I can not take credit for this write-up other than my getting it onto the website….and maybe being a taste tester a few hundred times while my wife Donna perfected the recipes. Other than that, she has been and will always be the main reason I can’t say no to her great cooking, regardless of what it is!
When Donna and I were hitting the 4×4 trails a lot, we would bring along things to snack on, like everyone else. Beef jerky was often brought along but buying it at the local conveinence store was quite expensive. I knew they sold gold by the ounce but didn’t realize that good tasting jerky was sold the same way (and at nearly the same price). Sometimes, we ended up with some very poor quality jerky. It wasn’t long before Donna decided it was time to start making our own.
As she perfected her recipe, the jerky was first shared with a few close friends during a local trail run. MikeW was always up for some as was ScottK and some of our other friends. Donna continued to refine and experiment with her recipe and before we knew it, the jerky was being passed out at many of the JeepsUnlimited Moab trail runs that we attended each year. I can honestly say she never had anyone refuse her jerky and was typically asked if she had any extra. There was a point in time when it was even sold out at the power plant during a refueling outage.
The other day, Donna asked if I wanted to put her recipe on the website and share it with our community of friends. I thought it was a great idea. Donna copied the recipe and she included a few variations as well. These will allow folks to more easily adjust the recipe for just how much kick it has….some folks like it hot while other prefer it a bit milder. So here it is…..enjoy!
So….without any more from me, here is what Donna provided!
Regular Recipe (Not too hot)
¾ c. soy sauce
1/8 c liquid smoke
¼ c. brown sugar
½ tsp. garlic salt and onion salt
½ tsp. lemon pepper
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. dry mustard
About 3 lb. roast beef
Have butcher cut the meat 1/4″ thick or tell them it’s for jerky. Trim all the fat off the meat. Mix all the ingredients in a leak proof dish and add the meat. Let it marinate for at least 24 hours, turn the meat several times, drain. Place the meat strips on the dehydrator trays and sprinkle meat with salt and black pepper.
Medium Hot Recipe
Add the following to the Regular Recipe:
1 Tbsp. Saucy Senorita Hot Sauce (red)
1/8 tsp. chili pepper –hot
When you place the marinated meat on the trays, use red and black pepper and salt.
Hot Recipe
Add the following to the Regular Recipe:
5 Tbsp. Saucy Senorita Hot Sauce (red)
¾ tsp. chili pepper –hot
1 tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp hot salt and Hot Shots
When you place the marinated meat on the trays, use red and black pepper and salt.
Teriyaki Recipe
Add the following to the Regular Recipe:
5 oz. Teriyaki sauce
½ tsp. dry ginger
When you place the marinated meat on the trays, use black pepper and salt.
BBQ Sauce
1 ½ c white wine
5 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp onion salt
2 tsp. Creole spice
¾ c. catsup
1 ½ tsp. liquid smoke
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp. dry mustard
When you place the marinated meat on the trays, use black pepper and salt.
Try to buy the best spices and sauces you can afford, it makes a world of difference. When you dry your meat, the humidity will make a difference. Follow the directions of your dehydrator for drying your meat.
One of the best batches of jerky that Stu and I made was from a ham from Easter dinner. The ham tasted terrible, so I put it in the regular marinate recipe, cut back on the salt and dried it. Wow!! If you like your jerky chewy, cut back on your dry time. For me, it’s a taste test. Enjoy my recipes and if you come up with a new taste please let Stu know.