Making Dried Beef for Your Pirates

Source of Recipe and Photo: The Healthy Foodie

BEEF JERKY RECIPE

5 lbs. beef brisket (or other lean cut such as top round, flank or sirloin)
1 cup apple cider
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp liquid smoke
2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp crushed chili pepper
2 dried chipotle peppers, chopped
¼ tsp ground clove

Remove all traces of visible fat from your meat, and then place the meat in the freezer for about 60 to 90 minutes, which will make it easier to slice thinly. Don’t wait until the meat is frozen solid, you just want ice crystals to start to form. It should be really firm but you should still be able to pierce it with the point of a sharp knife.

Slice the meat in long thin strips, going with or against the grain depending on your preference. Jerky sliced against the grain tends to be easier to chew and breaks more easily into pieces whereas jerky that is sliced with the grain will be a lot chewier and somewhat leathery.
Place your meat in a re-sealable plastic bag or plastic container with fitting lid, and set aside.
In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the marinade and mix until very well combined. Pour over the sliced meat and mix everything around until all the strips are completely covered.
Place your meat in the refrigerator and let it marinate overnight.

Before you go any further, cover the bottom of your oven with aluminum foil, as the making of jerky is very messy.
Remove the strips of meat from the marinade and place them directly on your oven racks. No need to pat them dry, just let the strips drip a little bit as you remove them. If you have smaller pieces that will not fit on the racks without falling right through the cracks, arrange them on a cooling rack and place that rack right over the oven rack.
Place your racks back in the oven, the higher the better, and set your oven temperature to 170 degrees F. If you have a convection oven, by all means, use that setting. Keep the oven door slightly open. This will allow some of the heat to escape so the meat has a chance to dry without cooking.
Let the meat dry for about 3 hours, then flip it over and give it another 3 hours or so. Total cooking time depends a lot on the size and thickness of your strips.
Your jerky will be done when it’s dry enough that you can rip off a piece easily but not so dry that it’ll snap if you bend it.
Leave the jerky out to cool for a couple of hours, up to 24, then transfer to an airtight container or sealed plastic bag where it will keep unrefrigerated for 4 to 6 months.