Homemade Jerky - Primal Eats

If you have dehydrator and you haven't made homemade jerky, you need to. If you don't have a dehydrator you should consider investing in one. It's a great way to make lots of different kinds of homemade snacks...dried fruits, dried veggies, roll-ups, meats, etc...

Homemade jerky is my favorite primal eats...My husband & I actually started a jerky company right after college because we did so many road trips and ate so much jerky we thought it would save and earn us money if we made our own....It was called Trekkin' Jerky...Although the company doesn't exist anymore, it doesn't stop me from making it...

I pride myself as being a jerky connoisseur and refuse to buy bad stuff, although I will try new brands as long as they use quality ingredients...Many brands on the market are loaded with MSG, artificial flavors, sodium and made with conventional meats...Also, hard to find the right texture, dryness or thickness...For a product that is relatively expensive you'd think there would be better options on the market, so since there aren't I just make my own...

If you are really particular about thickness, you should get a automatic slicer...They are not that expensive, will save you time, produce consistent slices and makes it very easy to slice not just meat but fruits and veggies...

Ingredients

- Top Round Beef, Grassfed & Finished: I usually buy at least 8-10 lbs, but buy as much as you want...remember, you will yield about 60% of the total you start with...

- Seasoning or Marinade: I usually do a dry rub of salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, coriander...But you can really use whatever you want...If you are using a wet marinade you should let if marinade overnight...

Instructions

1. Trim the fat, if needed. 

2. Then cut the big piece of meat into 4-6 smaller pieces so it's easier to cut on my slicer. 

3. Place meat in freeze, frozen meat is easier to slice. If you don't have a slicer you want to partially freeze mea and cut by hand.

4. Slice or cut the frozen meat.

5. If marinading, marinade sliced meat overnight. If using a dry a rub, place the meat on the dehydrator.

6. Season with a strainer so it is coated evenly.

7. Set the timer and temperature according to your dehydrator. I set mine at 160 for about 3 hours.

8. Enjoy! 

Remember, this is fresh-homemade jerky without any preservatives so if you don't eat it within 10-14 days you might want to vacuum seal it or refrigerate it...