Beef Jerky

Beef jerky is treated by many as a food group of it's own. I can't say as I disagree with that, but I've never been a big enough fan of store bought jerky to truly embrace the idea, most of it is quite sweet, I like a bit more flavor in my jerkies. This recipe is not my own, but I have adapted it to my tastes and needs. The liquid smoke present is a hold over from the original, it can be omitted if you're smoking it, but would be required if working in an oven (even with a smoker I like the way the liquid smoke infuses inside the meat). I'm also calling for garlic and onion in this one, you really need the powders to infuse the flavor with this meat, and as my wife won't eat it anyway, what the Hell?

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds flank steak (or eye or round or top round steak)
½ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp coarsely-ground black pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp seasoned salt
½ tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

Thinly-slice the steak into ⅛ inch thick strips; cutting with the grain will result in a chewier jerky whereas against the grain will be more tender, your choice. Getting the meat cut cleanly is easier with slightly frozen meat, 15-30 minutes in the freezer is usually sufficient.
Place the steak strips in a large ziplock bag.
In a mixing bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients until combined. Pour the mixture into the ziplock bag with the steak, seal the bag, and toss until the steak is evenly coated.
Refrigerate for at least overnight, 1 day is better, but no longer, the meat will start to 'cook' in the spices.
Fire your smoker up, bring it to 200-225 degrees, try to keep the meat away from the direct heat, you want it to dry, not grill. I usually smoke with a waterpan, but you want the meat to dry out here, not steam, but work according to your needs.
Once heat is up arrange the meat on the racks so it has room to breathe, then make sure a good smoke is going and seal it up
Keep an eye on the meat, check every 30-45 minutes, you'll want to flip when it gets dry on the top, shold only take a couple hours, the smoke the other side for a couple more, until the meat is dried out, but not blackened or burnt.

I'm not going to tell you how long this will keep in the fridge, if you do it right it might now ever make it to the fridge!

If you’re making the jerky in the oven: heat oven to 175°F. Adjust the racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil, and place wire cooling racks on top of each sheet. Lay the strips out in a single layer on the wire racks. Bake until the beef jerky until it is dry and firm, yet still a little bit pliable, about 4 hours, flipping the beef jerky once about halfway through. (Cooking times will vary based on the thickness of your meat.) Remove jerky and transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

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