Jerk-y

Everybody knows Aussie blokes love their beef jerky! And A, is definitely not an exception. You can get beef jerky pretty much from any supermarket stores or servo's but they are often quite expensive for a mere 100 grams packet. That's when I decided I shall make some beef jerky for my lovely husband!

Without a dehydrator at home and not at all comfortable with the idea of flies feasting on my meat whilst it dried out in the sun, I decided to try the easiest (and shortest) recipe I found (and which I tweaked a little), which only required the baking oven and minimal skills. Although, I should warn you that there is quite a bit of sitting and waiting. The upside is whilst it's cooking, you don't have to check up on it at all, allowing you to multi-task. Anyway, here is the adjusted recipe:

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Ingredients 

From left to right (to front):

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce

Black pepper

1/2 tsp Garlic powder (I just ground the garlic granule slightly)

1/2 tsp Chillies powder (depending on how spicy you like it)

1/2 tsp Lemon pepper seasoning

1 1/2 tsp Garlic & herb salt (or any other seasoned salt)

2 to 3 lbs lean meat, flank steak or brisket (I simply used rump steak)

Directions:

1. Partially freeze the beef (so that it retains it's shape whilst slicing, I just left it in the freezer for about 20 to 30 mins) before trimming off the fat and slicing it into thin strips.

2. Mix all the seasoning together in a mixing bowl and marinate the beef strips.

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3. Place the beef and marinate in a sandwich bag (ziplock bag) and let it sit in the fridge overnight, or for 24 hours.

The next day...

4. Drain the marinated beef and pat it dry with a paper towel.

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5. Lay the meat on a baking rack in a single layer, atop a baking paper, and bake it in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius, leaving the oven door ajar.

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6. Depending on how thin the strips are and how brittle or chewy you prefer your jerky, leave it baking for 7 hours (this is according to the recipe, I merely had mine in for 2 to 3 hours - partly because I'm too impatient to wait around for so long - and it was just the right texture). Blot out any excess oil with a paper towel and store the jerky in an air-tight container. Viola!

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I must admit, I'm not crazy about beef jerky, but this recipe might have changed my mind. I've been munching at it since I got it out of the oven. Poor A might not even get a taste by the time he gets home from work! Either way, definitely making more of these soon!

Time to jerk-y off,

Chezz