Five tips for making tasty beef jerky at home
Why pay retail? With right cut, DIY version is easy and fun
My life is governed by very few rules, but this one is a constant: If the drive takes two hours or more, there must be a bag of beef jerky by my side. It’s not an original thought, but it is the perfect road food, and that’s why gas stations put the packages of jerky near the cash register.
Jerky is a pretty healthful option compared to a bag of potato chips or Hostess cupcakes, doesn’t make much of a mess, and it’s genuinely delicious. But there is a serious downside to that delectable bag of jerky: sticker shock. At $3 or more per ounce, it rivals the price per pound of the beef it comes from.
Making your own jerky can cut costs from commercial brands by about half.
Jerry DelliGatti makes his own jerky that he sells for $8 per 3-ounce bag at his DelliGatti’s Sandwich Shop in San Antonio. He buys 70 pounds of round steak every other week and transforms it into about 50 pounds of jerky after eight hours in a food dehydrator.
“It was something that I just started messing with before I found a process that worked and produced the flavors that I was looking for,” DelliGatti said. “I started with 12 different recipes before settling on these six (black pepper, lemon pepper, hot and spicy, fajita, garlic teriyaki and Sriracha teriyaki).”
DelliGatti said that since opening his restaurant in August, he’s sold every bag he’s made.
After digging into the jerky-making process, it turns out there isn’t much to it, and it can be downright fun to do your own experimenting. Here are five simple tips to making your first batch: Fight the fat: Look for cuts of beef that have little to no fat on them and cut off whatever is visible. Fat has oils tucked within that hold moisture and can make a batch of jerky go rancid. Some good options include flank steaks, eye of round (rear leg), bottom round (outside leg), top round (inside leg) sirloin tips or brisket flat. The good news is that these are usually priced at $5 or less per pound.
Buy fresh: Though it may be tempting to grab that package of beef that has been in freezer hibernation for six months, start with fresh meat for a beefier bite and a little added insurance that the meat won’t funk up.
Tiny cuts: Whether you prefer to cut the meat into strips or slices, the key is to always cut it thinly for the drying process. Strips (a good option for flank steaks and sirloin) should be cut to no more than a ½-inch thick, and larger deli-style slices (good for round steaks) should be cut to a ¼-inch thick. Pro tip: Tell your butcher you are making jerky and politely ask if he or she can do the cutting for you. It’s a common request and can save considerable time.
Marinade: Jerky doesn’t require marinating, but it adds a ton of flavor, and it’s fun. Load up a 1-gallon freezer bag with a couple of pounds of the cut beef, add seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, etc.), top it off with a salty liquid (soy or Worcestershire sauce) and mix in other flavor agents such as sliced jalapeño or maybe even some fruit. Mix it all up and put the bag in the fridge and flip it every few hours for an overnight marinade. Low and slow: Dehydrators work great, but you don’t need one to make jerky, and it’s faster without one. The truth is, any heating instrument can work, from the backyard smoker to the everyday kitchen oven — provided you keep the temperature really low (160 to 165 degrees). The goal is to dry out the meat, not cook it.
When it’s time to put the beef in, take it out of the marinade and pat it dry. Arrange it on an elevated rack or directly on an oiled grill grate so it has plenty of air circulation.
It should be ready after about three hours, with meat that either holds firm or bends slightly with a firm shake and no noticeable moisture.
Finished jerky can last for up to a week, but that is a detail that you won’t have to concern yourself with, unless you make an enormous batch. As good as commercial jerky is, it’s even better when still slightly warm, and it’ll go faster than freshly baked cookies.
It’s already becoming part of the weekend routine in my household. Give it a try and plan a road trip.