Homemade Beef Jerky

I'm a BIG lover of beef jerky, but hate paying $5 for a tiny, half full bag that doesn't last 2 days. So I was thrilled to find this homemade recipe in a clean eating magazine. I can't say it makes much more than a store bought bag, but that can easily be fixed by just buying more meat. I used top round sirloin that I usually get for around $1.50 for 1/2 - 1 lb.

I used two packages of top round sirloin. Because it's thin and easy to cut.

Tried to cut each strip around the same size. Got 10 strips total.

I adapted this marinade from the magazine.

Marinade Recipe:

Soy sauce/teriyaki baste - I probably used 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 1/4 cup of the baste.

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce (again, didn't measure, just kind of eyed it.)

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder (did not use this)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (I added this, the jerky is pretty spicy. So if you aren't crazy about spice, leave this out.)

1 tsp. paprika

Let marinate in fridge for about 3 hours, no more than 6.

After a couple hours of marinating. Ring excess marinade off strips, line on paper towel and continue dabbing excess marinade off. You want them dry.

I lined 3-4 on skewers and hung in oven. Place top rack as high as you can. Place lined baking sheet underneath. Set oven to lowest setting (above warm). Usually between 140-175 degrees. Place rolled up kitchen towel in oven door to keep it slightly open to let out moisture. Cook for 5 hours, check for doneness, continue cooking for 1-2 hours. I forgot to check after 5 hours and let mine cook for the full 7. They seem ok.

Finished jerky. I broke the strips up so they would fit in the tupperware. Store at room temp.  It says to "loosely store" them.

You could of course substitute teriyaki flavor for BBQ. Might try that next! Enjoy!