Drying meats has been used for centuries as a means of preserving it. Campers and backpackers like jerky because it packs small, requires no refrigeration and can be used in cooking as well as for snacks. Homemade jerky also makes a wonderful addition to any gift basket.

The recipe above is enough for about 3 pounds of meat, which will dehydrate down to about 16-18 ounces (Yow! Now you know why it's so expensive to buy Beef Jerky.)

While beef is what most people are familiar with, just about any firm meat can be made into jerky. If there are any hunters in your family, try venison. Turkey breast or firm fish such as salmon or ahi tuna also make excellent snacks. Simply slice your choice of meat thin (usually 1/8") with the grain (see photos). This is a bit more tricky with fish, so I highly recommend freezing it halfway first. In fact, partial freezing will make slicing all meats easier.

As for beef, my personal cut of choice is London Broil, although many people like to use brisket or flank steak as well.

Note: You can also use ground meats for jerky in which case you can forego the marinade and use a dry spice rub instead, see the instructions below.

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a large (gallon size or larger) plastic zipper bag. Add sliced meat and refrigerate, turning and mixing every hour or two. Hearty meats like beef and venison should be marinated overnight. For turkey, salmon or tuna, 3-4 hours is usually plenty. Don't marinate ground meats, see notes below.

When ready to begin drying, place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to aid in cleanup. Drain meat in a colander and pat dry with paper towels (the drier the better at this point). Set oven at lowest temperature setting and carefully place meat slices directly onto oven racks. Leave the oven door open a crack to allow moisture to escape.

Drying times vary due to oven differences and meat size. Perfect jerky is firm and dry and not at all spongy. However, if your jerky is so dry it breaks in two easily, it's probably over-dried.

Instructions for For Ground Meat Jerky
Look for meat that is 95% lean or leaner, such as ground beef, ground chuck, ground round or ground turkey meat. Double grind the meat with a spice mixture (recipe links below) to distribute the spices evenly (you might want to add a little extra salt, depending on the blend of your seasoning mixture). If you don't have a meat grinder, you can use a food processor for this process.

Sandwich some of the seasoned ground meat between two sheets of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to press the meat into 2" wide, flat, thin strips. Carefully remove the strips from the waxed paper place directly on oven racks, as for sliced jerky. If desired, you can brush of thin layer of marinade on the strips at this point (not too much, you want the meat to dry). This is an optional step as the dry rub will provide a lot of flavor on its own. Recipes for dry spice rubs can be found in the related links.