Teriyaki beef jerky

This is my favorite beef jerky recipe, by far, but I will admit, I do not like strongly flavored beef jerky. I like a good flavor, but I want the beef flavor to come through, too, and I don't want it too salty, either.

I first start by slicing the beef into about 1/8" slices. They are probably somewhere between 1/8-1/4". I use my meat slicer, and set it on 5 (which tells you absolutely nothing!), so the actual thickness is my best guess. It doesn't really matter, though. Cut it as thick or thin as you like. The thinner you go, the less pliable it will be when dried. I like mine pliable and chewy. Make sure you cut across the grain. It's a lot easier to eat beef jerky that's been sliced across the grain.

In my experience, the best meat for jerky is eye of round. It's cheap, and lean. Two things you want in good beef jerky. A quality piece of beef is wasted on jerky. I buy my eye of round in 6 lbs. cuts from Smart Foods, a restaurant supplier. It's usually right around $2.00/lb. If I'm lucky, it goes on sale.

Beef jerky generally dries to about 1/3 it's original weight, so a 6 lb. eye of round will make about 2 lbs. of jerky.

After I slice my eye of round, I put it in gallon size Ziploc bags. I usually need two bags. 

For the marinade, I use my teriyaki sauce with just two adjustments: I cut the cornstarch and water in the recipe by half, and for a 6 lb. eye of round, I double the recipe. After I simmer the sauce, I let it cool to room temperature. I then add half the sauce to one bag of meat, and half to the other. I seal the bags, then lay them out on a cookie sheet and into the fridge for 48 hours. To make sure every piece is getting a good swim in the drink, I slosh the meat and marinade in the bags 2-3 times/day.

When it's time to dry the meat, I drain it on baking racks I set in the bottom of my sink. A colander works for this, too. While it drains, I set up the dehydrator.

I have a simple Presto dehydrator. I've had it for years. It was cheap, and it works great. I see no need for an expensive one.

There is really only one trick to jerky. Don't over or under dry it. It took me a while to figure out how to tell when it's done, and for me, it's about color, cracks and pliability. When it's getting close to done, the color turns much darker. When you bend the jerky, where the connective tissue is, it will be white, almost spider web-y looking. Check both sides. They should both have that spider web look.

The meat will still be pliable, but you will be begin to feel a more resistance. When you get to that point, it's done, or very close. You can go a little longer, if you wish, but be careful you don't go too far. If you do, you risk tough, dried out meat that's a little rough on the jaws.

I think anyone who makes jerky has to do one batch of overly dry jerky to fully appreciate finding that sweet spot of doneness. None the less, I've never had to throw away jerky, no matter how dry.

After drying, in theory, it's shelf stable. I still keep mine in the fridge. I've kept it in the fridge for a week with no issue. I've never had it last longer than a week, so I can't tell you how long it will last beyond that. I suspect a couple weeks, but if you have jerky sitting in the fridge beyond a week, you need more meat-loving friends.