What Meat Do You Use to Make Beef Jerky
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03/15/2016
Really easy to make!!! I get why dried beef is so expensive now...this was not a cheap build but the best jerky I've ever had. One pound of London broil (cut while still partially frozen to make it easier to make thin slices) made 6 ounces of jerky but wow, it's great! And so easy to make!
10/09/2016
Oh goodness. This was soo good. Didn't change anything the first time, except I had a 3lb eye of round. This was more than enough marinade for 3lbs of meat. The second time, I added 2 homegrown jalapeños, which added a nice, but not overpowering, kick. Instead of doing this on a cookie sheet and wire rack, which is awful to clean, you can hang the pieces with toothpicks or bamboo skewers from the top oven rack. Be sure to line the bottom oven rack with aluminum foil to catch drips. Make sure none of the meat is touching other pieces or folded on itself, it wont dry with the rest. And wedging the oven door open with a wooden spoon helps with drying time.
09/16/2016
I made this but with no seasoning because I made it for my dogs! It came out great. My dogs love it and I know it won't harm them. I now make a batch every 3 weeks for them. Happy dogs and happy mom!!!!
05/27/2017
This was my first time making jerky. It was so easy! I had my butcher cut the meat and I used 3 lbs of London Broil - so I increased the marinade recipe by 50%. I used low-sodium soy (instead of reg soy) and dark brown sugar (instead of honey), added 1/2 Tbls of ground cumin, 1/2 Tbls ground Cardamom, 1/2 tspn ground clove and 1/2 tspn Cayenne powder. My family really enjoyed this jerky! I will NEVER buy commercial jerky again! The taste of homemade jerky is so much better (and without all the unhealthy additives that often goes into commercial jerky)! I will be making this many times, as we enjoy jerky a lot! ~ OH, I cut up some into tiny pieces for doggie treats .. my two dogs love 'em, too! (there's nothing harmful to dogs in them, so why not share with them?).
08/30/2017
Recipe is excellent and very easy. I made two batches, the first I baked per the recipe at 175 degrees for 3 1/2 hours. For the second batch I baked it using the convection function on the oven and it was ready after about two hours, cutting 1 to 1 1/2 hours off the cooking time. They were equally delicious and could not tell the difference between the batches. The jerky was actually better two days later!
03/05/2017
I made this with a frozen venison roast. I soaked the venison in salted water for three days in the refrigerator to draw out any blood changing the salt water every day until it came out almost perfectly clear. I Patted the meat dry and put in the freezer for about one hour to make it easier to thinly slice. Then I followed the exact recipe as with beef only using a dehydrator instead of the oven. The jerky came out perfectly!
01/01/2016
Our adult kids were home for Christmas and it was gone before I knew it! Now they are asking me to send them some. I'd say that was a hit ? Putting more in the dehydrator today, just had to come review time & temp. Thank you Chef John!
11/28/2016
Was way way too salty as written. Made it again with only 2 table spoons of soy sauce and much better!
03/14/2017
No recipe is going to make everyone happy, but this was close. I thought it had too much of something, perhaps worstershire sauce. We used Tamari sauce, which is a low sodium soy and will cut down on the salty flavor. Next time I may have the butcher slice it, but you can do it at home with a sharp knife. The whole process was much easier than I thought it would be and we will be making this again.
08/27/2016
I made this with bottom round and it turned out fantastic. I've had some pretty good store bought jerky and this recipe is right up there with the best of them. The only difference is the price. This jerky is much more affordable. Thanks chef John for sharing!
09/13/2016
Worcestershire sauce was a little strong but a great tasting jerky. Placed in freezer 2 hours before slicing by hand, against the grain . turned out to be the most tender jerky i've eaten. I'm 64 and have ate a lot of jerky in my time. by the way subbed 2 tablespoons of cane sugar for the honey.
