Spicy Beef Jerky

I was recently visiting a close friend in Nashville and he brought a bag of jerky he’d made, knowing that I might be peckish after the flight. It was so good, and I continued to gnaw on it over the next days. Great snack! As he says, this recipe is pretty forgiving. Tweak it to your personal tastes.

Variation #1

This recipe is loosely based on Alton Brown’s jerky recipe, but I added more spicy heat and used a dehydrator (instead of the fan/filter method).

Implements

• Sharp knife
• Freezer
• Large bowl
• Dehydrator

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 TB honey
• 3 teaspoons onion powder (I used Spice House’s Toasted Granulated Onion)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste, or omit if you don’t like heat)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (I used Chiquilin smoked paprika from Spain–plain sweet or hot paprika will also do just fine; use what you have, in the amounts that you want)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste, or omit if you don’t like heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Instructions

Put the flank steak in the freezer for 60-90 minutes so that it is easier to slice. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to create a marinade.

Remove the meat from the freezer and trim off excess fat. With a sharp knife, cut the meat with the grain into thin slices. Add the meat slices to the marinade, cover, and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 2 – 12 hours, depending on how much time you have and how deeply you want the flavors to permeate the meat.

Remove the meat slices from the marinade and arrange in single layers on parchment-lined trays. Pat the meat dry and place in the dehydrator with settings at around 165 degrees for 8 hours, or until dry.

Store in a dry place, such as a ziplock bag, for up to 3 months.

Variation #2

This variation has fewer spices, less heat, no smoke, and focuses more on the actual flavor of the meat.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 TB onion powder (I used Spice House’s Toasted Granulated Onion)
• 1 TB garlic powder
• 1 TB sweet paprika

For finishing (optional):

• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt flakes

The implements and instructions are the same as Variation #1 above, except that once I’ve got the marinated meat ready to go, I sprinkle an optional pinch of pepper and pinch of salt flakes on top of each tray of meat before putting them into the dehydrator.