Making Beef Jerky in a Nesco Food Dehydrator

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.

Looking to learn how to make homemade beef hasty? Look no further, here you will learn stride past step instructions on how to make beef jerky in a dehydrator. This includes everything from choosing which meat to use, slicing said meat, marinating with a great recipe, dehydrating the jerky, and testing for when it's finished.

Leap to:

🎥 Watch how to brand beef jerky
🐄 Choosing the best cutting of meat
🧾 Where to buy meat - Free Sam's Club Membership
🥩 How to piece the meat
🧂 How to make the marinade
⏲️ Drying the jerky
🌡️ How to tell when it's finished drying
💭 FAQ
👨🏽‍🍳 Old Pro Tips:
How to Make Beef Hasty in a Dehydrator

🎥 Scout how to make beef jerky

🐄 Choosing the best cutting of meat

Step 1 - Outset with a lean piece of meat. The goal is to find a slice of meat that has equally piffling fat equally possible.

Best Meat:

Eye of Round Roast
Pinnacle & Lesser Circular Roasts
Flank Steak
Sirloin Tip
Ground Beef (ten% fat or less)

I used a 2lb Beefiness Center of Round for this beef jerky recipe.

🧾 Where to buy meat - Free Sam's Club Membership

Large box stores tend to have the best prices when it comes to meat for beef jerky. These include the main two, Sam'due south Club and Costco. If you lot like purchasing local, great! Local butchers take dandy cuts of meat, they just tend to exist more expensive. However, you are supporting local businesses.

Unfortunately, I do non have whatever good butchers locally then I shop at Sam'southward Club. Right now at that place is a promotion for Sam'south Guild where you can purchase their membership for $45 and and then receive a Sam'due south Souvenir Card the same twenty-four hour period in store for $45. So basically, the membership is gratuitous. We tested the offer on 3-16-21 and it works every bit advertised. Free Membership Valid until 4-30-2021.

Why get this membership?

Great prices! I constitute that locally the price of USDA Pick Beef Eye of Circular Roast (one of the best cuts for jerky) at Sam'south was $4.68. This is compared to $6.99 a pound at the local chain grocery store, that'south a 33% savings!

Non to mention savings on but near everything else; ground meat, salmon, tuna, Prime brisket, paper towels, seasonings, etc...

How to become the gratis membership?

Click here for the $45 gift menu with sign up. (Jerkyholic is in no way associated with this deal. Nosotros do not get annihilation from Sam's or you for y'all signing upwardly; but passing along a smashing deal!)

It volition give you lot a coupon code when filling out information. Make sure to re-create that code down and give it to the person at the membership table at Sam'south. The lady we dealt with already had information technology, but make sure to write it down just to exist sure.

🥩 How to slice the meat

Step 2 - Trim off the fat cap and other visible fat from the meat. Fat will make meat spoil faster, then removing as much fatty as possible now will extend the shelf life of your finished beefiness hasty.

Step iii - Place the beef in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze for easier uniform slices. Your meat should be hard to the bear upon but not fully frozen.

This is ane of the nigh important steps when learning how to make beef hasty. Slice the meat against the grain of the meat around ⅛"-¼" thick for an easier chew or with the grain for a more than chewier beef hasty.

Meat on cutting board with arrows showing direction of the grain of meat

The way you slice the meat has a big bear upon on the concluding texture and whether you volition take a tough or soft beef jerky. If yous need more information on slicing meat, visit my slicing meat for beefiness jerky page.

Slicing meat for jerky on cutting board with sharp knife

Y'all can besides skip the freezing phase and slice your jerky using a hasty slicer. I utilize a Weston Jerky Slicer. Information technology makes sure all your strips are the same width which allows them to dry evenly. Having a slicer is nifty when making a lot of beef hasty, if you are merely making small batches every once in a while it is not every bit important.

Dale's Steak Marinade Beef Jerky Slicing

🧂 How to make the marinade

Footstep four - Finish slicing all of your meat and set aside. Now information technology'south time to get the marinade ready. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl or ziplock bag and stir well. Since this recipe doesn't have whatsoever whole peppers, a blender is Non needed.

Stride 5 - Add the beef strips and shake the container and then all the meat is evenly covered with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge anywhere from 6 to 24 hours for great season, the longer the better. This beef was marinated in the fridge for xviii hours.

