Make your own smoked beef jerky from a slab of lean meat in larger quantities than can be bought at the store - all in less than eight hours. Get creative with different spices and flavorings to give the jerky a distinctive flair. The process of making beef jerky is less about cooking and more about drying. Beef jerky drying uses an indirect heat source, not a flame or grill, to remove around 90 percent of its moisture content.
Instructions
1. Slice the meat 1/4-inch thick strips, over a cutting board, with a knife. As the meat dries, it will reduce in thickness. Cut the slab of beef widthwise or lengthwise.
2. Add spices and seasonings to the meat for extra flavoring. Common beef jerky spices include hot sauce, cumin, paprika, garlic, garlic powder, garlic salt, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Spice amounts vary between recipes. Mix the spices and the meat together with your hands until spices are evenly coated over the meat strips.
3. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight to marinate the beef.
4. Pour the charcoal briquettes or wood into the smoker and ignite with lighter fluid and a flame source. Monitor the smoker until it reaches 100 to 160 degrees F. Drying time in this temperature range is approximately four to eight hours. Lower temperatures will increase the drying time to eight hours or more.
5. Hang the meat strips in the smoker using the meat clips. All sides of the beef should hang freely without touching each other or the smoker's components. Cut open the center of a few meat strips, after three to four hours to verify they have cooked thoroughly. The meat is complete when its interior is brown, but some moisture remains. Remove the meat strips from their metal clips and serve within four days for best results.
Tags: meat strips, eight hours, beef jerky
