ISO Dehydrator Recipes For Easy Beef Jerky

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Maelinde

Senior Cook
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
123
Location
Dallas/Fort Worth
Hi Everyone,

I received an Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator for Christmas and have been drying like a mad woman. ;)

I now want to get in to making all kinds of jerky - starting with beef. I'm also looking for gluten free turkey jerky recipes for friends, as well as some grain free/seasoning free fish jerky for my kitties.

What kind of beef works best for jerky? I do have some London Broil in the freezer - would that work out okay or is the fat content too high? I don't see much, if any, marbling in it. I do enjoy roasting eye of round in the crock pot and that is widely available in my area.

I don't have a jerky gun, so ground is probably out for now unless you can suggest other ways to go about it. I'm willing to learn.

Many thanks in advance for your help. I promise to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. :ohmy:
 
The best jerky I ever had was venison. That was back in a previous life though, when I was married to a hunter. :) Maybe 'salt and pepper'/Joey will see this and comment. I imagine if anyone has pointers regarding making any kind of jerky, he would.

Congrats on your new toy, maelinde! Sounds like you're having fun with it.
 
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The best jerky I ever had was venison. That was back in a previous life though, when I was married to a hunter. :) Maybe 'salt and pepper'/Joey will see this and comment. I imagine if anyone has pointers regarding making any kind of jerky, he would.

Congrats on your new toy, maelinde! Sounds like you're having fun with it.

Hi Cheryl,

Thank you, I absolutely love that Excalibur! Like you, I do enjoy venison.

I look forward to seeing jerky recipes for all kinds of meat. If it can be made into delicious jerky, I'm happy to learn about it.

I am so excited to be able to control what goes in to the jerky. I'm MSG sensitive, as well as prefer lower sodium, so this is an exciting endeavor for me.
 
I got the most beautiful cheapest, leanest beef cut on sale, and after looking up and reading about it, apparently it wasn't good for anything, including slow cooker, roasting, boiling the heck out of it, etc. Maybe for tire traction.

But it made excellent jerky! I partially froze it, sliced it super thin, and marinated it overnight with lots of pepper and low sodium soy sauce and other stuff. Dehydrated it to leather, and it didn't last very long.
 
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Hi Dawgluver,

That sounds yummy! Do you remember what cut of beef that was? Your method sounds easy and delicious. I love lots of pepper, especially the fresh milled multi color peppercorns.
 
Thinking it was eye of round. Not a squinch of fat, which made it perfect for jerky and nothing else.

If your kitties like jerky, I've also had success with pumpkin jerkey. Beagle adores it! Just smear pumpkin puree on the fruit rollup tray and dry the heck out of it, cut into strips.
 
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I like eye of round, so will try that when we go shopping this weekend. YUM

My kitty boys can't have beef, however our kitty girl loves it. They all LOVE pumpkin. I've thought of making some pumpkin leather/jerky out of the canned stuff to pulverize and sprinkle over their food for digestive upsets. Pumpkin is ideal for treating digestive issues in most species including us.

I'm also thinking of doing a fish jerky with tilapia and no seasoning for the kitties. All 3 of them LOVE tilapia when I grill it on the indoor grill, so I'll make up one for them that is unseasoned. I'll post the results when I can get that round tuit out.

Thanks for your suggestions! I can't wait to get to making some jerky! :)
 
Our son would make beef jerky when we all lived under one roof. That's been way too long a time, so I don't know if he does jerky anymore. (I do know he still uses the dehydrator, because I tried to get it from him on a visit back home...) When he made it, I would get an eye of round, head to the butcher and ask him to slice it wafer-thin. He/she might look at you as if you have two heads, but just tell them you want it for jerky and thinner is better. It made excellent jerky. Unfortunately, neither Goober nor I remember what exactly he mixed together for the marinade. I do remember copious amounts of soy sauce were involved...

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out for you.
 
Go buy a diet lean roast. Have the guy at the meat counter slice it thin. Season with wihat ever you want. You can buy the jerky cure and seasonings if you want. I just marinade in a little soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic powder and pepper. How much you use is up to your taste. One thing NEVER put honey in your marinade. It makes a great tasting jerky but extremely sticky. At the time I didn't realize honey does not dehydrate. oops. IF you do what I do and dont buy the cure you must keep refrigerated and use up in 2 weeks max. It will mold. If you use the cure it will last a lot longer. I don't know how long its always gone way too fast.
 