07/02/2017
Amazing! My husband has been wanting home made beef jerky for several months. We saw the video on how to make this one evening while watching youtube, and when I saw how easy it was, I just had to try. The flavor is awesome! It took a while for the meat to dry out in my oven (closer to 8 hours, meat was cut in long strips 1/2" by 3/4", which probably accounts for the long drying time). I made this recipe at the same time as a recipe from another site, and this one is FAR superior. I will definitely be making this again and adapting the ingredients to our tastes. 10/10 recommend I registered for an account on this site just to write this review
11/14/2018
I've made this a few times now. Key to your success... There's an excellent tip to partially freeze the beef prior to cutting, I left mine in freezer for almost 2 hours, which allowed for very thin slices. Thin sliced beef cannot be overstated as allows better saturation of seasoning, and ultimately leads to better flavour. Cutting beef with the grain yields chewier texture more like "store bought" vs across the grain, which is good for the denture wearing folks!
07/29/2019
This was a great base recipe for us but we made a few tweaks which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. We reduced the Worcestershire to 1/2 C. and added 2 Tbsp. more of brown sugar and also added Texas Pete to preference (maybe 2-3 Tbsp). We also used a dehydrator at 160 for about 10 hours after marinating over night. It turned out beautifully! We eat a lot of jerky so this may become a regular!
02/06/2017
My husband and I made this last night. Yum!! We did use Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce and used raw honey. We also added cayenne pepper for more heat. We did ours in our dehydrator instead of the oven. This is a great recipe. We are into health and fitness and we love beef jerky but the kind you buy in the store has so many preservatives and junk added to it. This was the perfect recipe for us to use to have a healthy snack with lots of protein. Thanks for submitting the recipe. We will probably be making this every week.
06/25/2017
I was a little more generous with the honey, but it's a great recipe. Add a little steak sauce for an extra kick.
02/05/2017
I made this jerky in the past and then lost the recipe. I loved it when I made it previously and have been a little disappointed in other recipes I've tried since even though they were all good, just not what I was looking for. This is by far the best jerky recipe I've found. The only thing I change in my preparation is that I cut the meat uniformly in 1/4" strips and after marinating, I dry them in my smoker which is set at 175 degrees. I also add some cherry wood or mesquite smoke during the first hour of drying. The end product keeps very well on the shelf. I have a hiking partner that had some in their hiking gear that was nearly a year old and they were still eating it and raving about the good flavor, (although I wouldn't advise keeping that long). My problem is it gets eaten up in our house faster than I can make it.
02/22/2017
Love this recipe! I've made it a couple times now. First time I made half of it in the oven half of it in my food dehydrator. I do like the oven a little bit better. But I found that doing the dehydrator is just a little easier to clean up by lining the bottom of my dehydrator with foil and since the racks are plastic I can just throw them in the sink and little water for easy cleanup. Other than that, recipe wise, I don't change a thing! I put some in the refrigerator for snacking for a couple weeks. And I also put some in food saver bags in the freezer, for later use.
05/24/2017
Excellent recipe. This is the third time I've made it and added 1tsp of liquid smoke for the first time and twice the honey. Oh it just gave it that last touch. Delicious!!
07/04/2017
This jerky was only ok. I made the recipe with no modifications. worcestershire is overpowering. If I were to make again I would drastically reduce the amount of Worcestershire sauce, unless you really love the stuff. It's gonna be a bit hard to eat all this jerky when it tastes like Worcestershire.
10/24/2018
This probably one of the worst jerky recipes I have made. There is way too much worcesteshire sauce. I love the umami of worcesteshire but it was overwhelmiing. I make jerky twice a month to get the added protein in.
06/18/2017
Excellent . Will be making this again.
03/25/2017
I thought the worcestershire flavor was WAY too overpowering. Only make this if you absolutely LOVE worcestershire!
