A great snack for people on a paleo diet that have on the go is paleo beef jerky. However, jerky available at stores may not suit people on a paleo diet. The good piece of news for them is that jerky is easy to make at home. People need some simple ingredients to make yummy jerky from beef strips. So, what goes into a paleo beef jerky recipe for home?
Jerky available at stores also have some unknown ingredients. One of them that most would not like to have is additives. Some examples are vegetable oil, liquid smoke, synthetic hormones, and MSG.
People can make paleo beef jerky at home with vinegar, salt, and spices, including garlic powder, onion, and cayenne.
How to cut beef for jerky
A paleo beef jerky recipe has various possible beef cuts. What is a very popular cut? It’s London broil. The reason is its low-fat content. It ensures that the jerky doesn’t get spoilt easily.
London broil is indeed amongst the most expensive meats. However, it’s amongst the leanest cuts for a paleo beef jerky recipe.
A vital factor for this beef cut is the width. People must make the cut broad enough for the dehydration process. However, the thickness should not be so much that people have difficulty chewing through.
It may take trial and error to get the right thickness. A piece of general advice is to make strips between 1⁄4 and 1⁄2 inches thick.
People who make jerky at home can choose:
- The sort of meat to use
- The right ingredients for the flavor profile
- The time of cooking
It’s important to trim the meat of excess fat before cutting the meat. Too much fat will impact the time that the jerky will last. The good news for people is that London broil isn’t fatty.
People should press down the meat with their free hand before slicing it. They should put pressure on it, as a steady grip is required to guarantee an even, straight slice.
They can start slicing from any edge. By holding the blade over the meat, they should cut straight through the meat.
How thick they want the slices to be is their preference. However, the strips should be uniform in thickness. This ensures that every strip dries evenly when making the jerky. A point to note is that the meat shrinks much when it is dehydrated. People should choose the thickness of their strips in view of this.
The time for which to marinate Beef Jerky at home
Marinating beef jerky at home decides the amount of flavor it takes. Thus, people should not rush this process. The general advice is marinating beef strips for approximately 48 hours.
People should
- Submerge the beef strips fully in the marinade
- Leave the strips long enough for the meat to absorb the marinade’s flavors
Time is vital for a paleo beef jerky recipe at home. Thus, people should plan ahead before making jerky at home.
Equipment needed for paleo beef jerky recipe
- A measuring cup
- A beater
- An oven or a dehydrator
- Airtight container
- A dehydrator tray
Ingredients needed
- London broil – about 3 pounds
- Coconut amino – 6 ounces – Coconut amino is a great alternative to soy sauce. People will get the same flavor sans soy and gluten
- Pineapple juice – 2 cups
- Apple cider vinegar – 1 cup
- Lemon juice – 2 ounces
- Smoked salt – 2 tablespoons
- Black Pepper – 1 teaspoon
- Paprika – 1 teaspoon
- Onion powder – 1 teaspoon
- Ground Ginger – 1 teaspoon
- Garlic Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Chili powder – 1 teaspoon
Preparing the marinade
Preparing the marinade for making paleo beef jerky involves some steps.
Adding pineapple juice, lemon juice, coconut amino acids, and all the spices to Taking a measuring cup.
Whisking the ingredients well – It’s important to ensure that the beef jerky soaks up the most flavors it can.
Next is adding the marinade to the beef strips. People should arrange the strips such that they fully submerge in the marinade. They should empty the marinade over the meat strips and cover and refrigerate it anywhere between 1 and 3 days. They should leave it for a minimum of 24 hours.
Preparing the jerky
Preparing the jerky also involves some steps.
Post marinating the meat for at least 24 hours is dehydrating the beef strips. For this, people should take the meat out of the marinade and make one layer on a dehydrator tray or a baking rack in the oven.
After placing the baking tray inside the dehydrator is to set to the jerky setting. The strips must be dehydrated for a maximum of 8 hours.
What about households without a dehydrator? They can put the meat on a rack inside an oven preheated to 175 degrees to 200 degrees for a maximum of 6 hours.
What after dehydrating the jerky for some hours? People should take the baking sheet out of the oven.
Next is placing the jerky inside an airtight container. On being stored right, the jerky will remain eatable for a maximum of a couple of weeks.
After the paleo beef jerky is made, people can keep it in an airtight container for a week or so. A good thing to do is to place a paper towel inside the container. The paper towel absorbs any surplus moisture. This measure will make certain that the jerky stays delicious for longer.
People can make the jerky at home last more by refrigerating the container. The jerky will stay palatable for a maximum of two weeks.
People on a paleo diet need not deprive themselves of yummy snacks. Most people will love the paleo beef jerky recipe that we have discussed.
