DIY Beef Jerky

I managed to find some nice lean top round steak on special for  $4.99 a pound. Get a piece that has very little or no streaks of fat; shouldn't have white spots. 

Jerky shrinks by about 50%, so if you buy 3 lbs of meat ($15) then it will likely become 1.5 lbs of jerky (i.e. $10 a lb for the finished product).  Just double the cost per pound for the raw meat for your finished jerky cost per pound.


Method to make Jerky:

1. Cut the meat into thin strips. Throw out any chunks of fat on the meat (or use for another purpose). Try partial freezing if you have trouble cutting thin slices.  Strips need to be 1/4 inch thick or thinner.

2. Marinate meat strips for 3-6 hours. Use the Alton Brown jerky recipe for the marinade.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/beef-jerky-recipe/index.html


3. Lay out meat on dehydrator trays and dry at 140-150 F for 7-24 hours until tough and not moist at all. Ours was done at 12 hours.

4. If it is totally dry then store in a bag in the pantry.  Otherwise keep the finished jerky in the freezer.