I’ve always had a weakness for beef jerky. There’s something satisfyingly primitive about tearing into a piece of dried meat and all its salty goodness. It’s the perfect snack–high in protein, low in fat, and undeniably delicious. I’ve always eaten store-bought beef jerky out of convenience, but the sad fact is that the mass produced stuff is chock full of preservatives, artificial flavorings, and nasty additives.
I recently learned that beef jerky is surprisingly simple to make at home with nothing more than a few quality ingredients and your oven–no dehydrator required. But there’s one catch. Homemade jerky does take a little time–six hours to marinade and four hours to bake, to be exact. But before you freak out, keep in mind that there is very little hands-on effort required. This is actually a great lazy Sunday activity. Prep the meat when you wake up, marinade while you grab brunch and run errands, then cook the jerky while you shamelessly watch hours of Real Housewives on Bravo. Or, perhaps you could actually do something productive around the house while you’re waiting. Your call! But the bottom line is that this doesn’t require a ton of effort, and the results will be worth it.
One of my favorite recipes for beef jerky comes from Rachel Graville, proprietor of Iris Cafe in Brooklyn Heights, where she also sells her delicious hand-cut beef jerky. I made a half batch of the recipe below, because I didn’t have enough baking sheets/cooling racks to accommodate two pounds of meat. A full batch will yield about one pound of jerky, while a half batch will yield about 1/2 pound–which I found to be perfect for two people.
Black Pepper Beef Jerky
Adapted from Rachel Graville via Food & Wine
- 2 pounds trimmed beef top round (London broil) or bottom round, about 1 1/2 inches thick
- 3 cups amber ale or lager
- 2 cups soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns, plus additional coarsely ground pepper to sprinkle on meat before it goes into the oven
- In a large bowl, mix 2 tbs cracked peppercorn, 2 cups soy sauce, 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, and 3 cups beer.
- Slice beef 1/4 inch thick either with or against the grain (I prefer against, since it’s easier to chew). Cut away as much fat as possible from the strips to prevent the jerky from spoiling once cooked.
- Place sliced beef in the bowl with the marinade mixture, making sure each piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.
- Set three cooling racks on top of three baking sheets. Remove beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels or a clean dishtowel. Arrange beef on the racks and sprinkle coarsely ground pepper on top of meat to your liking (about 1-2 tbs).
- Bake for about 4 hours at 175° F, until the jerky is firm and almost completely dry, but still chewy. (Note that the original recipe specifies a 200° cook time, but I preferred the taste at 175° which may take a little longer. If you are pressed for time, 200° should still taste delicious.) Let cool completely on the racks before serving.
Use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee grinder to coarsely crush peppercorns for marinade. To season the meat with additional pepper before it goes into the oven, I use my trusty pepper mill. 
The tricky part is slicing the meat thinly, without sending yourself to the ER. Try putting the meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes prior to slicing. This should do the trick. I like my beef jerky pretty thick so I go for 1/4 inch thick slices. 
The jerky will harden as it cools, so don’t let it get too dry in the oven. Store your jerky in the fridge in either a plastic baggie or mason jar. I also think this makes great gifts or favors! 
I found this simple recipe to be a great starting point. From here, you can experiment with different flavors and spices. Rachel Graville has a couple of other fabulous jerky recipes including Sweet & Spicy Jerky and Mexican Lime Jerky. Om nom nom nom.
All Things Simple 
Thank you for this,I am going to try this recipe! My husband and I were just talking about trying to make beef jerky.
I hope you like it! It’s really fun to make beef jerky at home. Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
Yum, this looks fantastic I will give it a try this weekend. Though I don’t have cable so I won’t be able to watch Real housewives while it bakes 🙂
Diana, maybe that is a good thing. Real Housewives is a dangerous show to get addicted to. Hope you like the jerky!
Oh, my – this looks delicious! It’d be perfect for long road trips.
That’s a great idea!
I’ve never tried it. I’ve only heard about it on american tv shows…. I wonder if I’d like it?
You’ll never know til you try! 🙂
Wow this looks good- I’ll have to try this out!
Thanks–hope you like it!
This looks incredible.
I never have any luck cutting raw meat though… any advice?
@AiXeLsyD13 Try putting the raw meat in the freezer about half an hour before slicing–this should firm it up and make it easier to cut. Also, you can always ask your local butcher to slice the meat for you. Usually they will do this for free if you work the charm. Good luck!
Excellent suggestions, thanks!
