Homemade beef jerky might just be the perfect snack! After making countless batches, we’ve learned a lot about how to make jerky, settling on a marinade we love, and using many tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years. This simple beef jerky recipe makes tender, full-of-flavor jerky, and it’s so easy, too!

Protein-packed beef jerky has powered us through many hikes, camping trips, road trips, and busy afternoons. It’s super portable, which makes it one of the best camping snacks around.

Unfortunately, the store-bought stuff can get expensive. Luckily, homemade beef jerky tastes way better than store-bought, you know exactly what goes into it, and it’s incredibly easy to make!

When it comes to homemade beef jerky, using a dehydrator is, in our opinion, the easiest and best way to make the tender and smoky beef jerky of your dreams. Once your jerky is on your dehydrator trays, the process is almost completely hands-off.

Beef: One of the great things about beef jerky is that you can use cheaper, leaner cuts of beef. In fact, because fat can’t dehydrate, the leaner the better! Our top choices for this easy beef jerky recipe are top round, eye of round, top sirloin, and London broil. Flank steak is another terrific option, which is more expensive, but has great flavor and can be cut into long, thin strips that are perfect for homemade jerky.

Soy sauce: A key ingredient in our beef jerky marinade, soy sauce adds salty, “umami” flavor. If you’re watching your salt content, consider a lower-sodium soy sauce or Tamari.

Worcestershire sauce: This popular sauce brings even more savory “umami” flavor. It’s a little sour, sweet, and a bit spicy.

Brown sugar: We love the touch of caramelly sweetness from brown sugar. Bonus, the sugar helps to lock in some moisture while helping to preserve your beef jerky.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper are the seasonings we love. But the best part about knowing how to make beef jerky at home is that you can adjust, add, or subtract seasonings to make it your own.

Meat tenderizer: Meat tenderizer powder is optional, but it really does help break down the meat tissue for the most tender jerky. Meat tenderizing powders are made from plant-based enzymes such as papain, which comes from papayas, or bromelain, which originates from pineapples. You’ll find it in the spice section of most grocery stores.

First, prepare the meat. Thinly slice it, cutting with the grain for chewier jerky and against the grain for more tender pieces. Trim off all visible fat. Then, pound the slices with a meat tenderizer mallet until the pieces are all uniform thickness, about the height of two stacked nickels (~⅛ inch or 4mm). Place the beef strips in a zip-top bag.

Next, make your beef jerky marinade. Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, then pour the marinade over the beef and seal the bag. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 36 hours, shaking and massaging the bag every few hours to make sure the beef stays evenly coated.

Now, it’s time to dehydrate! First, preheat your dehydrator to 165°F. Then grab your dehydrator trays and spread the meat in a single layer, shaking off any excess marinade. Dry for 4-6 hours, checking occasionally for any fat droplets that appear and blotting them off with a clean paper towel.

Check to see if your beef jerky is done by bending a cooled piece. If it’s dry with white fibers and bends without cracking, it’s just right.

• For beef that’s easier to slice, partially freeze it beforehand. Put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours, just until it’s semi-frozen (not frozen like a rock, just firm). This way, it will be much easier to cut consistent, thin slices.
• Pick a direction to cut for either tender or chewy jerky. For a more tender beef jerky recipe, cut against the grain of the meat. For a chewier result, cut with the grain.
• If you can, have someone at the butcher counter slice it for you. This will give you even slices and save you a bunch of effort!
• Pound out slices with a mallet. This helps to make each piece the same thickness, plus, pounding each slice with a mallet breaks down the muscle fibers for a more tender texture. Make sure not to over-tenderize, though–the slices still need to retain some structure.
• Preheat your dehydrator, and dehydrate at least 160F to ensure beef remains at food-safe temperature.
• Set a timer! Beef jerky can become over-dehydrated if left in for too long, so you will want to pull it before it gets to that point, which will leave it brittle and crunchy.

How you store homemade beef jerky will depend on when you intend to eat it. The longer you want to keep it, the more careful you’ll want to be about how you store it.

• Up to a week: Beef jerky will be fine for up to a week in a non-airtight reusable container or plastic baggie. The less exposure to air, the better, and it’s a good idea to keep out of direct light.
• Up to a month: Use an airtight container like a Mason jar or resealable container with a gasket lid. Your beef jerky can still be stored at room temperature, but it should be kept away from direct light.
• One to six months: For anything over a month, beef jerky should be vacuum-sealed in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator.
• Six months to a year: To maximize the storage time of your beef jerky, you will want to vacuum-seal it in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer. You might also consider using a moisture-absorbing packet.

Nearly all cuts of beef have some fat, but not all of it needs to be removed.

You will want to cut away any large caps of fatty gristle. This can be accomplished by running your knife underneath it, lifting up a tab of fat, and shaving away at a shallow angle with your knife.

You may also notice some thin “veins” of intermuscular fat running through the meat. Whether you want to cut these out is entirely up to you.

If you are really trying to maximize storage life, you can go ahead and carefully cut these out. But if you’re planning on eating in your jerky relatively soon, it is fine to leave them. We only ever cut out the really big line of fat and leave the rest.

If you want your jerky to tender, you will want to cut against the grain. (This is what we prefer!)

If you want your jerky to be chewy, then you will want to cut with the grain.