Beef jerky is a great snack. Purchasing a small bag of beef jerky at the store can be very expensive. Many people choose to make their own jerky in the oven or a food dehydrator. Although these versions can be tasty, they are not actually jerky, since jerky does not utilize heat in the cooking process; it should just be a method of drying the meat. You can make your own beef jerky at home using a box fan and some air filters, for little money, and stay true to the real method of making beef jerky.
Instructions
1. Use a sharp kitchen knife to trim all the fat from a 2 lb. piece of London broil. London broil is a good piece of meat to use because it is naturally lean. Place the trimmed meat into to a large zip top bag and freeze it for up to 2 hours. This will harden the meat to make it easier to cut.
2. Use your knife to thinly slice the steak into pieces that are approximately 1/8 inch in width and as long as the original piece of meat. Be sure to cut along the grain of the meat. This will keep it chewy instead of brittle.
3. Place your cut strips into a large zip top bag. Add 1 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt, 1 3/4 tsp. each of garlic powder and onion powder, and 1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that have been finely chopped. If you want a sweeter jerky, add 1 tbsp. of honey. Seal the bag and use your hands to mix the marinade onto the beef.
4. Return the bag to the refrigerator and allow it to sit for 3 to 6 hours. This will allow the flavors to infuse with the beef.
5. Remove the beef strips from the bag after the 6-hour resting time. Place your strips onto three heater filters. These are the air filters that you can purchase at home improvement stores. You want the strips to rest in the grooves of the filters, not across. Make sure the pieces are not overlapping. If your filters have cardboard strips on them, use scissors to cut them off.
6. Stack the three filters, one on top of the other, once you have filled them with your beef strips. Place a fourth filter on the top filter. This will keep the jerky on the top filter from falling off.
7. Place a clean box fan on its side. You want the airflow to blow upward.
8. Place the four filters on top of the fan. Use two large bungee cords to attach the filters to the fan. To do this, wrap the cords around the fan and filters and loop the hooks through one another to hold the filters in place.
9. Turn the fan back to its upright position and turn it onto medium. Leave it for 8 to 12 hours to dry the meat.
10. Remove the dried meat from the filters and place them in zip top bags or any airtight container for up to 3 months.
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