Awesome!! I’ve been wanting to make the South African version of jerky (called Biltong) but haven’t amped up my energies to do it yet. Thanks for the prod. =)
Wow! I wonder how the flavors differ between biltong and beef jerky. Thanks for stopping by!
yum! oddly enough, i don’t like meat much, but love beef jerky. i’ll have to give this a try very soon!
I totally agree-I actually like cured and dried meat more than I do normal meat. Hope you like the recipe!
mmm….looks good!
Thank you 🙂
Thanks. http://calogeromirafoodand.wordpress.com
Yum! Thank you for the easy and delicious-looking recipe. You’re right – perfect for a lazy Sunday watching the Not-so-Real Housewives. Cheers! 🙂 MJ
Haha so far from reality, yet SO addicting! 🙂
Yum! We do this every year with venison that my fiance hunts! The venison is much leaner. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
That sounds awesome. If I can get my hands on some venison some day, I will definitely try this. Thanks for the tip!
Great post! Slicing the meat is the only difficult part. I put mine in my smoker (a post I just did the other day). I’ve never tried ale before. I’d assume that would be for tenderizing the meat?
Thanks, Simone! Yes, the ale mainly tenderizes the meat, but it also adds some subtle flavor as well. I bet your smoker jerky tastes wonderful!
I’ve never been a big beef jerky fan until my dad made it at home one day. Now I love it! I’m not sure what recipe he uses, but I’ll be sure to pass yours on. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
It’s amazing how much better homemade jerky tastes, as opposed to store bought. Thank you so much for stopping by!
I have never been a fan of beef jerky, mainly b/c I have only had the storebought kind….but I definitely would like to give this recipe a go and see if changes my thinking! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I sure hope it changes your mind about beef jerky! If you end up trying it, please let me know what you think. 🙂
Thank-you Lauren, Im a fan of beef jerky also and that recipe you put up doesn’t seem too difficult to create, lol. . . Anyway I appreciate you giving this bit of info, its good stuff! =)
Thanks so much for the comment! This recipe is so easy, and most of the ingredients are things that many of us have laying around the house. The simpler, the better, in my opinion!
You totally reminded me of my long-time love for beef jerky. I used to eat tons of the store-bought stuff when I was a teenager, but had to give it up due to the junk you mentioned that they put into it and a jaw misalignment problem. But I wanted to thank you for reminding me of that fabulous flavor. I can taste it now.
I am so glad you love beef jerky as much as I do. 🙂 Thank you very much for your comment and stopping by my blog!
loved it … especially the “om nom nom nom” at the end.
I know my husband would like this 🙂
I LOVE beef jerky!!! You’ve made me hungry! =)
ooo you have inspired me! I’m going to create a new blog post called the Jerky Battle where my bf and I will go head to head and battle it out for the title of Jerky Queen/King.
That sounds awesome! Love the competitive spirit. 🙂
Nice. I love home made stuff. I’m a really big fan of baking, I like to think I’m Nigella 🙂
This post just made me hungry all of a sudden.
Amazing!! I am going to try this real soon. My boyfriend and I are weak against spicy beef jerky! Thanks!
that looks delicious an mouth watering.
looks yummy
Looks good! I going to try it out.
No…no..no.. never put the jerky to dry in an oven. Hang it up in your garage, direct a fan onto it so that it becomes wind dry. The process takes longer but it is much more tasty. This how we make biltong (jerky) in South Africa, the land of biltong, boerewors (country sausages) and sunny skies.
Oh how I wish I had a garage and the South African climate to dry my beef jerky! Sadly, I live in a small apartment in cold, damp Seattle, where my meat would probably just go moldy if I tried this method. Biltong does sound wonderful! Unfortunately for me, I have to take the short cut. It’s not so bad though. 🙂
yummy! if youre in the LA area, look at your local super market for Don Pedro’s Kitchen Cecina Jerky. Hands down the best beef jerky you’ll ever have (I promise. I gave up being a vegetarian for it!)
I just looked this up, and it looks so delicious! Next time I go to Southern California this will be at the top of my to-do list. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Do you bake the jerky at 175 C or F? … I live in England and this makes all the difference! : )
Fahrenheit…that didn’t even occur to me–thanks for pointing that out! Hope you enjoy the recipe. 🙂
I’m going to have to try this one out. I love biltong (I live in South Africa) but don’t have too much experience of jerky. I’d like to see how they compare. Thanks for the post (and the recipe)!
I’ve heard a lot about biltong and it sounds delicious! If you end up trying the jerky recipe, let me know how they compare. Thanks for stopping by!
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