01/23/2019
I've tried a few of the recipes on this site and this is my favorite. I do replace the honey with a 1/8 cup of brown sugar (not packed). As far as marinade times I usually do a full 18 to 24 hrs, I've read that it doesn't make a difference if you marinade for 3 hrs or 23 hrs but that hasn't been my experience. A full day is best. Also, I know this can be tough but if you can wait another 24 to 48 hrs before eating your jerky the flavor is significantly better. I have no idea why. I usually split the recipe and eat half right away and store the other half for a minimum of 2 days. One last thing, I find the 170 temp to be a bit high but since modern ovens can't go below 170 I leave the door open about a half inch. It allows the heat flow out so oven remains on most of the time instead of the oven turning off and on continuously. This way there is a continuous flow of heat passing the meat.
09/05/2016
I've tried this recipe two times now and absolutely love the jerky; family, friends and co-workers all feel the same. I did make a few minor tweaks though. First, I'm not a big fan of honey so the 2nd time around I substituted brown sugar and on both batches I used ghost pepper flakes instead of red pepper (I prefer jerky to have a bit of "heat"). Lastly I used a dehydrator instead of the oven to dry it; having ten drying racks comes in particularly handy when making 3 to 4 pound batches. Again I can't say enough great things about this recipe, extremely easy to make with outstanding results.
10/13/2016
Looking for a snack/meal that stays well on multi day hiking trips I always found beef jerky to be the best. Just the prices here in the local stores are rediculous with $120/kg so I finally made one my own. Had to change the onion powder with a grinded onion and made a little less marinade for a little more meet due to the packing volumes sold here, and after 4 hours at 60C in the oven I entered heaven. So much better for so much less! I am now prepairing another batch which I will put in the low temperature smoker (max 35C) on pearwood on the first winter day of the season. Whiskey and sigar ready!
10/07/2015
Very simple, easy to follow, and turned out magnificent. No more spending ridiculous amounts money for a bag of jerky from the store! Thanks Chef John ^_^
12/26/2016
My first attempt at beef jerky. It was awesome. We liked it better than the jerky we get at the local meat shop for $36/lb
06/14/2018
I made this for my dad on father's day. he loved it! If your parents are beef jerky eaters this is the best gift you can give them.
06/29/2016
I am not a beef jerky eater; I just do not like it! But after I made this recipe, I LOVE IT! And my family (who are all big jerky fans) absolutely loves it! They like it better than any commercial jerky and ask for it all the time. The pepper flakes give it just that perfect little kick. Fantastic recipe, don't have to change a thing!
06/02/2017
I can't believe I waited this long to make beef jerky, this recipe is exactly what I was looking for!!! The only changes I made were: I used a dehydrator for a few hours, I didn't have any onion powder or chili flakes which was fine because the pepper made it the perfect spiced flavor. I will definitely make this again!
01/26/2017
super easy! great taste
04/22/2017
Great recipe that makes tasty jerky which far exceeds anything you buy in the supermarket.
01/30/2016
I wasn't thrilled with the seasoning. I marinated overnight and the worchestershire was overpowering . It was good, just a little strong on the flavoring for my taste.
10/17/2019
My daughter's love to have jerkey available after they run in cross country meets, but it is so expensive buying it weekly premade. this makes a nice alternative.
01/02/2018
I followed the recipe, but next time I think I'll increase the amount of hot spices to the recipe. I will make again, we all need to find our perfect taste buds recipe. :)
10/04/2015
As usual, Chef John has a winning recipe. These are delicious.
05/18/2016
Great recipe! I made this last weekend and have not been able to stop eating this jerky. It has a nice bite to it with a little bit of heat on the back end (I added Chef John's 'signature' pinch of cayenne to the marinade). Perfection! I will definitely make this again!!!
08/06/2016
Didn't change anything. PERFECTION!
12/05/2016
Made this last weekend in my charcoal grill. Flavor was awesome. My first try at beef jerky and I need to make a few changes to my process , but I will definitely use this recipe again. Excellent.
03/28/2017
I followed this recipe exact, and I took it out an hour and a half early because it was way too dry and tasted burnt. It looked nothing like the video,
01/17/2019
Not sure why but mine took much longer to dry out than in the instructions. I added some of my own ingredients for a little different flavor but this is a good base.
