How To Make Beef Jerky At Home
Beef jerky is one of the best snacks you can make at home—delicious, nutritious, and surprisingly affordable. With just a few simple ingredients and a little patience, you’ll have a high-protein, flavour-packed snack that’s perfect for long days, road trips, hikes, or anytime hunger hits. No weird additives, no mystery meat—just real food, made by you.
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Beef jerky is one of my favourite snacks to have on hand. It is delicious, high in protein, chewy, flavourful, and whole food based. It can also be quite expensive and full of preservatives when you buy it from the store! That’s why making it yourself is the best way.
You can make it as simple or as flavourful as you’d like. You can add as little as just some salt or as much as a whole, flavour-packed marinade. I will give you a recipe for both, depending on your goals. I personally love the juiciness of a well-marinated beef jerky but just adding salt highlights the beef and keeps things simple.
Why Homemade Beef Jerky is Better
More Affordable: I’m sure you can get cheap beef jerky full of preservatives for cheaper than making your own but if you want a more natural beef jerky, made with local beef, with fewer ingredients, the price can skyrocket. That’s where making your own is much more cost-effective. Especially with cuts like eye of round or steaks on sale, you can get a good bag of jerky for a fraction of the price.
Fewer Additives: Beef jerky from the store is generally higher in preservatives like nitrates. It makes sense for safety reasons and increasing shelf-life but if that’s something you want to avoid then making your own gives you complete control.
Customizable: The most fun part of making your own beef jerky is that you can flavour it to your preferences. Whether you want it super simple with just salt, maybe a little cracked pepper. Or more exotic with a soy sauce marinade, the world is your oyster (or beef jerky?).
High-protein Snack: It’s always a good idea to have high-protein snacks on the go. Whether for yourself or hungry kiddos, nothing satisfies hunger quite like a piece of meat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Beef: Eye of round steak is what I use. It is usually the cheapest, doesn’t taste the best when cooked as a steak.
Salt: Sea salt is great.
Marinade (optional): Soy sauce, Worcestershire, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Tools & Supplies You’ll Need
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Bowl for marinating
- Dehydrator or oven
- Wire rack or baking sheet
Notes
If the steaks are very soft and difficult to slice, try freezing them for 30-60 minutes before slicing. This will firm them up and make them easier to slice.
Properly dried beef jerky doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge but I like to be on the safe side.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Slice the Meat: Slice the steaks 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Against the grain will yield a more tender jerky and with the grain will be chewier. Place strips in a large Ziplock bag or glass container with a lid.
Season the Strips: Either with salt or a liquid marinade.
Marinate or Rest: Let the seasoned strips sit in fridge for 4+ hours or overnight
Dehydrate: Lay the strips of steak on the sheets of your dehydrator. Set to 65F or medium heat and dehydrate for 6-8 hours depending on thickness.
Cool and Store: Your beef jerky is done when it is visibly dry, cracks, and has dry fibres. Store in a plastic bag or container in the fridge for up to a month.
Homemade Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sliced steak
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper or ground pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Slice the Meat: Slice the steaks 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Against the grain will yield a more tender jerky and with the grain will be chewier. Place strips in a large Ziplock bag or glass container with a lid.
- Season the Strips: Either with salt or a liquid marinade.
- Marinate or Rest: Let the seasoned strips sit in fridge for 4+ hours or overnight
- Dehydrate: Lay the strips of steak on the sheets of your dehydrator. Set to 65F or medium heat and dehydrate for 6-8 hours depending on thickness.
- Cool and Store: Your beef jerky is done when it is visibly dry, cracks, and has dry fibres. Store in a plastic bag or container in the fridge for up to a month.
Notes
*Salt Only: Add one teaspoon per pound of meat.If the steaks are very soft and difficult to slice, try freezing them for 30-60 minutes before slicing. This will firm them up and make them easier to slice. Properly dried beef jerky doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge but I like to be on the safe side.
Storage Tips
This beef jerky is good in the fridge for up to a month.
I don’t have a vacuum sealer but that would also be a great option.
You can also freeze beef jerky if you like to do things in large batches and don’t have a vacuum sealer.
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