Homemade Beef Jerky
The days are getting colder and shorter, and as a result I'm doing more indoor activities as of late. That's no excuse however not to try new things! I found a really cool recipe idea inside Clean Eating Magazine for beef jerky and couldn't wait to adapt my own.
Read below for my step by step tips to making the best homemade beef jerky you've ever tasted – and be sure to use grass-fed beef to keep this recipe super healthy! That way, it's way healthier and cheaper than the packaged stuff. I use Butcher Box to source grass-fed organic beef.
First, head on over to the grocery store and pick up about 2 lb (around 1.0 kg) of eye of round beef roast. We got ours for about $13 at our local Longo's. Next, trim off any fat and discard. We bought 1.2kg of beef to account for the weight of the fat.
Freeze your meat for about an hour, cutting it into 2 equal pieces down the middle. Freezing it for a short period of time will make it easier to cut into very thin slices, which you will do immediately after freezing.
Meanwhile while the meat is freezing, make your marinade:
-1 cup low sodium soy sauce
-1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
-1 tbsp honey
-1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp garlic salt
-1 tsp red pepper flakes
-1 tsp Spanish paprika
-2 tsp Sriracha sauce
Now pour over your meat slices in a large Ziploc freezer bag.
Marinate for 3-6 hours in the fridge, getting rid of as much air as possible from the bag. We left ours for about 4 1/2 hours and we found this was the perfect amount of time to let the flavours soak in.
After marinading, place strips on 2-3 sheets of paper towel then top with another 3 sheets, squeezing as much leftover liquid out of the meat as possible. Your meat strips should be almost dry afterwards. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting on your oven, usually 170 degrees F.
After soaking BBQ skewers in water for about 10 minutes, slide skewers through the end of the strips, leaving about 1 inch of space between each slice of beef.
Transfer an oven rack to the highest position in your oven and place the other oven rack at the very bottom of your oven. Place tin foil over the lowest rack. Now, thread your skewers of beef through the highest oven rack so the strips are in a hanging position.
Close your oven door, propping it open slightly with an oven mitt. Be sure to do this so some moisture can escape from the oven, and cook for 4-5 hours, checking on the jerky each hour. Feel free to taste test as you go along to see what sort of consistency you want.Â
Et voila, homemade beef jerky! The process is certainly long and it is an all-day project, but the steps themselves are relatively easy, and the cooking is pretty low maintenance. You'll have a super yummy snack for a couple weeks, if you can make your supply last that long–we're warning you now, it's GOOD!
Share your jerky results with us on Facebook and Twitter! We promise this will be the best thing you make all year!
Doug says
October 29, 2017 at 07:42The best I’ve tried, used bottom round and followed the recipe exactly. I moved this several times and always great. I do use a dehydrator. Very sharp knives a must
Taylor Stinson says
October 29, 2017 at 17:14So happy to hear that Doug!!! This is hands down one of my favourite snack recipes 🙂
Todd says
December 10, 2017 at 17:38What do you think about dying it in a smoker?
Taylor Stinson says
December 11, 2017 at 08:59I’m sure you could do that but I have no experience doing this myself unfortunately!
Kayla Vernor says
November 28, 2017 at 13:47How long do you leave it in the dehydrator?
Jean says
December 2, 2017 at 23:48I used dehydrator and took about 8 hrs, and then I still did 30 minutes in oven as that is what my dehydrator recommended for jerky to kill any possible salmanella
Nicole says
December 22, 2017 at 14:06We made this and I’m addicted! Thanks for the great recipe, does it need refrigerated?
Taylor Stinson says
December 22, 2017 at 14:32No it doesn’t! 🙂 I would recommend eating it within 2 weeks though!
Vickie says
August 24, 2018 at 14:13Thank you that was my question…
Looms yummy..gonna make it soon..
lizette says
January 11, 2018 at 14:51A printable recipe link would be nice! Am i missing it somewhere??
Shawn says
January 6, 2019 at 15:59-1 cup low sodium soy sauce
-1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
-1 tbsp honey
-1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp garlic salt
-1 tsp red pepper flakes
-1 tsp Spanish paprika
-2 tsp Sriracha sauce
Dean says
January 29, 2018 at 21:09Thanks for the jerky recipe it’s the best I have ever made, and I have made a lot of different jerky recipes thanks again.
Taylor Stinson says
February 16, 2018 at 10:26I am SO happy to hear this Dean! YAY!
Ron Spence says
March 25, 2018 at 15:58Great jerky recipe Taylor! I marinaded some eye of round over night and smoked for 5 hrs. at 160F, to long-should have been 3 hrs. at this temp, using applewood in my electric smoker. There is a really nice main vein of heat, and I’m to a heat kind of guy, with very nice counter balance of sweetness because of the honey. The Worcestershire adds just the right amount of saltiness. If people “don’t” put this in their rotation they truly are missing out. Well done.
Taylor Stinson says
March 27, 2018 at 08:55Thank you so much Ron, I’m so happy to hear this turned out so well for you! I’ve definitely got to make this jerky again sometime soon, it’s been a while!
Bill says
April 11, 2018 at 16:39Your recipe is similar to how I make jerky but I add just a little white vinegar. I will have to try this for sure.
Patti e Graham says
July 11, 2018 at 05:22I used this recipe to make beef jerky for my very first time. OMG it came out so good. I used london broil, which I think is the same as the eye of round. My family could not get enough. I used the oven as I don’t have a dehydrator. I set it to 170, which is as low as my oven will go, and propped the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon for about 6 hours. It was the best I have ever had and I will be making it often.
Taylor Stinson says
July 11, 2018 at 09:03I’m so glad you liked it Patti!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I need to make this beef jerky myself again soon!
Juan says
September 11, 2018 at 11:22What’s the protein and calories?
Taylor Stinson says
September 11, 2018 at 11:23Hi Juan – unfortunately I don’t provide nutritional info for my older recipes, there are just too many to go through and update! You can add the ingredients into an app like MyFitnessPal to calculate it. Hope that helps!
Brenda says
October 27, 2018 at 11:49I just picked up some eye of round last night at the grocery store and had my butcher slice it for me. Easy!!! Looking forward making this today. Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
October 28, 2018 at 11:59Yay!!! Let me know how you like it Brenda 🙂
Terry says
November 1, 2018 at 07:35Thanks for this recipe. I have a large Pyrex (2 quart) mixing bowl with a plastic cover, so I marinated the meat in that, and put a piece of wax paper on the surface of the meat to minimize air contact while in the fridge. Ran my dehydrator overnight 8 hours, and jerky came out very good — a tiny bit dry — will try 5 hours next batch and see if that helps. Taylor’s flavor mix is great — I added 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper because I like it hot. 3 lbs of grass-fed top round from Whole Foods ($23) –> 1.3 lbs jerky. Next time I’ll try the local supermarket top round which is a bit cheaper. In conclusion: YUM!
Jennie says
December 14, 2018 at 00:34Love this recipe and directions, however i did mine with londo n broil at 160d and as Patti above mentioned i proper the door open with a wooden spoon. It was done in 3 hours. Is it safe to not refrigerate? It’s definitely cooked all th e way. i love in southern florida, and have noticed differences in oven times did to elevation, just wondering if this is the case.
Taylor Stinson says
December 17, 2018 at 09:44Hey Jennie! You could definitely leave it in a container on the counter for a few days without putting it in the fridge – thinking 3 to 5 days tops. If you’d like it to last up to 2 weeks, I’d store it in the fridge. I unfortunately can’t speak to oven times and elevation but I will say that all ovens are different and can result in changes in cook times – I know this from experience in baking!