04/11/2020
Recipe is a bit salty; I reduced the soy sauce, and added a bit of "Hickory Smoked Salt" for flavor.
12/16/2017
This was my first time making jerky, I have now made several batches. I substituted Monks fruit for the honey to make it more keto friendly. Everybody absolutely loves it. I also add some liquid smoke 1 tablespoon. I use top round roast and slice it on the meat slicer, very quick and even slices, and tender. 3 1\2 hrs at 160 perfect!
10/06/2019
Wonderful
09/10/2016
Addictive, tasty, exciting. Followed the recipe exactly, except I used some home-butchered goat rump instead of beef.
06/13/2020
It was great.made it in my smoker
12/09/2017
I followed the recipe exactly as it calls for. It was so easy and the jerky tasted so great. Than you, Chef John.
08/29/2019
Didn't change this a bit and it is so delicious !!!! TY Chef John you did awesome. I thought this would taste like teriyaki but thank goodness it doesn't :) Whole family loves it also and my son's teacher commented it is better than any name brand jerky woot woot :)
03/01/2019
best beef jerky ever thank you!
08/02/2020
Second batch on the go- loved it! Easy-peasy!
03/12/2018
I made this recipe a few days ago, tasted pretty darn good. so I decided last night to try it again, I added a couple extra things as follows brown sugar Cajun seasoning, I omitted the soy sauce primarily because the is enough salt in the Brine i soak in over night and added Sesame Ginger Teriyaki Marinade. I only gave it a 4 because I ran out of beer waiting for it to get done.
07/05/2018
Followed the recipe, so easy and came out perfect! Just a little heat with half teaspoon of cayenne, half teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Made with London broil.
09/27/2018
Great recipe my only change was that I used my dehydrator! Still came out great!! Love this recipe and the family agrees! We make a large batch fairly regularly, but I also put back a lot with my Food Saver Vacuum machine! It stays fresh literally for up to 5 years! I bet longer, but that is as long as we have kept it!
06/20/2019
Awesome!! This was my first time making jerky and it turned out perfect! I let it sit in the marinade for 24 hours, mixing after about 12 hours. It has so much flavor without being over powering!
07/10/2017
We tried this a few weeks ago with Pork instead of Beef. We let it marinate for 2 days. It was delicious, so today we are making it again with Pork, and adding grated onion instead of powdered, 1 T tumeric, 1 clove garlic besides the powdered, 1 inch piece of grated ginger & 1 T Molasses. We also only had 1/2 cup of worcheshire, so we added 1/4 cup Aminos to it to even the liquid out. And we used regular paprika, instead of smoked, cuz we didn't have the smoked. I'll have to let you know how it comes out 'cuz we are going to let this marinate for 2 days then cook it up....more to come....
11/24/2019
Like it a little sweeter so I added about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, more honey and some ginger powder and fresh ground ginger. Also added about 6oz of Dr Pepper. This was a great base to start with though.
03/15/2018
What an odd way this recipe found me. I always love Chef John's recipes, so they catch my eye first. Long story short, I bought this big piece of top round beef on a BIG sale. I logged on here to find a way to fix the darned thing that wouldn't be tough as nails. This recipe was immediately at the top of my page when I logged in. Since my husband is on a low carb diet, and constantly complains he "just wants to chew something with big flavor", I thought this woudl be perfect. It's VERY good, and foolproof. I only had about 3Tblsp Woosh left in my bottle, and so used same amount soy sauce to control the salt, and it was fine. Marinated beef in a ziplock bag overnight, drained and squeezed meat dry in bag, then spread out on paper towels and really dried it. Baked for 4 hours at 175 and *presto*--husband said it was excellent. That will keep him chewing for awhile with incredibly low carbs/lots of protein. Thanks, Chef John !
12/17/2017
This recipe is fantastic!! We used our dehydrator to make the jerky. The biggest change we made was using a mallet to pound the meat. We believe that pounding. the meat cut down on the marinade time. We marinaded for approximately 3 hours. We also added a couple teaspoons of liquid smoke. Thank you Chef John.
