How To Make Beef Jerky In The Oven
Oven Baked Beef Jerky
Beef jerky is a wholesome and surprisingly nutritious snack. Given that lean strips of steak are used the fat content is kept to a minimum and given the oven baking method does not add any fats to the snack. Meat is of course full of protein and vitamins making this a great healthy and delicious beef snack.
So, how do you actually make beef jerky in the oven?
The trick to successful homemade beef jerky in the oven is the cooking time required to ‘dry’ out the meat strips and ensuring that air can circulate around all of the meat. This is achieved by using a wire rack in the oven (such as that from your grill pan). The best method of cooking your beef jerky is to ensure that your oven door is slightly adjar to allow the moisture from the cooking to escape the confines of the oven keeping the air around the jerky warm and dry.
The other secret to successful beef jerky is to not over cook it. Towards the end of the drying time you should be able to squeeze the jerky between your fingers (do it quickly to avoid burning your fingers!) and no movement should be evident. If you are able to make a depression in the meat strip then it requires further drying. You are looking for a flexible consistency which is dark and shrivelled, over cooked jerky will simply break apart.
A simple breakdown of the process is;
1. Use strips of steak (rump, toprump, topside, silverside are ideal) cut along the grain around 1/2″ thick and about 1″ in width
2. Make up a marinade (my one is below) and marinate the beef in a plastic bag for 24 hours turning as often as you can (you do not have to set your alarm and turn during the night, just as and when you can!)
3. Dry off the surplus marinade and place your strips onto a wire rack in a pre heated 120 degree oven.
4. Leaving the door slightly ajar cook for around 8 hours (use the guide above to test the consistency of the jerky)
Once you get the hang of it you will learn that it is quite a simple process. It is worth bearing in mind that the majority of people do not dry beef jerky in the oven and instead use a commercial Dehydrator such as the Nesco American Harvest 5-Tray Snackmaster Dehydrator
Simple Beef Jerky Marinade Recipe
1/4 Cup of soy sauce
1 x Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 x Tsp of onion salt
1/2 Tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tsp pepper