Our son would make beef jerky when we all lived under one roof. That's been way too long a time, so I don't know if he does jerky anymore. (I do know he still uses the dehydrator, because I tried to get it from him on a visit back home...) When he made it, I would get an eye of round, head to the butcher and ask him to slice it wafer-thin. He/she might look at you as if you have two heads, but just tell them you want it for jerky and thinner is better. It made excellent jerky. Unfortunately, neither Goober nor I remember what exactly he mixed together for the marinade. I do remember copious amounts of soy sauce were involved...

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out for you.


Hi Cooking Goddess,

Awesome tips! We tried to get an eye of round this weekend, but I guess everyone out here is making jerky. ;)

I can't remember what cut of beef we picked up, but I remember it being seriously lean. Absolutely zero fat on it. It is a small cut, so if the jerky doesn't turn out, we're not out much money-wise.

I do have an exceptionally sharp Santoku knife that may do the trick, or I'll have to wait a few weeks for my birthday when Randy will buy me a nice meat slicer. I think we both decided on a Chef's Choice after much online research.

I do have a mandolin slicer - wonder if that would work with beef? I've only ever used it with produce.

I look forward to making some jerky soon. Hopefully this week if my back pain levels go down. :chef:
 
Go buy a diet lean roast. Have the guy at the meat counter slice it thin. Season with wihat ever you want. You can buy the jerky cure and seasonings if you want. I just marinade in a little soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic powder and pepper. How much you use is up to your taste. One thing NEVER put honey in your marinade. It makes a great tasting jerky but extremely sticky. At the time I didn't realize honey does not dehydrate. oops. IF you do what I do and dont buy the cure you must keep refrigerated and use up in 2 weeks max. It will mold. If you use the cure it will last a lot longer. I don't know how long its always gone way too fast.


Hi Farmer John!

I don't plan on using the cures, so will make smaller batches that my hubby and I can refrigerate and eat within a week's time. Then again, if it tastes awesome, we'll run out fast. Thanks for the reminder on refrigeration.

I'm getting a home use meat slicer for my birthday next month, so I'll be using that to cut the beef and other meats for jerky, as we tend to go grocery shopping later in the evenings when the butcher is done for the day.

I can't wait to get some jerky done as I sometimes have trouble with the commercial jerkies and all the salt & MSG. Now, I can control what goes in to my jerky. :chef:
 
You're welcome, Maaelinde. Eye of round IS virtually fat-less, so your previous purchase was probably that. I don't think you would have much success cutting meat on the mandolin, since I have used it only for produce too. Maybe someone else has tried it. If you don't want to wait until your birthday (happy birthday early, btw :flowers:), you might want to buy an eye of round, cut off part to roast for dinner that night, and save the smaller piece for jerky. If I were cutting by hand, I'd stand the roast on end and divide into 2 or three portions. Then lay on the cut end and slice with your knife. This way you'll have only an inch or two of meat that you'll have to keep a steady hand for and try to maintain a thin cut. Bonus: perfect slices to marinate. If you do try this, good luck.


...I'm getting a home use meat slicer for my birthday next month, so I'll be using that to cut the beef and other meats for jerky, as we tend to go grocery shopping later in the evenings when the butcher is done for the day...
Maybe you could call the store during the time the butcher is in, tell him what you're looking for, and have him get it ready ahead of time on a day you will shop. If it ends up not being cut properly for jerky, you could always make Philly cheesesteak sandwiches?
 
You're welcome, Maaelinde. Eye of round IS virtually fat-less, so your previous purchase was probably that. I don't think you would have much success cutting meat on the mandolin, since I have used it only for produce too. Maybe someone else has tried it.

My mandolin seems like it shouldn't be used for even cheese, so I'm going to either use my extra sharp Santoku, or find a serrated knife. I feel more comfortable with the Santoku for some reason. I'm hoping to at least have tried before the weekend for some snacks.

If you don't want to wait until your birthday (happy birthday early, btw :flowers:), you might want to buy an eye of round, cut off part to roast for dinner that night, and save the smaller piece for jerky. If I were cutting by hand, I'd stand the roast on end and divide into 2 or three portions. Then lay on the cut end and slice with your knife. This way you'll have only an inch or two of meat that you'll have to keep a steady hand for and try to maintain a thin cut. Bonus: perfect slices to marinate. If you do try this, good luck.

Thank you for the early birthday wishes! My brother is visiting during that time and I plan on teaching him how to cook. Heck, we might even do beef jerky together if I can get a batch done that I totally love. :chef:

The piece of beef we bought was so small that it would only be good for something like jerky. It was some kind of round, but not eye of round. I need to have Randy find where he put it. I don't like shopping all hunched over in the fridge or freezer since the car accident on Feb 13th...