06/24/2016
I loved it! I just finished dehydrating it today and almost devoured all of it. I used my dehydrator as supposed to the oven. Hubby loved it. A healthy alternative snack than chips and sweets. Thanks, Chef John.
10/24/2018
Really easy to make. I marinaded it for 24 hours. Smoked it for about an hour at 180 degrees then put it in the dehydrator for 2 more hours.
04/24/2019
We bought a dehydrator. We love jerky but it's so expensive! This came out amazing! I only had regular paprika so I added 1 teas liquid smoke. I also marinated overnight. We bought round pre-sliced, about 1/4". Too thick for us. I want it thinner like Chef John's. We're gonna wait until round goes on sale and have the butcher slice it. Thus marinade is so good! Will definitely make again, it was so easy!
01/19/2016
Next time, will add a little more honey.
12/19/2017
I made this today for Christmas gifts for my co-workers. The taste is fantastic. The only thing I changed was the amount of pepper flakes, I backed off some. I made one misstep, I think I may have baked it too long. It didn't come out as pretty as Chef John's, but I think my co-workers will love it. The downsize was trying to find a butcher to make the fine cuts. Ralph's and Vons no longer slice meat thinly. I wound up having it done at Lazy Acres, but it was pricey!
02/18/2019
This is my first attempt at making beef jerky and the recipe made me look like a pro! My husband and I both love the flavor of the jerky. I followed the recipe exactly and there's nothing I would do differently except maybe make a double batch. Will definitely make this again and again and again!
01/09/2018
Made as is. Used my NuWave to dehydrate which worked great. This cut of meat had to be hand trimmed by the butcher so it was thicker than I would have liked. My son loves it too, so it's a keeper.
11/12/2017
Wow! I took this out of dehydrator this morning and it is already down to just crumbs in the bag. I used stew meat that I sliced very thin. Next time I will slice a flank steak or eye of round. Looks like I will be making this often. Great idea to use for Christmas gifts. Thanks for another great recipe Chef John!!
01/27/2019
First time making jerky! Great tasting and easy to make! I used low sodium soy sauce and added a couple heapers of Tbs of brown sugar.
05/23/2018
I added 1 tbs cayenne to the marinade recipe upping the heat level. Also, I created the jerky on my Treager using the smoke setting. It may be the best jerky I've had..I shared with friends and family and all loved it-I had no complaints of being to hot however I will cut cayenne back to 1/2 tbs next batch. Highly recommend.
03/16/2019
I cooked it a bit longer than 4 hours to "leather" it up more
08/26/2017
I used London broil cause it was cheaper at the time but still amazing recipe and my son love's it so I give it 5stars :D
12/10/2021
Good and basic, very tasty. I used a dehydrator. Turned out great!
12/26/2020
Made this for my sister's beau for Christmas & it was an instant hit! Even after adding a little more red pepper flakes because he tends to like things spicy, it was the right balance of flavors & smoke. Thank you for having this recipe set up for putting into an oven- I don't own a dehydrator, so that really saved me
12/23/2020
Made this many times. Only thing I add is 2 TBSP liquid smoke. Using a Breville oven on Dehydrate; 150 degrees for 4 1/2 hours. I thin slice the meat still partially frozen and then marinate overnight. Make sure you use the smoked paprika. I buy this by the pound and use it as a key ingredient in a spice blend for steak and chicken.
11/24/2018
Very tasty ingredients! I used a dehydrator and they came out with great flavor. Thanks for this recipe!
04/29/2019
Best I've ever made.....guys at work wanted too buy some or get the recipe.
08/09/2018
Best jerky recipe I've made !! I did add a little more honey than than called for .
10/20/2018
Cooked for a little over 4.5 hours for it to be the consistency we likely. Nice Spicy flavor!
