How to Dry Beef

Beef jerky is a delicious snack made by drying flavorful lean beef. You can use a variety of meats to dry beef, such as sirloin, sirloin, or filet mignon. Use dry and wet seasoning to enhance the flavor of beef jerky. Food dryers and ovens can both effectively dry beef. Just dry meat on low heat for at least 3 hours and you have a delicious and protein-rich snack.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

1.5 kg of beef
240- 350 ml of meat marinade
15-60 g meat marinade

Prepare 12 servings

Prep and marinate meat

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Choose lean cuts of meat. When drying beef, you can use almost any lean cut. Fatty beef will spoil and shorten the shelf life of beef jerky, so choose the leanest cut you have. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You can choose tenderloin, ham, rump or rump to dry the beef.
Ground beef is also an option, but it will have a very different texture than regular beef jerky.

Strain off visible fat. To better preserve beef jerky, you need to use a sharp knife to filter out any remaining fat. Cut carefully to remove only the fat without losing any of the meat. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The fat removal step will help your beef jerky be healthier and last longer.

Freeze meat for 1-2 hours to make slicing easier. After removing the fat, put the meat on a tray and put it in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. The meat should be slightly firm but not frozen. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Although not required, the pre-freezing step will allow you to slice the meat thinly and evenly.

Cut the meat into pieces about 0.3 – 0.5 cm thick. Use a special beef cutter to cut the meat into long pieces. If you like the meat to be a bit tough, you should cut along the grain. Cut across the grain so the meat is not tough. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If possible, use a beef slicer so that the slices are evenly sliced. Meat slicers are very useful if you are making large quantities of beef jerky.

Marinate the meat if you want to enhance the flavor of the beef. When drying beef, you can use marinade to give the meat a cajun, teriyaki, or smoky flavor. Put the meat in a large zippered plastic bag and pour in 240 – 350 ml of marinade to your liking. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Cajun beef jerky: use 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil, 1/4 cup (60 ml) vinegar, and 1/3 cup (80 ml) Worcestershire sauce.
Teriyaki beef jerky: use 1 cup (240 ml) soy sauce, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar.
For a delicious and simple marinade, you can mix 1/2 cup (120 ml) of Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of olive oil.

Add spices to the marinade to make the beef more flavorful. Sprinkle more of your favorite seasoning into the marinade bag. You should add a total of 1-4 tablespoons (15-60 g) of seasoning. Some options include 1 tablespoon (15 g) garlic powder, 1 tablespoon (15 g) pepper, and 1 teaspoon (5 g) fresh ginger. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Try rubbing the outside of the meat with a little salt, pepper, cinnamon, and chipotle.
Other delicious spices include coriander, cumin, cloves, and nutmeg.
Honey, dried red chili flakes and black pepper also go well with beef jerky, which has a mild and slightly sweet flavor.
Try crushed oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika.

Put the meat in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours to allow the meat to absorb the flavors. After marinating the meat, stir the meat to coat the spices evenly. Zip the bag tightly and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours. To let the meat really absorb the flavor, you can marinate for up to 24 hours. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

The longer the meat is marinated, the more flavorful the beef jerky will be.

Use a paper towel to blot the meat to absorb the marinade. Once the meat has been marinated for enough time, take it out of the fridge and pat each piece of meat with a clean paper towel. Drying the marinade will help speed up the drying process. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You can put the pieces of meat on a baking tray or plate to dry.

Drying beef

Use a food dryer for easy and efficient drying. A food dryer is a device that handles food at low heat for a long time. It helps to remove water from food while keeping the enzymes fresh. If you use a food dryer to dry beef, you’ll set it to 71 degrees Celsius ^{. [9] X Research Source}

This is the simplest and easiest option for drying beef.
Read the dryer manual to follow the specific instructions of the appliance.

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Dry the beef in the oven if you don’t have a food dryer. If you don’t have a food dryer, that’s okay too. You can still cook beef jerky easily in the oven. Preheat the oven to 79 degrees Celsius ^{. [10] X Research Source}

Place each piece of meat space apart. If you’re using a dryer, you’ll place each piece of meat directly on the central drying rack. If you’re using an oven, line the bottom of the baking sheet with foil and place the metal grill in the center of the tray. Remember to leave a space of 0.2 cm between the pieces to ensure that the meat dries evenly. ^{[11] X Research Source}

The slices of meat will not dry evenly if overlapped.

Dry the meat in the oven for 3-8 hours. On average, it will take you about 4-6 hours to dry beef, but this time can be faster or longer depending on the type of dryer, oven, marinade and how the meat is cut. Every 1.5 -2 hours, you should check the meat once to avoid over-drying. Take out a piece of beef jerky, wait for it to cool and try it. If the texture of the meat is satisfactory, remove the beef jerky from the oven. If the meat is still too soft, dry it for another 1-2 hours. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Beef jerky, if over-dried, will be very hard and difficult to eat.

Remove beef jerky from the dryer or oven and let it cool. Before eating or storing, you need to wait for the beef jerky to cool. If using a food dehydrator, you can use chopsticks to scoop out each piece onto a plate. If using an oven, use a pot lifter to remove the baking tray and place it on the stove. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Beef jerky will cool within 1-3 hours.

Using and storing beef jerky

Try a fresh beef jerky. When the beef jerky has cooled down, you can enjoy it. Eat a piece of beef jerky every time you crave something healthy and satisfying. Beef jerky can be eaten alone or added to other dishes. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Try sprinkling beef jerky over salads. ^{[15] X Research Source}
Add a few pieces of beef jerky to steamed Brussels sprouts for extra flavor.
Variations of cheese omelette with minced beef jerky.

Store beef jerky in a paper bag for 1-2 days if it’s not dry enough. If the beef jerky is still slightly damp after cooling, you can place it in a paper bag and let it sit for a few days. Check the moisture in the beef jerky daily and store the beef jerky in an airtight container when it’s completely dry. ^{[16] X Research Source}

The paper bag will help absorb the moisture in the beef jerky.

Things you need

Food Dryer
Griller
Sharp knife
Drying rack or baking tray
Airtight container
Zippered plastic bag (optional)

Advice

To dry vegetarian beef, you can use noodles or marinated tofu instead of beef.
Date beef drying on bags or containers to monitor freshness.

Warning

You should check every few weeks to make sure the beef jerky is not moldy. ^{[19] X Research Source}