Drying meat turns it into jerky, a chewy snack that is high in protein and keeps well, even at room temperature. The best way to dry meat at home is using a home meat dehydrator, which circulates warm, dry air over the meat. You can also smoke meat with a charcoal or electric smoker, giving any type of meat a smoky flavor that intensifies its taste without adding extra fat or calories with oil or butter.
Dry
Step 1
Slice 2 lbs. of lean meat into long strips that are 1/4-in. thick.
Step 2
Place the meat in a large bowl and cover the meat with your favorite marinade. Refrigerate the marinating meat for at least one hour or as long as overnight.
Step 3
Pour the meat and marinade into a pot and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Boil the marinade and meat for five minutes to reduce the risk of food-borne illness from the dried meat.
Step 4
Pull the meat out of the marinade and place the strips of meat on a stack of paper towels to drain.
Step 5
Place the strips of meat on baking racks or a food dehydrator tray, making sure the pieces do not touch each other or overlap.
Step 6
Place the dehydrator racks in a counter-top dehydrator or place the baking racks in an oven heated to 140 F. Dry the meat for 10 to 24 hours, checking for doneness after 3 hours, the National Center for Home Food Preservation instructs.
Step 7
Check the meat for doneness by bending a piece. Remove the meat from the oven or dehydrator when the meat cracks but does not break when bent.
Step 8
Store dried beef in an air-tight jar at room temperature for two weeks or in the refrigerator for two months.
Smoke
Step 1
Toss 2 lbs. of lean meat with your favorite marinade in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or as long as overnight.
Step 2
Soak a handful of wood smoker chips, using any type of wood, in a bowl of water for 15 minutes. Drain the chips and wrap them in aluminum foil. Poke several holes in the aluminum foil package with a sharp knife.
Step 3
Place the wood chips in foil in your smoker's smoking chip tray.
Step 4
Preheat the smoker until the inside temperature reaches between 225 and 300 F.
Step 5
Place the meat on the smoker's cooking rack and cover with the lid.
Step 6
Check the meat for doneness. Most meat takes four to eight hours to be completely cooked. Test the temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer. Remove the meat from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 145 F.
Step 7
Store smoked meat in the refrigerator within two hours of smoking. Smoked meat will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Things You'll Need
- Bowls
- Marinade of choice
- Plastic wrap
- Pot
- Paper towels
- Baking racks
- Food dehydrator, optional
- Jar
- Wood smoker chips
- Aluminum foil
- Meat thermometer
References
- National Center for Home Food Preservation: Drying: Jerky
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food Safety and Inspection Service: Jerky and Food Safety; April 5, 2006
- Food Network; How to Smoke Meat; Douglas Brown
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food Safety and Inspection Service: Smoking Meat and Poultry; June 8, 2011
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