Backcountry Bistro Beef Jerky
Jerky can be a pricey road trip snack; but this homemade version? Way more flavorful and worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup beer
- 2 pounds beef thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first eight ingredients for the marinade. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a large zip-top bag.
- Add the sliced beef to your marinade, seal the bag and toss gently in the bag to coat all sides of the meat with the marinade.
- Refrigerate for 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. The longer it marinates, the saltier and stronger the flavor will be.
- Remove the strips of marinated beef from the bag and place on paper towels. Pat dry.
- Set your smoker, oven (with the door cracked), or dehydrator to run at around 160 degrees F. Transfer the strips to the grill grate, jerky rack, or cooling rack.
- This is the part that takes some paid attention. Smoke/cook for 2-3 hours (depending on the thickness of your slices, some thicker pieces can take 4-5 hours).
- Check often after the first hour to be sure your jerky is drying evenly. You are looking for jerky that is firm and still slightly pliable, but not soft. If you bend your jerky and it breaks, you've cooked it a little too long.
- I have found, after the first hour, I need to check every half hour, as there are so many factors that will affect the drying process. Take a piece out, let it cool for a minute and try it. I've had a recent batch that took 1 1/4 hours, and right after I did a batch that took 3 1/2 hours. It really depends!