also this make a LOT of marinade...you could use a lot more than the recommended 1lb of meat for the amount of marinade the recipe yielded.