How To Make Beef Jerky in the Oven


sliced beef for beef jerkyThe thought of making my own beef jerky is so tempting I couldn't wait to get started. I also despised how much beef jerky costs, so that was my top motivation. I was going to sprint for a food dehydrator, but as I did more research on making beef jerky, I thought it would be a good idea if I'd try making some in the oven first - the oven is currently available and it is free.


The marinated sauce recipe for how to make beef jerky has been altered from the original, but even so I would still change a few things. I had deliberately used a light Soya Sauce, not the regular but I would still go at least a 1/8 of a cup less. Also, next time, I would add a little extra virgin olive oil on the meat before refrigerating just so the meat doesn't stick to each other or to the cookie sheet



It is actually better to have a (very) little fat in the meat, since it helps keep the jerky from becoming crunchy. I used petite top sirloin and was worried about the little veins of fat throughout the meat, but when the beef jerky was done, there was absolutely no signs of fat. The baking had cured it completely. If your meat has big chunks of fat in the steak, just cut them out.

And lastly, using liquid smoke is an option, I didn't use it and didn't miss it. The beef jerky already has a wonderful aroma. However, one thing I wouldn't leave out is the brown sugar, this ingredient is what helps the beef jerky taste like store bought, a little sweet.

I held back on the Worcestershire sauce and I was right to do so, it was perfect to use less. BTW- it only took me six hours to do three pounds of beef jerky in the oven on low, warm. Although four hours would have been good enough. Good luck and have fun, it is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

2 pounds petite beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips, 

1/4 cup brown sugar, 
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer, 
1 teaspoon garlic powder, 
1 teaspoon onion powder, 
1 teaspoon paprika, 
1/2 cup soy sauce, 
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 
(Optional) 2 tablespoons liquid smoke.

Preparation
:
Place beef strips in a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients brown sugar, meat tenderizer, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika over beef and mix well. Pour soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, mix well to ensure all the meat is evenly coated. Once done, put the beef in a freezer Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight. 


Take the beef strips out of the refrigerator and arrange the meat strips on the cookie sheets and set the oven to warm / low for at least four hours. After four hours remove the beef from the oven and place your freshly made beef jerky in resealable bags. 



Thanks for stopping by today.

17 Comments

  1. Send me some, sis! I love beef jerky and had made my own a couple of time already..

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  2. I had no idea you could make your own beef jerky. Very clever. Happy Foodie Friday.
    Sam

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  3. Seriously it's that easy!!
    I know dh would love this!

    And what is liquid smoke?

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  4. sounds good, thanks for posting this

    lisa

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  5. I do love beef jerky as well, but not the price. Looks tasty.

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  6. I've always wondered how they make these. I looked at the ingredients on the package once and they had loads of additives.
    I wonder what 'liquid smoke' is?

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  7. Thanks for sharing - I thought it had to be done in a dehydrator.

    I stumbled you, if you get a chance, please stumble http://www.darcyandbrian.com/?p=3417

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  8. you are always good in trying anything, we don't eat beef but maybe i can try this with chicken and make chicken jerky?

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    Replies
    1. I tried this recipe with chicken! It was delicious, passed the boys' critiques.

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  9. Liquid smoke adds smoky barbecue flavor to un-barbecued food.
    Liquid smoke is a substance produced from smoke passed through water.
    Liquid smoke is used for both food preservation and flavoring.
    Liquid smoke is a concentrated seasoning used to give meat a smoky or woody taste.
    Liquid smoke comes in a bottle such as Worcestershire sauce. (if you want to know what to look for)

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  10. Oh boy, homemade jerky is to die for. I love to make some soon..

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  11. Thanks! My daughter made them yesterday and my husband gave the thumbs up!! :)

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  12. Amanda, you've outdone yourself! I'm going to have to try this with some of our moose this year! :)

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  13. Thank you SO much for sharing this! I've heard of using a dehydrator to make beef jerkey, but never the oven. I like the oven idea much better. I too find myself quite agitated by the cost of beef jerkey in the store. It's a great treat for the kiddo to take with him to get him by in teh afternoon. I think I may make some. Mind if I link up to your post when I post about my attempt?

    Stumbling through from the Stumble Tumble Tuesday Hop. My post is http://www.silverfaeries-dragonflies.com/2011/11/oprahs-lifeclass-1-false-power-of-ego.html

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  14. Wow! I have never actually thought about cooking something like this before. I usually just pick up my beef jerky from the corner store. Thanks for this it will come in handy in the future!

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  15. Great recipe! This should save me some money instead of actually buying it from the store!

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