This SMOKED BEEF JERKY is to die for and I can’t wait for your jerky loving hands to make it!
I’ve had my smoker for over a year now and I’m JUST now getting around to making jerky on it. Don’t ask me why it’s taken me so long, jerky is just about the simplest thing you can do on a smoker! The only thing you need to do is play the waiting game because it takes awhile for the meat to dry out and become jerky.
My grandma used to make homemade jerky whenever we went camping, and since we were about ready to go on a camping trip ourselves, I figured it would be the best time to make it. Jerky is great because it will last awhile, but you MUST have self control if you make it a few days ahead of time. This stuff is addicting and if you aren’t careful you won’t have any left for your trip. I had to actually put the beef jerky away in our bin because every time I walked past the bag I would snag a piece!
This can also easily be done in your oven or even a dehydrator if you do not own a smoker. But let me be the first to say that the smokiness really adds an extra ooomph to the flavor. Totally takes it to flavortown. I suggest using a lighter flavored pellet, like Traeger “signature blend”, “pecan”, or “cherry.” The stronger pellets like mesquite will make the flavor a bit too smokey.
Times also will vary when cooking your jerky, depending on how thick you cut the meat. I have the smoker set at 185 degrees F, but I know that some ovens don’t go that low. So if you are cooking it in the oven, just make sure you have the oven at the lowest it can get. In general, it will take about 4.5 hours to cook beef jerky. After that you will need to watch the meat more closely because it will go from being not quite done, to overdone and dry pretty quickly.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs flank steak, trimmed
- 1/2 cup tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 dashes worcestershire sauce
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 bottle favorite teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat from the flank steak.
- Cut flank steak into strips no more that 1/4 inch thick.
- Place steak into a ziplock bag and add either the peppered marinade or the teriyaki marinade to the meat. Let marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight will yield the most flavor.
- Turn your smoker to 185 degrees F.
- Arrange strips on grill. They can touch, but don't have them overlap.
- Smoke for 4 hours. After 4 hours check on the texture. It shouldn't be too chewy. If it is, continue to smoke the meat for another hour.
- Once the jerky is to your liking remove and bring to room temperature before storing it in an air tight container.
- Preheat oven to 185 degrees. If it does not get that low, put your oven to lowest temperature it can.
- Arrange strips on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Bake for 5 hours, then check. If the jerky looks like its getting crispy your oven is too hot. Slightly open your oven to let some air in.
- Continue to cook until jerky is at the texture you like.
- If you are making the peppered jerky, once you have removed it from either the smoker or oven, crack a little more pepper over the top!
