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EASY HOMEMADE JERKY RECIPE | Honey and Pepper Flakes

ByCatherine Liesenfeld
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Jerky is such a convenient and nutritious snack, plus it is perfect for many different special diets such as Paleo and Keto. Additionally, we use real food ingredients in this homemade jerky recipe.

As an added benefit, homemade jerky can be made without the additives like nitrates and nitrites.

HOMEMADE JERKY RECIPE:

This particular recipe is a favorite that has been made year after year. We usually use elk or deer meat for this recipe, but any type of red meat can be used. Beef, deer, elk, moose, antelope, or buffalo all work equally well for this recipe. This is also the perfect recipe for venison jerky.

PLEASE NOTE: This recipe works well for just about any type of red meat: elk, moose, antelope, buffalo, or beef for beef jerky!

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Do Ahead of Time:

  1. Freeze the meat for an hour or so before slicing. This will make it easier to slice.
  2. Prepare the following marinade. The qualities shown are for 2 pounds lean beef ~or~ wild game meat.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together until ingredients are well mixed in a glass 9 x 13 glass pan.

  • 2/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2/3 cup Bragg’s Liquid Amino or soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
  • 4 Garlic Cloves ~ crushed or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey

Next Prepare the Meat Strips

After an hour or so, carefully slice the meat along the grain as thinly as possible. It is very important to main consistent thickness in all slices so the meat dries evenly.

The Marinade:

Add the meat strips to the marinade and mix well to coat them evenly.

Jerky meat marinading in brine.

Cover the meat with plastic wrap by placing it directly on top. Tuck the wrap around the edges of the baking dish to keep the meat covered in the marinade.

Drying Meat Strips in the Oven:

Remove the meat from the marinade and drain thoroughly.

If using a hanging jerky rack, first line the drip pan with parchment paper, as this saves a lot of cleanup. Next, skewer the strips of meat on each metal skewer, making sure they do not touch each other. Place the filled skewers on the drip pan as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Drying Meat on a Rack in the Oven for Delicious Homemade Jerky

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place the filled rack and metal pan on the lowest oven rack. Leave the oven door slightly ajar or propped a little open so the steam can escape.

If you close the oven door completely shut, the strips of meat will bake and not dry. You want your jerky to dry slowly in a low oven.

There should be no stickiness. The jerky should be dry to the feel but still fairly easy to chew but not brittle.

Dehydrating in Food Dehydrator:

If you have a food dehydrator, place the meat strips directly on the dehydrator racks and dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.Dry them for approximately 3 to 4 hours and check to see if they are finished drying.Your jerky should be dry to the touch and slightly bendable.You may have to dry it a little longer depending on the thickness of your strips of meat.Continue to dry until the meat reaches a nice, jerky-like consistency.There should be no stickiness, but it should not be brittle either.

Drying Homemade Jerky in a counter top dehydrator is so easy to do.
 

Storing Your Jerky:

Store in a resealable bag or a jar in a cool, dark place. Or place it in the refrigerator or freezer. The salt in the Bragg’s Liquid Amino and Worcestershire Sauce helps preserve the jerky. 

You can also vacuum seal your jerky in either vacuum bags or glass jars for longer-term storage.

Our jerky never seems to last too long…it goes that fast!!!

PRINTABLE RECIPE:

Yield: 10 Servings

Homemade Jerky with Red Pepper & Honey

homemade wild game jerky on a blue speckled enamel plate

The jerky recipe works well with just about any kind of red meat for this recipe: elk, deer, moose, antelope, buffalo or beef.

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 2/3 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
  • 4 Garlic Cloves-crushed or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes optional
  • 2 tablespoon Honey
  • 2 pounds lean Wild Game Meat

Instructions

  1. Freeze the meat for an hour or so. This will make it easier to cut.
  2. Slice the meat along the grain as thinly as possible.
  3. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a glass 9×13 pan until they are well mixed.
  4. Add the strips of meat to the glass pan and mix throughly so the marinade works its way into the meat and is evenly distributed.
  5. Cover the meat with plastic wrap by laying the plastic wrap directly on the meat. Tuck the wrap around the inside of the baking dish as this ensures the meat remains covered with the marinade.
  6. Remove the meat from the marinade and drain thoroughly.
  7. If using a hanging jerky rack, first line the drip pan with parchment paper as this saves a lot of cleanup. Next, skewer the strips on meat on each metal skewer making sure they do not touch each other. Place the filled skewers on drip pan as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
  8. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place filled rack and metal pan on lowest oven rack. Leave oven door slightly ajar or propped a little open so the steam can escape. If you close the oven door completely shut, the strips of meat will bake and not dry. You want your jerky to dry slowly in a low oven.
  9. If you have a food dehydrator, place the meat strips directly on the dehydrator racks and dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Dry them for approximately 3 to 4 hours and check. Your jerky should be dry to the touch and slightly bendable. You may have to dry it a little longer depending on the thickness of you strips of meat.
  10. Continue to dry until the meat reaches a nice, jerky-like consistency.
  11. Store in a resealable bag or a jar in a cool dark place. Or place in the refrigerator or freezer.
  12. The salt in the Bragg’s Liquid Amino and Worcestershire Sauce helps preserve the jerky. You can also vacuum seal your jerky in either vacuum bags or glass jars for longer term storage.
  13. You can also vacuum seal your jerky in either bags or glass jars for longer term storage.

Notes

This jerky never seems to last too long……it goes extremely fast!!!

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 146Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 42mgSodium 1241mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 6gProtein 14g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate due to variations of ingredients used in recipe.

© Original Homesteading
Cuisine: TRADITIONAL / Category: PRESERVE FOOD

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion, good storage keeps your jerky fresh and tasty. Use a resealable bag or jar and store it in the fridge or freezer to make it last longer. The salt in Bragg’s Liquid Amino and Worcestershire Sauce helps preserve the flavor. If you want it to last even more, vacuum sealing in bags or jars is a great choice. Enjoy your jerky, but remember to store it properly so you can enjoy every bite!

Our homemade jerky never seems to last too long……it goes extremely fast!!!

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