Homemade Smoky Grass-fed Beef Jerky

Recipe and Photo courtesy of Danielle Walker, AgainstAllGrain.com

Have you ever tried making your very own jerky? Jerky makes an excellent protein snack and if you get the flavor just right, it can be a magical treat for the whole family. If you start from scratch with your own recipe, you can expect a challenge to get the seasoning just right. When you work from someone else’s recipe so you get it perfect the first time. In this case, our friend Danielle Walker has put forth the efforts to make this a classic!

Danielle is the author of the wildly popular series, Against All Grain. Her cookbooks are a must for every kitchen looking to reduce or eliminate gluten and emphasize healthy recipes.

Since grass-fed beef and bison are leaner than their grain-fed cousins, grass-fed cuts are perfect for jerky. 

Recipe Author: Danielle Walker | AgainstAllGrain.com

Serves: 1 lb

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 180 min
Total Time: 200 min

US Wellness Meats Shopping List: Grass-fed London Broil or Flank Steak

Ingredients

• 1 pound london broil steak or flank steak (ask the butcher for a very lean piece)
• ¼ cup coconut aminos*
• ¾ teaspoon all natural liquid smoke**
• ¾ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• dash of cayenne pepper

*You can substitute Tamari for the coconut aminos but omit the sea salt.
**Ingredients should just be Natural Hickory Smoke Concentrate and Water

Recipe & photo courtesy of Danielle Walker, AgainstAllGrain.com

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the steak in the freezer for 2 hours to firm it up and make it easier to slice thinly.
2. Remove it from the freezer and trim any visible white fat. Any fat left on the meat will spoil after drying.
3. Slice the steak into ⅛ inch pieces. For London broil slice it with the grain, for flank steak slice it against the grain.
4. Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade and combine the marinade with the beef slices in a shallow dish or a ziploc bag. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours turning occasionally to evenly coat.
5. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels.

Dehydrator Method

1. Evenly place the strips on dehydrator sheets lined with parchment paper, careful not to let them overlap.
2. Dehydrate the beef for 3-4 hours at 145 degrees F, flipping once half way through.

Oven Method

1. Preheat oven to the lowest setting, usually 150-170 degrees F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and place a heavy wire rack over both (an oven safe cookie cooling rack will do).
3. Place the strips of beef on the racks leaving space between each piece so they’re not touching. Place the trays in the oven, leaving it open a crack to allow air to circulate.
4. Dehydrate for 8-10 hours, depending on the thickness of the meat, turning 1 time half way through.

*If you have a convection setting this process will probably take about half the time. Check for dryness around 5 hours and continue dehydrating if the strips are still moist.

See the original recipe on AgainstAllGrain.com or visit the Discover Blog for more jerky options.