There is no one way to make beef jerky. Some people swear by brown sugar, others by maple syrup. Some use deer meat, others beef. Some use dehydrators, others smokers. This simple recipe uses flank steak and an oven. Making your own beef jerky is as much an art form as a labor of love.
Beef jerky
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- 1 lb very lean flank steak (with all visible edge fat cut off) cut into consistent thin strips
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- 2 cups soy sauce (low sodium)
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- 1 cup packed brown sugar
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- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
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- 8 cloves of garlic (crush all)
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- 3 inches of ginger root, bark peeled, chopped fine.
- 3 tablespoons black peppercorns (cracked)
Mix all ingredients but the flank steak and add to a zip lock bag.
Add your strips of steak to the bag, trying to coat each piece.
Expel as much air from the bag as possible, then refrigerate for 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 170 F.
In a large roasting pan, arrange strips on a rack and let dry in the oven for at least 4 hours.
Remove jerky and test for dryness.
Return strips that are not dry back in the 170 F oven for another hour.