09/28/2019
I've made this recipe with small changes here and there quite a few times now. It comes out very tasty and is very easy to do. The best results I've had so far is marinating it overnight in a round bowl so everything is covered (shallower dishes sometimes left some pieces barely touching the marinade) and then dehydrating for 6h or so. I also added in fresh garlic to the marinade instead of the powder simply because I don't have it around but it gave it worked nicely.
02/19/2017
I tried it and followed everything except I put it in a dehydrator instead of a oven. it was not good at all. to much soy and Worcester sauce.
08/13/2016
Made this twice, first time I skipped the setting the meat on the paper towels. It had an extreme Worcestershire sauce taste. The second time I rested on paper towels before drying, and it turned out much better. This is a great recipe.
01/14/2020
Made 3 times. First time with meat chunks it was great. Then twice with ground meat and it was OK. I suggest using this recipe with strips of meat and not ground.
03/28/2020
Excellent for hiking snacks
08/11/2020
The "Hold & Warm" feature on my oven (170 degrees) was perfect for this recipe! This is so good, I'm happy to make my own jerky without any preservatives, much less expensive and it tastes great!
12/11/2017
Made true to recipe. Put on convection for first 11/2 hours and then regular oven for 1 hour. I think you have to judge the dryness of the beef to your liking. Will make this again. I used reduced salt soya sauce.
07/23/2020
I followed the recipe exactly. If I make it again I would use a lot more smoked paprika. I like a lot more smoky and spicy flavor. Probably trying a different recipe next time.
03/27/2016
Yummy! Didn't use the red pepper, added soy, needs more honey. Will be a lot of fun to test and tweak!!
02/23/2019
This is a great recipe with lots of liquid for the marinade.
01/12/2020
Came out very good. Used it as a hiking snack for the scouts and next time will have to make triple as they were wanting more!!!
05/19/2020
Need to cool down the spicy.. we do not do anything spicy in this house. Was a good thing i omitted a lot of peppers
12/04/2017
I can't believe that I made homemade beef jerky. I added a little Cajun seasoning, to spice it up. I was worried it would be too spicy so I reduced the soy sauce just a little. It was perfect and super easy. Great recipe- I will definitely do it again!
01/06/2020
My family loves it. I like the Worcestershire sauce in it. I reduced it on the second batch and added more chili peppers and honey. My first batch lasted 2 days. I'm hiding it this time!
07/25/2019
Just had my new Kogan Electric Food Dehydrator 5 tray Delivered today, Purchased 2Kg Rump Butcher cut at around 15mm smashed it with meat mallet used this base marinade plus I added 2 cloves of garlic & 2 long red chillis finely chopped How good is this base recipe I keep adding Dry Chilli & harissa Paste every 2 hrs to marinade I'm on my 3rd tray two Trays to go, I will never buy a pack of retail Jerky again, I'm letting sit overnight & will Dehydrate leftovers tomorrow, So Good is this recipe
12/19/2019
Turned out really good! Will be keeping this recipe to make again!
08/20/2018
Made it exactly as is and so delicious! The only downside is my guy and daughter devoured it all and it was supposed to last a few days!! That means though this tastes amazing. Now I have to make again~
03/16/2020
I've been buying homemade jerky for years as a healthy snack and while great tasting, it's a bit pricey. So when I found this easy-sounding recipe, I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! It is easy and tastes yummy. I used top round, cut it into thin slices and marinated overnight. I added a bit more honey to give it a spicy/sweet taste and cooked 2 ways-one batch in the oven and one in the air fryer. Hubby liked air fried and I liked oven cooked best. It was easy and delicious. I will be making this again!
01/22/2021
This is my favorite recipe so far. Only change was 1/2 cup each of soya and worcestershire cuz i had slightly less meat. Oh and used cayenne instead of chili flakes. I usually give most of my jerky away, but hoarded this to myself. Thanks for the keeper.
02/07/2021
Easy to make. Will never buy store bought jerky again it's that good
02/02/2017
Very simple and very tasty. The only thing I would change is that I would add a sprinkle of kosher salt after you place it on the trays in the dehydrator or oven.
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Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241555/homemade-beef-jerky/