Black Pepper Jerky Food

PEPPERED BEEF JERKY

Steps:

• In a large zip top bag, combine all ingredients for the marinade. Mix well to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the sliced eye of round to your marinade and toss gently in the bag to coat all sides of the meat with the marinade. Refrigerate 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. The longer it marinates, the saltier and stronger the flavor will be.
• Remove the strips of marinated beef from the bag and place on paper towels. Pat dry.
• Preheat your smoker, oven (with the door cracked), or dehydrator to run at around 170 degrees F. Transfer the strips to the grill grate, jerky rack, or cooling rack and season the top with additional black pepper, if desired.
• Smoke/cook for 2-3 hours (depending on the thickness of your slices, some thicker pieces can take 4-5 hours). Check often after the first hour to be sure your jerky is drying evenly. You are looking for jerky that is firm and still slightly pliable, but not soft. If you bend your jerky and it breaks, you've cooked it a little too long
• Place the finished jerky in a gallon zip top bag while it is still warm. Don't seal closed all the way. The jerky will steam in the bag slightly and this step will make the jerky moist. If you added the curing salt, the jerky will last a couple of weeks on the counter. If you did not add in the curing salt, it will last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

MIKE'S PEPPERED BEEF JERKY

Steps:

• Place beef strips on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound beef with the tenderizing side of a meat mallet until the meat fibers are slightly broken but the strips still hold their shape.
• Mix Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and coriander seeds in a large bowl until brown sugar has dissolved.
• Place beef strips into the bowl; add enough water to allow marinade to cover the meat. Stir to incorporate water and submerge the beef in marinade, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Remove beef strips from marinade, shake off excess, and lay the strips onto oven-proof racks. Do not overlap the strips.
• Bake the beef strips in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest strip reads at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C).
• Remove strips from oven and place onto racks of a food dehydrator so the strips don't overlap.
• If desired, sprinkle strips with more coriander seeds and black pepper.
• Turn on the dehydrator, set machine's temperature for 155 degrees F (70 degrees C), and dry the jerky until leathery, about 9 hours. Rotate the racks from top to bottom every 1 1/2 hours for even drying. A piece of jerky should crack but not break in half when folded. Store in refrigerator.