Beef Jerky

I wanted to make food gifts for my friends for Christmas. I tried to make fudge. I don’t know what I did wrong, but it was grainy and strange tasting. I took it to school. High school students are like black holes, they will devour anything.

My Food Network magazine came in and I was inspired. A recipe for beef jerky sounded easy. I read many other recipes and tweaked them and came up with this. I was nervous because it was a huge pile of meat and what if it didn’t work out? Success! I hope I can keep from eating it all before Christmas!

Servings:  about 20 pieces

Hardware:  Cutting board and knives, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, a large airtight plastic container, paper towels, foil, 2 baking sheets, 2 cooling racks

Active time: 15 minutes; Marinate: overnight; Cook: 4-5 hours-jerky in about a day

Beef Jerky from the Oven

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds eye of round beef
• 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ cup dark rum
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke

1. You can freeze the beef for about 2 hours and cut it, with a very sharp knife, against the grain into ¼ inch thick slices. Or you can do what I did and ask your butcher to slice it for you.
2. Carefully trim all the fat from the beef. Fat will make your jerky become rancid quickly.
3. Mix all the seasonings together, then whisk in the liquids. Layer the meat with the marinade, making sure that all the beef is covered. Place in the airtight containers and marinate over night.
4. Preheat the oven to 250˚.  Line the baking sheets with foil. Then place the cooling racks over the baking sheets. Use the paper towels to dry the meat. Place the future jerky on the cooling rack so that the strips are not touching.  Place in the oven.
5. Turn the oven down to 200˚. Cook for 4 to five hours our until the desired texture.
6. Store in an airtight container and it should keep for weeks.