Homemade Grass-Fed Beef Jerky

Reader Contribution by Tammy Kimbler

Grass-fed beef makes great jerky.  The lean mineral flavor of the beef really comes through. Two jerky recipes are favorites in our house, one with maple, mustard and smoked salt, the other with garlic, chili paste and dark soy.  The smoked salt adds major dimension to the meat with a pleasant sweet-sharp tang from the maple and mustard.  The dark soy sauce, which is like soy molasses, makes the jerky sweet and savory, with a nice kick from the chilies.

Many dehydrator books will tell you that you “must” pre-cook meat before you dehydrate it at 155 degrees for safety reasons.  My preference is the more traditional route. I dry my raw beef at 90 degrees, which to my taste, preserves the real flavor of the meat. Is there a risk?  Some.  I think it’s the same as eating raw eggs. The difference is that I know where my beef is from, how it was raised and processed. Salted, thin slices cure and dry quickly, minimizing exposure to harmful bacteria. If you’re really concerned, I recommend chilling the meat completely, even partially freezing it, the searing all sides in a blazing hot cast iron pan. This will kill off the bacteria on the outside of the meat (where most bacteria reside) while leaving the interior raw. Then proceed with the recipe.

Teriyaki Garlic-Chili Jerky Recipe

Ingredients:

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