BBQGuys Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe

Homemade beef jerky has never been so easy — all you need are a few hours, a traditional oven, and some common sauces and spices! With a few unorthodox ingredients like orange juice and espresso (it’s a Chef Tony recipe, so there had to be caffeine involved), this recipe will take both your kitchen and your taste buds on an adventure.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place your roast in the freezer and flash freeze until very taut (2–3 hours).
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, Old Bay seasoning, granulated garlic, red pepper flakes, orange zest, liquid smoke, espresso, ginger powder, salt, chili powder, and honey.
3. After whisking together, pour the mixture into a blender and add the parsley, cilantro, garlic cloves, bell pepper, and orange juice. Blend until thoroughly puréed (almost completely liquified).
4. Pour the blended marinade back into your mixing bowl or into a large zip-top plastic bag and set aside.
5. Remove the roast from the freezer and slice, along the grain, into ⅛- to ¼-inch strips.
6. Place all strips into the marinade and work around with your hands, ensuring none of the strips stick together. Place in the refrigerator for 8–24 hours.
7. Once beef has thoroughly marinated, preheat your oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Prepare 3 or 4 half-size sheet pans with a wire cooling rack set inside of each.
9. Lay individual beef strips on the wire cooling racks, leaving plenty of room around each strip so they can receive proper airflow while cooking.
10. Place your loaded sheet pans into the oven and allow the jerky to dehydrate for 3–4 hours.
11. After 3 hours, insert an instant-read thermometer into one of your thickest strips. The jerky will be ready to remove from the oven once the thermometer reads at least 160 degrees.
12. When your jerky hits the proper temperature, remove from the oven and allow it to cool and “dry out” for 1 hour.
13. Now that the jerky is ready, you can either enjoy it all at once or place the leftovers in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.