Your favorite beef jerky

[ViperXX]

Mine. I make some good jerky.

 

[John Connor]

Deer or buffalo.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Walrus. I prefer the Texas BBQ flavor, but teriyaki is good too.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

I was surprised how good the Perky Jerky turkey jerky was at Costco. Your best bet is to make your own. Most markets will cut eye of round/chuck/etc. into 1/4 or 3/16 inch slices for a dehydrator. Use standard spice mixes or marinades for different flavors. Some of the asian General Tsao's, Korean BBQ can be very good.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Perky Jerky turkey jerky

Say that five times fast.

 

[holden j caufield]

Golden Island Natural Style Pork Jerky, Korean Barbecue Recipe

They sell it at Costco and it's very cheap for good jerky.

 

[Deeko]

What's your recipe & procedure? I actually just mounted my dehydrator on top of my upright freezer in the basement so I can have it going 24/7, looking for some good stuff to try!

I make mine in a Char Broil electric smoker rather than a dehydrator. I start with a nice, lean piece of beef (usually London Broil but I've used flank steak or whatever else the grocery store has that looks suitably lean). The leanness is the most important part - fat and marbling is great for steaks but not for jerky. I freeze it, then let it sit on the counter for about an hour so that it's defrosted enough to slice, but frozen enough to maintain its shape / slice thin / consistent.

I use a different marinate every time, still experimenting, but usually a mixture of about 1/2 Worcestershire sauce and either soy sauce or a teriyaki sauce, with a good helping of paprika, salt, some garlic, maybe various other things depending on mood. Marinate the beef slices 12-24 hours, then put it in the smoker, typically about 4-5 hours at 150 degrees. I change up the wood chips in the smoker as well but I've tried mesquite, hickory, apple, and cherry. Mesquite and hickory have turned out the best so far.

Some batches definitely turn out better than others. Once I used almost all soy sauce and because of weather couldn't run the smoker, so it marinated for 96 hours before I cooked it. It was so salty it was practically inedible. Others have been excellent, you really have to play around with it till you find the right balance.

 

[Kaido]

I make mine in a Char Broil electric smoker rather than a dehydrator. I start with a nice, lean piece of beef (usually London Broil but I've used flank steak or whatever else the grocery store has that looks suitably lean). The leanness is the most important part - fat and marbling is great for steaks but not for jerky. I freeze it, then let it sit on the counter for about an hour so that it's defrosted enough to slice, but frozen enough to maintain its shape / slice thin / consistent.

I use a different marinate every time, still experimenting, but usually a mixture of about 1/2 Worcestershire sauce and either soy sauce or a teriyaki sauce, with a good helping of paprika, salt, some garlic, maybe various other things depending on mood. Marinate the beef slices 12-24 hours, then put it in the smoker, typically about 4-5 hours at 150 degrees. I change up the wood chips in the smoker as well but I've tried mesquite, hickory, apple, and cherry. Mesquite and hickory have turned out the best so far.

Some batches definitely turn out better than others. Once I used almost all soy sauce and because of weather couldn't run the smoker, so it marinated for 96 hours before I cooked it. It was so salty it was practically inedible. Others have been excellent, you really have to play around with it till you find the right balance.

Thanks! Hmm. I have a small Traeger pellet grill, but it only goes down to 180F for their version of a "cold smoke". My dehydrator is much more variable, but alas, no smoke - would have to add it via liquid smoke, or do a combination with my pellet grill.

 

[Deeko]

I've heard it can turn out great in the dehydrator - maybe try with liquid smoke or eve without any smoke at all. The beef and marinade are the strongest parts of the flavor anyway, the smoke is just a little extra touch on top.

 

[adairusmc]

This stuff, especially the peppered, is the best jerky I have ever had -

http://stores.jandjmeats.com/

I saw this on an episode of "best thing I ever ate" or something like that, and iron chef Michael Simon mentioned this jerky as the best. He is not wrong.

 

[Kaido]

Just found this awesome blog:

http://www.bestbeefjerky.org/

Review after review of jerky brands. Awesome!

 

[Svnla]

Whenever Sams' has the Jack Link's brand on sale, I would stock them up. I like the Original and Teriyaki flavors.

 

[midwestfisherman]

For every day I usually buy Jack Links Original or Peppered, or the Krave. If I want to splurge I go to a local store that makes about 30 different varities of flavors and different meats (beef, pork, turkey, buffalo, venison, elk).

 

[gorb]

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Island-Natural-Korean-Barbecue/dp/B008TSVXWE
Cheaper at Costco than Amazon if I recall correctly.

360mg sodium per 1 oz though.

I buy that at costco and really like it...it does have more sugar than protein though :/