Sunday, February 20, 2011

A Really Tasty Beef Jerky (Soy-Free. Gluten-Free.)


Ingredients:
3lbs Round Roast (Grass-Fed and Finished), trimmed of excess fat 
4 Cups Organic Apple Juice (make sure you are using a product with no other additives)
1T. Garlic Powder
1T. Smoked Paprika
1T. Smoked Sea Salt (find a natural wood-smoked product*)
1T. Penzey’s BBQ 3000** (or your favorite spice blend)



  1. Partially freeze meat for 2-4 hours, until mostly solid.
  2. Slice meat into about 1/8” thickness strips (I use a meat slicer, but you can also do so with a really sharp nice); cut against the grain of the meat. 
  3. Transfer sliced meat to a large container (I use plastic shoe boxes).
  4. Mix the apple juice and spices in a large measuring cup or bowl and pour over meat, to marinate.  Put a lid on the container(s) and transfer to the refrigerator. Allow meat to marinate overnight.
  5. Preheat oven to 165F. I have a convection oven and set it on “Pure Convection”; if you have this setting, use it or follow the directions on your food dehydrator. 
  6. If using an oven, set up racks (used for cooling cookies and cakes) over cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil (for easier cleanup). Lay strips of beef out on racks and transfer to the oven.
  7. Cook at 165F for about 3 hours***, with the door slightly ajar (I use a folded towel to keep the door propped open); cooking time will depend on the thickness and size of your meat slices. 
  8. Once jerky is to your desired texture, it can be transferred to a tupperware container to retain moisture. If you plan to keep it around longer than a few days, package in airtight packaging (I use FoodSaver bags). 
*I found them at Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma, but also check online. 
**I experimented with this spice mix, after my friend Jen sent it to me...it adds great flavor! This jerky is also really flavorful without it, but tastes even better with it. 
**As the meat dehydrates, it is losing it’s moisture, so watch to make sure that it doesn’t dry out too much. 





16 comments:

Marinka said...

Looks delicious! I'm definitely going to try your recipe, because it's impossible to get beef jerky without lots of sugar or MSG over here.. Thanks :)

Patty said...

This sounds really good! I'm in the market for a meat slicer, but reading bad reviews about so many of them. Are you happy with yours?

jencereghino said...

I love it, so far! I've sliced about 30lbs of round roast with great success...and, way more effective than my knife. Slicing that much meat, with a knife, can create some strain on your wrist, arm, and shoulder, no matter how fit you are. ;)

This one is really easy to disassemble, clean, and reassemble and doesn't have any spots where raw meat can get stuck. You have to unscrew the blade to remove, which is a minimal annoyance, but not really that big of a deal. It cuts through meat without too much effort, but a little more horsepower (do slicers have horsepower?) would be nice.

This is the only meat slicer I've ever owned, but for the price I am totally happy. I think this is the perfect slicer for at-home use (i.e. slicing cooked roasts for lunch meat, semi-frozen meat for jerky, or even fruits and veggies for cooking or snacking).

Stephanie Le said...

Can you link the meat slicer that you have? Thanks!

jencereghino said...

Hey Stephanie! I did link it, it may just not show up in a different color on your computer (on mine it's orange)...try rolling over the words "meat slicer".

Michelle said...

Have you tried making jerky with any other meats? Just curious if chicken or turkey would be treated the same way.

jencereghino said...

Michelle~ I've never used turkey or chicken, just beef and buffalo. Sorry I couldn't help out with this one...I'm really not sure how that would turn out.

T Nutt said...

Hi Jen - The meat slicer looks great. Do you use the serrated blade that comes with it or did you buy a different one?

jencereghino said...

Just the blade that comes with it. It works best if the meat is almost frozen through. I set this particular slicer to the 3rd line, for slicing my jerky.

Michelle Smith said...

Apple Juice, great idea! I am surfing around for a jerky recipe without soy. Thanks

teamjbl said...

First beef my picky/food-intolerant toddler has eaten in MONTHS! THANK YOU!! What a hit! I'm going to try it with turkey...I'll report back as I saw someone else had the same ?.

Thebteam4 said...

Can you post the Meat Slicer MAnufacturer and model. The link is not working on my computer. Thanks!

Trialheadfoods said...

The picture itself tells the story. This recipe looks great and quite tempting. Would like to see more posts from you.

Jerky

CherylInPeril said...

I have never made beef jerky before - have always been put off by finding the 'enzymes' and other ingredients that look too hard. Used your recipe and made my first batch last night. It worked really well! I also found out that my oven works brilliantly as a dehydrator - have never tried it out before. Thanks so much!!

Cow Girl Cattle(Best Meat Brand For Women) said...

The Organic Meat Bars are an appropriate item for a healthy intake. It helps in the maintenance of good health. The intake of delicious Organic Meat Bars comes up with certain health benefits. It promotes weight loss as well ensures the effective functioning of the body.

William John said...

beef jerky is a good source of protein and high in many vitamins and minerals, including zinc, iron, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and folate. It also has a long shelf life and is portable, making it a great on-the-go option.