Easy Homemade Jerky

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Easy homemade jerky recipes with the best marinades. Everything you need to know to make jerky.

Cook Time4

Total Time4

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Brandy Nelson

Ingredients

2.5 pounds beef eye of round

Original Jerky Marinade

¾ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 Tbsp. onion powder
red pepper flakes to taste

Sweet and Smoky Marinade

¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons meat tenderizer
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika

Lemon Marinade

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. lemon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

Slice meat into thin strips (⅛" - 1/16").
Select a marinade recipe you'd like to make. Mix ingredients in a gallon-sized plastic bag. Place strips of meat into the marinade and chill for 30-60 minutes.
Place marinated slices of meat onto the dehydrator trays.
Set the dehydrator to 160 degrees. Periodically rotate the trays from bottom to top to ensure even drying.
At the 3-hour mark, flip all the jerky strips over and begin testing them. Take the individual jerky pieces and squeeze/pinch them to see if they have any give. If it doesn’t, it’s done.

Video

Notes

Not all of the jerky will be ready at the same time. Just keep checking at regular intervals and remove as needed. As you remove jerky strips, try to reduce the number of trays you're using. The farther the heat source is, the longer this will take; therefore, removing the trays should speed up the process. If you are using the same dehydrator we have, you must always have at least four trays in use.

If stored properly in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag, homemade jerky will stay fresh at room temperature for 1-2 months or in the refrigerator for 3-6 months. You can also freeze jerky for up to 12 months.

Nutrition