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1
Place wrapped meat in to freezer approximately
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2
1 to 2 hours to partially freeze the surface of the beef to the make it easier to slice evenly.
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3
Prepare Marinade; set aside
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4
Once the beef is partially frozen, remove all visible fat. Slice the partially frozen beef against the grain approximately into 3/8-inch thick slices. NOTE: Trim the fat as you go along, since fat does not dry.
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5
Add the sliced beef to the prepared Marinade, making sure all the meat slices are covered in the marinade; cover and refrigerate approximately 10 to 24 hours to allow the meat to absorb the flavor.
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6
When ready to dry the beef, remove from the refrigerator and drain off the marinade; discarding the marinade. Using terry cloth towels, pat the meat dry.
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7
Line oven with foil
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8
This step is optional, but only if you prefer scrubbing burned on BBQ sauce from an oven. Use the foil.
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9
Arrange strips
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10
Remove the oven cooking grate and arrange the beef strips on it. Doing this over a sink is a good idea because the marinade will be dripping off immediately, so less will drip in the oven.
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11
Start oven and vent door
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12
Set the oven temperature as low as it will go. Ideal temperature is 140 degrees farenheight, which will dehydrate the food without cooking it.
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13
My oven only goes to 170 degrees but works fine. Using a wooden spoon (no plastic! it could melt), prop open the oven door to vent. This lets air circulate and dehydrate the food faster. If you have an oven circulation fan, this could be helpful as well but I have not used one before.
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14
It will take 2-6 hours to make the jerky depending on slice thickness and oven temperature. My batches are around 4 hours long.
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15
Test for doneness
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16
After about 2-3 hours check for doneness.
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17
Take a piece of jerky and bend it. If it bends easily or feels juicy it needs more time.
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18
When it starts to stretch or tear the fibers when you bend it it is near done.
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19
Remove and let the jerky air dry
