Easy Steak Rub Beef Jerky
I’ve been making beef jerky for about for about ten years now and have made it just about every way you can make it at home without owning a smoker. Cheffy makes the best beef jerky I have ever had but this recipe is easy and quick to make at home and you change the flavor each time very easily.
1. Start with thin cut beef. I buy these packages of pre-cut thin beef round at King Soopers/Krogers. This makes the recipe a snap because I don’t have to hand slice the meat, and the jerky will all be done around the same time because the grocer uses a commercial meat slicer and the thickness is a uniform quarter inch or so.
2. Layout steak on a cutting board and coat top with olive oil. This adds flavor, and keeps the jerky moist in the dehydrator. Infused olive oils make the jerky even better.
3. Shake on a steak rub of your choice. I usually use either Golden Toad Prime Steak Rub or Cajohn’s Chop House Rub. Both are awesome and make great jerky. I have used all kinds of rubs for this jerky and while they turn out good, nothing works better than a good prime steak rub with garlic flavored olive oil. Also, you can add Habanero powder like Zesty Red Boost for a great heat level.
4. Now take a meat tenderizer and beat that jerky into flavor country. Cover all surface areas with a single blow with only the weight of the mallet. Turn the steak over and repeat: oil, rub, mallet.
5. Store in an airtight container and place it in the fridge overnight to let the oil and rub permeate the meat.
6. The next day, put the steak on the dehydrator racks. Layout evenly and allow space for airflow between racks. You can pick up one of these dehydrators at a thrift store for $10 and they rock. Rotate the racks every hour.
7. After 4 hours flip the jerky when you rotate the racks. Also turn them 180 degrees for more even cooking.
8. The jerky will take 6-8 hours to cook like this. Jerky does not need to be brittle, hard or unchewable. I pull it when it barely starts to crack when folded. It almost looks like a well-done steak on the inside and regular jerky on the outside.
9. Store the jerky either in an airtight container or the fridge. I have a vacuum packer that works really well (also at thrift stores for $10).
If anyone decides to give this recipe a shot let me know what you think and if you learned any new tips or found a rub that was great send it my way. Enjoy!