Randy wants to help with the jerky making -that is the only thing he's interested in using the Dehydrator for, although he certainly does his part eating the items I've dried. :ermm:


Maybe you could call the store during the time the butcher is in, tell him what you're looking for, and have him get it ready ahead of time on a day you will shop. If it ends up not being cut properly for jerky, you could always make Philly cheesesteak sandwiches?
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That's an excellent idea! We'll try this beef first, and I kind of want to see if the London Broil we have in the freezer would be a good to use for Jerky as well. We won't know if we don't try, as my mom used to say. She passed away in 2008, and she was my favorite mentor and biggest cheerleader. Learned most everything I know about cooking from her. She would have loved the dehydrator, and probably flown out here more often for a dehydrator day.

Thanks for all of the wonderful advice!! I'm getting so excited that I forgot to go to bed. Best head there now and remove the fluffy kitty that always steals my pillow and side of the bed...:wacko:
 
I have a slicer also. Do yourself a favor if you slice it yourself. Make sure the meat is about half frozen. It slices better.
 
I have a slicer also. Do yourself a favor if you slice it yourself. Make sure the meat is about half frozen. It slices better.


Yes, it needs to be partially frozen. Makes it very easy to slice with a sharp knife.
 
You're welcome, Maaelinde. Eye of round IS virtually fat-less, so your previous purchase was probably that. I don't think you would have much success cutting meat on the mandolin, since I have used it only for produce too. Maybe someone else has tried it. If you don't want to wait until your birthday (happy birthday early, btw :flowers:), you might want to buy an eye of round, cut off part to roast for dinner that night, and save the smaller piece for jerky. If I were cutting by hand, I'd stand the roast on end and divide into 2 or three portions. Then lay on the cut end and slice with your knife. This way you'll have only an inch or two of meat that you'll have to keep a steady hand for and try to maintain a thin cut. Bonus: perfect slices to marinate. If you do try this, good luck.

Thank you for the early Birthday wishes! :) This year (since Christmas) it is all about kitchen appliances. Now that we have the space since moving from a smallish apartment in 2013, I'm all about cooking at home more. You have some fantastic ideas.

Maybe you could call the store during the time the butcher is in, tell him what you're looking for, and have him get it ready ahead of time on a day you will shop. If it ends up not being cut properly for jerky, you could always make Philly cheesesteak sandwiches?

I think I will call the butcher when my brother is out visiting us and seeing if he can cut a good sized eye of round and use some in the crock pot, then the rest for jerky. :yum: Randy absolutely adores Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. That was partially the selling point to get him to buy me a slicer. I've heard that French Dips are amazing when the beef is sliced nice and thin like for Cheesesteaks. YUM

If you could only hear my voice, you'd hear how excited I am. <giggle>
 
Thank you both Farmer Jon and Dawgluver. I very much appreciate all the advice I've been given here.

How long should I freeze it before slicing? It is a smallish cut - just barely under 1lb. I finally saw the label and it says Sirloin Steak Petite cut. I still don't see any fat on it, so I think it will be excellent for jerky.

I'll also try the London Broil soon. That is frozen solid - not sure how much is in the bag - Randy cut up a large London Broil and then vacuum sealed 3 bags before freezing and he didn't label the weight...

Not new to cooking - just new to some of these gadgets & appliances. I could use a food processor with my eyes closed and both arms tied behind my back... <grin>
 
Thank you, Maelinde, just freeze it long enough to make it easy to cut. Partially or fully frozen should work fine to easily cut.

Dang, now I want more jerky! I kept mine in the fridge in a Mason jar. Guess I needn't have bothered as it lasted maybe 3 days.

I LOVE my dehydrator, use it for cherry tomatoes and apple slices all the time. It's a cheapo Harvester, and I bought extra trays for it.
 
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I love my dehydrator, too. I've not done cherry tomatoes, but I do Romas all the time. We love them in soups, stews, and pasta sauce. My favorite so far is tangelos. Slice them super thin on the mandolin and leave the skin on. Tastes like super yummy candy.

I'm hoping to do the jerky this week. We've got stormy weather coming in, so I don't know what the humidity is going to do to anything dehydrating. I have heard that you can't really over-dry food in a dehydrator. I've got plans to do Zucchini chips this week as well.

I want some snacks for the Renaissance Faire that opens this weekend! <grin>
 
I was told to freeze beef for hand slicing for about 20 minutes. You can put it back in the freezer for 10-20 minutes if it gets too soft before you are done slicing, to firm it up.
 
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