I Am SO Glad I Am A Carnivore

Today I accomplished something that I have wanted to do for many years. Perhaps all my life.

Well ever since I read the Little House on The Prairie books at least.

I made Beef Jerky.

Oh be still my little carnivore heart.

And it was so easy. So, so, so easy. I will admit that I didn’t take pictures of the entire process because, really, it is so simple.

Oh FINE! I forgot to take pictures of the process. You people are so picky about things. And the other reason that I didn’t take pictures, besides the fact that I forgot to do so, was that I hadn’t ever done this before and so I wasn’t sure if you would ever see this up on the blog.

But in the words of Gene Kranz, “Failure is NOT an option!”

I used my dehydrator of course. That is why I have it I think. But the world wide web tells me that you can also make Beef Jerky in your oven. If you are oven inclined then go and find those directions and strike out!

This is what I did.

I took a 3 pound piece of Eye of Round, put it in a plastic bag and stuck it in the freezer for an hour, just to firm it up a bit. You could use London Broil if you prefer. Just make sure that whatever cut of meat you use is a lean piece of meat without much marbling. Too much fat will make the jerky go rancid.

There is nothing worse than a rancid jerk!

While the meat is chilling and firming mix together:

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
the juice from one orange
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put all of the marinade in a microwave safe container and cook for 1 minute on high. take out and set aside.

Take the meat out of the freezer and cut in 1/8 inch thin slices across the grain. I used my very sharp CutCo knife. You could also use a Mandolin if you have one. Put the meat slices and the marinade in a plastic ziploc bag or a plastic container with a lid. Gently shake it to make sure that the meat and marinade are all cozy and getting busy.

Put the happy couple in the refrigerator overnight. Don’t peak! They don’t want to be disturbed.

The next day take the meat slices out, lay them on paper towel and dry them thoroughly. Then lay them out on the dehydrator trays, set the temp to the highest setting (about 165F) and let them work for 5-6 hours.

The house will smell like a meatapalooza all day and you will occasionally break out into spontaneous bouts of drooling.

When the meat is dry, chewy and crispy at the edges turn off the dehydrator and let the jerky cool. Then store in a cool, dry place for up to a month.

That is if it lasts that long. I can tell you that this first batch is going to be gone in a very short period of time.