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Beef Jerky

Source of Recipe

From "The America's Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"Sure, beef jerky seems a little bit primitive, but at the same time it's totally retro-cool. At its simplest, jerky involves nothing more than leaving thinly sliced meat outside to let the sun and air do their work. There's something about this simple process—no fancy ingredients or equipment required—that has always appealed to me. For some reason, I'd never gotten around to making it. That is, until now. Beyond exposure to air and sun, traditional drying methods for making jerky include smoking and freeze-drying. And before being dried, the meat is almost always first rubbed with salt (and sometimes seasonings), which aid in preservation as well as flavoring. In modern jerky-making practice, this step is achieved by soaking the meat in a salty liquid (called 'wet-cure,' it's essentially a marinade). Nearly every homemade jerky recipe I found opted for this latter approach, but I decided to go retro with the dry-rub method, followed by a stint in the oven. The reasons for my methodology were twofold: First, I think the wet-cure has a tendency to dilute the meat's flavor and break down its texture. I wanted a jerky that was well seasoned but still had the texture and taste of beef. On top of that there was the time consideration: Why add moisture to something you ultimately intend to dry? With a clear objective, homemade beef jerky was quickly becoming within my reach. Fair warning: I like my jerky spicy. If you want, you can toss the steak with the spice mixture incrementally in step 4 and test the seasoning by cooking a small piece of beef in the microwave. Also, if your oven has a convection setting, use it, and do not prop open the oven door in step 5. You'll need two rimmed baking sheets and wire racks for this recipe."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 (2 ½-pound) flank steak, trimmed
â—¦ ¼ ounce dried red Thai chiles
â—¦ ¼ cup whole Sichuan peppercorns
â—¦ 2 tablespoons kosher salt
â—¦ 5 teaspoons Demerara or turbinado sugar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon paprika
â—¦ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground coriander


Recipe

Pat steak dry with paper towels. Place steak on parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and freeze, uncovered, until meat is very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, toast chiles in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 4 minutes, reducing heat if chiles begin to smoke. Let chiles cool to room temperature, then break into small pieces, discarding seeds and stems. Add peppercorns to now-empty skillet and toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until dark and fragrant, about 1 minute, reducing heat if peppercorns begin to smoke; transfer to separate bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Process chile pieces and 2 tablespoons toasted peppercorns in spice grinder until finely ground, about 20 seconds; transfer to large bowl. Spread remaining peppercorns in zipper-lock bag and pound with meat pounder or rolling pin until crushed; transfer to bowl with chile mixture. Stir in salt, sugar, paprika, smoked paprika, and coriander; set aside.

Spray two wire racks with vegetable oil spray and set in two rimmed baking sheets. Cut chilled steak in half against grain, then cut each half into ¼-inch-thick strips with grain. Add steak to spice mixture and toss until evenly coated. Arrange steak strips on prepared wire racks, spaced about ¼ inch apart, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove steak from refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 225 degrees. Pat steak dry with paper towels and place in oven, propping door open with handle of wooden spoon (for air circulation). Bake until steak is dark, somewhat dry, and firm to touch but still pliable, 3 to 4 hours, flipping strips of steak and switching and rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. Pat jerky dry with paper towels and let cool to room temperature. Beef jerky can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 month.

Makes about 1 pound