Use a dehydrator to dry out seasoned beef to make your own homemade beef jerky. It keeps a long time for a great snack at home or on the road.
Jump to RecipeGrowing up, my family went camping about once per month. Sometimes it was local, other times we would drive for hours to get to the campground. One consistency: my dad always had beef jerky as a driving food.
Fast forward, and I’m sure it’s still my dad’s favorite driving food, but Justin also loves it, too. His dad makes his own at home with deer meat when he goes hunting.
We borrowed the dehydrator originally to make some crystallized pineapple. Then Justin decided he wanted to make some beef jerky. Since we used beef instead of deer meat, we had to change some of the seasonings and flavor.
Either way, this was a great way to make it at home. It let Justin control the taste, and we could keep it to clean ingredients. There weren’t any preservatives in our jerky.
We have a few of the silica packets (yes, like the ones you get in a box with shoes) that we use to keep the beef jerky fresh.
Beef Jerky Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak (lean)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp A1 steak sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation
Slice the steak into thin strips.
In a medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and A1 sauce. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Cover the steak strips with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Place the steak strips in a dehydrator and set according to manufacturer settings.
Dehydrate for 12-24 hours, depending on the thickness of the steak and the power of the dehydrator.
Beef Jerky Leftovers
Storage: Store the beef jerky in an airtight container at room temperature. If you have any silica gel packets or something similar to keep any hydration out, those help keep it longer. Either way, the beef jerky should be good for at least a week.
Originally Published On: September 21, 2020
Last Updated On: June 30, 2023
Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak (lean)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp A1 steak sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Slice the steak into thin strips
- In a small bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and A1 sauce
- Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes
- Cover the steak strips with the marinade
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
- Place the steak strips in a dehydrator and set according to manufacturer settings
- Dehydrate for 12-24 hours, depending on the thickness of the steak and the power of the dehydrator
- Store in an airtight container
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Other Steak Recipes
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- Sirloin Steak with Dijon Sauce
- How to Make Beef Jerky
- Steaks with Garlic-Herb Butter
- Kansas City Steak Strips
- Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas with Homemade Fajita Seasoning
- French Onion Steak
- Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
- Country Fried Steak
YOu know I have never had beef jerky! I feel like I am way more likely to try it making it myself. Bookmarking this!
I don’t care for it, but I don’t like a lot of red meat. But my husband, father-in-law, and my dad all love the stuff!
Oh wow my other half will ove this…sending this to by husband as we speak, as he will deffo give this a go x
I hope he enjoys it! My husband is the one who loves making this, too 🙂
I didn’t know you could make homemade beef jerky — this is news to me. My husband might be interested in making this himself. He loves it.
My father-in-law has been making it as long as I’ve known him, and for years before that! It’s great because you can make it exactly to your tastes.
I used to have a coworker who always made this when I was in NJ and never knew how. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will give it a try.
It’s actually pretty easy! As long as you have a dehydrator, you can season the beef however you’d like.
Fascinating. I’ve seen it in bags at the supermarket and wondered how it is made and I thought it was a special treat for pets.
Yes, it’s actually fairly easy to make at home as long as you have a dehydrator!
Amazing! I have never tried any beef related dish ever, maybe now i will. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
My husband recently made his own beef jerky. We’re from the UK so it’s not a big thing here in shops. But he loves it!
I have always wanted to try making beef jerky. What really surprised me was the thicker cut of beef. In my mind, I always thought of thinner strips. But this makes a lot more sense.. The dehydrator pulls a lot out.
I buy these a lot in convenience stores. It’s such a common food or snack in small gatherings here in Japan. Now I can make them myself. Thank you
I am so confident if I can make homemade beef jerky but I will try my best
Beef jerky is not common here but we have ordered it online once in a while. My husband likes it a lot.
I do not care for beef jerky… well beef at all … but my family does. I love the idea of making jerky at home as the most common store bought ones are full of junk that I don’t want my family to have.
Ooohhhhh…so, this is the famous beef jerky I always hear about? It’s actually easy to make. I will definitely make some for myself.
Wow this is a great recipe. I’m looking for the way to make beef jerky and you really show it here.
Thank you!
And how about making different beef jerky with flavors?