This post may contain affiliate links. This is the best homemade beef jerky recipe, and it’s easy to jerky in the oven without any special equipment. I resolved to come up with a good homemade beef jerky recipe.
The good news is that beef jerky is surprisingly easy to make and doesn’t require any special equipment other than a standard oven, baking sheets, and wire racks. However, most homemade jerky isn’t nearly as tender as the store-bought kind. Finally, after falling down an internet rabbit hole of pitmaster video tutorials, I learned the secret to making tender jerky at home: increasing the sugar in the marinade. The extra sugar not only helps preserve the meat but also locks in moisture.
This recipe makes a salty-sweet, smoky jerky with a chewy yet tender texture, similar to the well-known brands. The marinade contains soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, and unseasoned meat tenderizer. Meat tenderizer contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down meat tissue. 4 inch thick with the grain. If the roast is too thick to slice easily, cut it in half horizontally before slicing. Make the Marinade In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, meat tenderizer, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder. Whisk until evenly combined and the sugar is dissolved.
Marinate the Beef Add the meat to the marinade and toss until all of the pieces are evenly coated. Dry Out The Meat Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Place a wire rack over each pan. F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Arrange the marinated meat on the wire racks in a single layer. Bake, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom midway through, until the meat is dried out, 3 to 4 hours. To determine if the jerky is thoroughly dried out, take a piece out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
It should be dry to the touch, leather-like in appearance, and chewy but still somewhat tender. Store the jerky inside an airtight plastic container, Ziploc bag, or airtight glass jars. Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature for about one week. I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below.