Beef Jerky strips marinating ziplock bag

Step 6 - Subsequently marinating, drain and pat dry out the jerky strips to remove any backlog marinade before dehydrating. This helps in speeding up the aridity process.

⏲️ Drying the jerky

Stride 7- It'southward time for the like shooting fish in a barrel office! As I mentioned above, I used my Excalibur Dehydrator for this batch. Identify the beef strips on the racks making sure that they are not touching or overlapping.

Leaving space in between the beef jerky slices allows the air to better circulate and dry the meat.

Footstep 8 - Beefiness hasty takes around four-5 hours to dry out when dehydrating. Turn the dehydrator to 165° and let it run for about iv hours until the internal temperature of the jerky reaches a condom 160° equally per guidelines from the USDA. Depending on how thick your slices are will decide how long information technology will accept to finish dehydrating, this beef jerky took 5 hours to dry.

🌡️ How to tell when it's finished drying

Step 9 - Make certain you check your beef jerky throughout the drying procedure to avoid over drying. The jerky will be washed when it bends and cracks simply does not break in one-half. Yous will also see white fibers inside the meat. If information technology'south done, let it sit on the rack and cool for a couple hours.

Beef jerky on cutting board with crushed red pepper

Step 10 - Now information technology'due south time to either store the beef jerky in ziplock bags, vacuum sealed numberless, glass jars, or my favorite; your tummy! Beef hasty volition stay good for 7-x days if kept in ziplock bags. For longer storage, using vacuum sealed bags will allow the jerky to last 1-2 months. Delight visit my page on storing beef jerky for farther information.

That'south information technology! Those are the 10 piece of cake to follow steps when learning how to make beef jerky at home.

💭 FAQ

Do I have to use a dehydrator when making beefiness jerky?

No. Using an Oven or Smoker is another bully way to make jerky.

👨🏽‍🍳 Old Pro Tips:

Use a abrupt pocketknife or partially freeze the meat earlier slicing. Here is my Slicing Meat Page for more information.
Using a ziplock bag allows you to use less ingredients, saving money on marinades. Put meat in the ziplock purse and whorl it upwardly expelling all of the air inside. This allows all the meat to be covered by a relatively small corporeality of marinade.
The longer you marinate, the more than flavour the jerky will have. If I take fourth dimension, 18 hours in the minimum I marinate my meat.
Have jerky strips out of dehydrator and allow to cool for five minutes before checking to meet if it's finished. It should bend and crack but non interruption when finished. You should also come across white fibers in the meat when bent.

Beef Jerky in mason jar with american flag

Other recipes and information

Beef Jerky Recipes (75+ Homemade Jerky Recipes)
The Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Hasty [2021]
How to Make Basis Beef Jerky

Jerky in jar with red pepper flakes on wood

How to Brand Beefiness Jerky in a Dehydrator

Making hasty in a dehydrator is the easiest and best style to make homemade jerky. They are relatively inexpensive and here I will testify you how piece of cake it is to brand not bad tasting beef hasty!

Prep Fourth dimension: 1 hour

Cook Time: vi hours

Full Time: seven hours

Course: Beef Jerky, Snack

Cuisine: American

Type: Beefiness Jerky

Flavor: Savory, Spicy

Servings: five

Calories: 151 kcal

Marinade

▢ ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
▢ ¼ cup soy sauce
▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ two teaspoon brown sugar
▢ 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
▢ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pick a lean cut of beef. Trim the fat cap and other visible fatty. After trimmed, identify the meat in the freezer for 1-two hours or until partially frozen. This will allow for more than uniform slices when cut your beef.
In a plastic container that has a tight fitting lid or ziplock bag, add the marinade ingredients and mix well.
Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an like shooting fish in a barrel chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky.
Add together the sliced meat to the marinade and shake well until all slices are covered evenly. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for 6-24 hours. Milkshake the container/pocketbook two or 3 times while marinating.
After marinating, dry slices with paper towels to remove any excess marinade.
Place strips on your dehydrator drying racks with plenty of spaces in between for easy air menstruation.
Dry for 3 hours at 165 degrees allowing the internal temperature to achieve 160 degrees then decline to 145F. Check the meat later on 4 hours and proceed drying until the jerky bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Permit jerky to cool for several hours before storing.

Trim all fatty from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it's finished drying
Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor

Let united states of america know how it was!

sundfortume.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.jerkyholic.com/how-to-make-beef-jerky-with-a-dehydrator/