Beef Jerky

Recipes for Beef Jerky are a dime a dozen.

Here is my Beef Jerky Story and if this will bore you just scroll down for the recipe. My daddy makes the Best Beef Jerky. In my opinion. Everyone from us kids to his Grand Babies love the stuff. I have made Beef Jerky in the past but nothing quite like Dad's. So I finally asked for the recipe and along with that came his 500 pound dehydrator!



I get "Famous" dehydrator. So I get the Dehydrator that is heavier than my first born and the old tattered paper with the original recipe. Home I go all excited and ready to be Billy Junior. Noticing I should clean the machine it is old and it is dirty. I take out the 7 pound tray's and scrub and scrub. They still smell like a multitude of foods. Then my little mind realizes no one has ever died from any of daddy's beef jerky so we are safe. I move on

I call my daddy and ask him with using Grama Lois's recipe how many hours does it take to hydrate the beef. Oh honey 3 day's. No shit. Ok this is just getting better and better. The beef is marinated the Empire state building of dehydrators and is ready on the biggest counter we have. I get all the strips of meat on the racks all is good. I close the door plug in and the Dehydrator starts. Within 3 minutes the machine sounds like Untied States Marines Helicopter is landing. It was so loud one dog barked and one dog ran outside!



Well the tow truck came and delivered the dehydrator back to dear daddy and I used the little dehydrator I got at a garage sale for 5 bucks. All is well


Here is the original recipe. Thank you Grama Lois                      xoxo

2 pounds of lean thinly sliced beef
2/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup of Soy Sauce ( I use Bragg Liquid Amino better for ya)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic power
1 teaspoon onion power







Cut beef strips 1/2 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick
Keeping them 4 to 6 inches long.




 Mix liquids and spices together mix well.

 There is my option for Soy Sauce it is natural and taste just the same. Try it.

Pour the liquid over your beef .
Marinate for 24 hours.  Stirring once or twice.
I use this container because I can just flip it over to coat a large zip lock bag will work.

 I let mine sit for two day's. I know that seems like a long time but you want them to soak up that juice. You can let it sit for as little as 24 hours no less than 12 please.







 Drain your beef and pat dry on a paper towel

 Prior to putting them in the dehydrator I put some fresh crushed black pepper. Personal thing. You can dry your jerky in the sun or oven or dehydrator. I will give you instructions for the sun and the oven. A dehydrator comes with it's own instructions.




To dry your jerky in the Sun I think you need to go to a better source then myself. I have never done the sun. BUT here is what I have read.

My $5.00 Bargain

                     Would love to hear from anyone
                   who has tried sun drying there jerky


sp;        Sun Dried Jerky

Place beef over open end of a foil lined carton in the sun. The foil reflects the heat of the sun. Cover your beef with a fine wire screen to keep out the insects. Secure the screen in place the wire or card so it does not touch the beef. This process takes about 4 day's. Check your beef each day and turn it. Also take the beef in or cover at night so the moisture does not rehydrate it.



Now in the oven your pilot light will do the job. If you do not have a pilot light go buy a dehydrator or use the good ole Sunshine.  Ok oven people you need to cover your beef with cheese cloth place it directly on to the oven rack. Let it sit in the oven until it is dry.