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Hearty Beef Jerky Friday, August 14, 2015
Hearty Beef Jerky

This is one of my son's favorite dishes. He eats it hot out of the dehydrator, room temperature, cold and even mixed with rice. It's quite addictive with it's combination of savory, sweet and my combination of peppers. You'll never buy beef jerky at the supermarket ever again! All you get is over-processed meat that has lost all freshness. This jerky will tickle your senses with it's freshness!

I actually have two dehydrators. The first is my Oster Convection Oven which has an option for dehydrating. Technically, it is called a convection oven but it's really a fancy toaster oven. I just upgraded my kitchen so I also have a Viking Convection Oven which I have fallen in love with and also has a much larger capacity than the toaster oven. Either is fine for dehydrating homemade beef jerky. You can even smoke it if you like!

Hearty Beef Jerky

I read somewhere, a long time ago, about combining different peppers to create a holy trinity of peppery goodness. The trifecta of peppers includes white, black and red pepper. And, what better dish to test out this tongue tingling combination than with a dish that screams pepper. Whoever passed on that tidbit of knowledge to me can only thanked by knowing he helped me create this awesome beef jerky recipe.

Hearty Beef Jerky

I read a lot of beef jerky recipes before I came up with my own unique jerky marinade which includes soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder and, of course, the trio of peppers. The sesame oil is the most unique ingredient, acting as a catalyst for the ingredients to absorb into the meat and also imparting a subtle nutty flavor to the jerky. Be careful when you purchase sesame oil, making sure you get 100% pure sesame oil. This is a ploy by manufacturers to make more money off a cheaper product so consider yourself warned.

Don't forget to note my well used crank pepper mill. There's no comparison to those battery operated jobs, allowing me to easily adjust the grind to any size but especially extra large cause I absolutely love pepper! I love crunching down on a large piece of pepper :)

Hearty Beef Jerky

Whisk together all the ingredients till the brown sugar and other ingredients are incorporated. Set the marinade aside while we talk about the beef. I use a flank steak because it is lean but I have read many people like bottom round or london broil, which is from the same cut as bottom round. Fat turns rancid quickly so you want to avoid a fatty piece of meat. While all meat has some fat content, starting with a lean cut of meat is easier to render out the fat and preserve it properly.

Hearty Beef Jerky

To slice with the grain or against it, that is the question. There are arguments for both types of preparation. I prefer with the grain so I get a chewier jerky that tends to hold together better when pounded. Slicing with the grain also gives you the option for longer strips on a flank steak, if you so choose. Once you have sliced the meat to about a quarter inch thickness, pound it with meat pounder/tenderizer to about twice the width. If you like your jerky really thin, you can slice thinner and pound out more but I like hearty jerky.

Hearty Beef Jerky

Place the jerky slices into a Ziploc bag, whisk the marinade one more time and pour over the meat. There's nothing worse than opening your bag the next day to find pieces of jerky not marinaded so I place each slice of jerky in the bag individually. When the meat sticks together, the marinade doesn't seep in between the pieces. I try not to lay the strips flat or uniform like every other piece which seems to help. In addition, squish and mash the bag once it has been closed to get marinade on every piece of meat. Place the meat in the fridge overnight and flip whenever you think of it.

Hearty Beef Jerky

The next day, place the jerky on a Cooling Rack inside a Jelly Roll Pan to catch all the drippings and dehydrate at 200 degrees for 3 hours or until the jerky is done. This is the best part, tasting it to make sure it is done... lol.

Hearty Beef Jerky

The meat will shrink to about half the size when done. This visual indicator, including the dark color of the meant will tell you the meat is ready to cool. Once cooled, make sure to press the meat firmly between paper towels to remove any fat and sesame oil that remains.

Hearty Beef Jerky

I package my jerky using a FoodSaver so I don't have to refrigerate if I keep it a long time. It also makes it a nice package to hand out to your friends. I also use my FoodSaver to prolong the life of meats in the refrigerator or freezer and even marinade faster. FoodSaver has special bags with a cotton barrier just for marinading. I highly recommend this indispensable kitchen tool.

   

Ingredients: Serves: 15

Protein
  4 Pounds Flank Steak
Marinade
  1 Cup Brown Sugar
  1 Cup Soy Sauce
  1/2 Cup Pure Sesame Oil
  1 Tbsp Black Pepper (Fresh Ground)
  1 Tbsp White Pepper
  1 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
  1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  1 Tbsp Onion Powder
  1/2 Tsp Salt

Steps: Prep Time: 8 hours

Whisk Marinade
Combine all ingredients for marinade and whisk till fully incorporated.
Slice & Pound Meat
Slice the Flank Steak 1/4 inch thick and pound with meat pounder to twice the size.
Marinade Overnight
Place meat in a Ziploc bag, whisk marinade again and pour over meat. Squish the bag thoroughly to get marinade on all slices of meat and marinade overnight.
Dehydrate
Place strips of meat on a cooling rack inside a jelly roll pan. Dehydrate at 200 degrees for 3 hours.
Cool, Pat Dry and Eat
When the jerky is cooled, press firmly between paper towels to remove grease and it is ready to eat.

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