Duke’s beef jerky is a mainstay of the snack aisle, but you can’t always run out to the grocery store every time you get a craving for it. What’s a hungry jerky lover to do?
Well, make it yourself, of course! Follow our recipe to make your own Duke’s beef jerky, and keep some on hand for when your stomach starts growling.
Duke’s Beef Jerky Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp of Prague Powder #1 curing salt
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke hickory
- 2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1 clove of garlic minced
Selecting the Right Meat for Beef Jerky
For our Duke’s beef jerky, we used pre-sliced sirloin tip. Sirloin tip is lean and tender, making it perfect for beef jerky.
Pre-sliced beef is great for making jerky: you’ll have little to no fat to trim, and you don’t need to spend time slicing it just right. And pre-sliced beef is usually cut into very thin strips, which dry much quicker than hand-cut strips.
That’s not to say that you can’t use other cuts or slice your own beef, though! If you want to switch it up, try using flank steak or top, bottom, or eye of round.
Preparing the Beef for Marinating
If you bought pre-sliced beef with all the fat removed, you might be able to skip these steps and move directly to the marinating. Otherwise, prep your beef as follows.
Trimming Excess Fat
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Because the Best Jerky Doesn't Come from a Store
Fat causes beef jerky to spoil, especially if the jerky is stored for long periods of time. Removing it is essential if you want the highest-quality jerky.
Trim as much fat as you can. Being thorough here makes a big difference in your final results!
Freezing and Slicing the Beef
When you’ve removed all the fat, stick the beef in the freezer for an hour or two. You just want it to firm up a little, so it’s easier to slice, so don’t forget about it!
Remove the beef when you notice ice crystals beginning to form on it.
Now it’s time to cut the beef. With a sharp knife, slice it into strips no thicker than ¼ inch.
Make sure you’re cutting against the grain — this results in more tender jerky with a more appealing texture.
Marinating the Beef Slices
Making the Duke’s marinade is easy — just mix all the ingredients together in a measuring cup until you get a smooth mixture.
Put your beef strips in a lidded container or Ziploc bag, add the marinade and shake it up. Place the container or bag in the fridge for 6-24 hours, shaking it occasionally, so the marinade doesn’t settle.
The longer you marinate the beef, the stronger the final flavors will be.
Dehydrating the Beef Slices
Now, at last, we’ll turn that beef into jerky!
You can use an electric smoker or oven to dry your beef, but we highly recommend using a food dehydrator instead. I bought mine on Amazon. These handy devices are inexpensive, easy to use, and more efficient than smokers and ovens.
- EVEN HEAT DISTRIBUTION: 600 watts of drying power provides even heat distribution; consistent drying that is four times faster than other food dehydrators
- ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE CONTROL: The adjustable temperature control (95°F -160°F) gives you the flexibility to achieve the best results when drying different foods that need varying temperature settings
- EXPANDABLE TO 12 TRAYS: Comes with five (13 1/2″ diameter) trays and expands up to 12 trays so you can dry large quantities at once with no tray rotation needed; additional trays sold separately
- EXPANDABLE TO 12 TRAYS: Comes with five (13 1/2″ diameter) trays and expands up to 12 trays so you can dry large quantities at once with no tray rotation needed; additional trays sold separately
- ACCESSORIES INCLUDED: (2) Fruit Roll Sheet, (2) Clean-A-Screens, a sample of Jerky Seasoning & Cure, and (1) Care & Use Guide
Remove the excess marinade from the beef by laying the strips on a paper towel for a few minutes. Once the extra liquid is absorbed, arrange the strips on your food dehydrator trays.
Then sit back and let the dehydrator do its job. At 160 degrees F, our thin pre-sliced beef took 4 hours to dry; if your beef is thicker, you’ll need to dry it for 6-8 hours.
When it’s fully dried, your beef jerky will weigh about ⅓ of its original weight. If you start with a pound of beef, you’ll end up with 5-7 ounces of jerky.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Makes 5 servings
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Marinade Time: 6-24 hours, average 8 hours
Drying Time: 4-8 hours depending on thickness, average 6 hours
| Ingredients | Costs |
| 1 lb beef — Beef Sirlion tip steak thin — or the Sirlion | $6.82 per 1 lb at Walmart |
| 1/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 curing salt | Between $12 and $13 for a 2.5 lb. pack (96 teaspoons per pound means that 1/4 of a teaspoon equates to 0.01 cents) |
| 1/4 teaspoon onion powder | Between $4 and $5 for a 1.73 oz. container ( 6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.38 cents or 0.10 cents per 1/4 teaspoon ) |
| 1 teaspoon of salt | 0.01 cents per 1 tsp |
| 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke hickory | $1.34 for a 4 oz. container at Walmart (2 tbsp per one oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.17 cents ) |
| 2 tablespoons of brown sugar | $2.17 for 2lb. container at Walmart ( 31 tbsp. per pound means that 2 tbsp. equates to 0.07 cents ) |
| 1/4 cup of soy sauce | $1.52 for a 5 oz. container at Walmart (1/4 cup or 2 oz. = 0.61 cents) |
| 1 clove of garlic minced | $0.30 per one at Walmart |
| Total Cost: | $8.09/5.7oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients) |
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef; Beef Sirlion tip steak thin — or the Sirlion
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1Â curing salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke hickory
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- Remove any and all fat from your beef.
- If not using pre-sliced beef, freeze the beef for 1-2 hours, then cut into ¼ inch (or less) slices.
- Add all marinade ingredients to a measuring cup and stir until smooth.
- Combine beef and marinade in a container or Ziploc bag, then refrigerate for 6-24 hours.
- Lay beef strips on a paper towel to remove excess liquid.
- Place beef in a food dehydrator at 160 degrees F for 4-8 hours — thicker strips need more time.
Nutrition
"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."
-- Jeff Foxworthy
