This Peppered Beef Jerky recipe is packed with classic jerky flavor and a black pepper kick. It’s the perfect recipe to try if you’re making beef jerky for the first time. While I prefer to dehydrate my beef jerky on my smoker, I’ve included adaptations in this recipe so you can make it in an oven or classic dehydrator beef jerky recipe well. Best Beef Jerky Beef jerky is one of my favorite things to make, be it on the smoker, in the oven, or in a dehydrator.
Before you dive into making your own beef jerky, let’s talk a bit about selecting the right meat to make into jerky. You want to get the right meat to ensure your jerky comes out the right texture. When selecting cuts of meat for making beef jerky, I try to pick a nice roast with very little fat marbling. My first choice is an eye of round roast. After that, I think a top round, sirloin roast, or rump roast would also work well. This recipe also works great with venison, so don’t be afraid to branch out a little and give it a try!
Slicing Meat for Beef Jerky Once you have your meat selected, you’ll need to get that perfect jerky thin slice. If you plan on slicing your own meat, I recommend putting your roast in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. The chilled roast will be more firm and you will get a much better result with more even slices. If you aren’t slicing at home, find a good butcher and buy your roast from them.
They will be more than happy to do the slicing for you! Now, here is a point of debate for jerky makers. Slicing with or against the grain? I slice my jerky against the grain.
In my opinion, this makes the jerky easier to chew and eat. Some people prefer cutting with the grain because once it is dry you get those nice long strands of jerky that you can tear off and work through. The important thing is that you make jerky that you like to eat. Beef Jerky Marinade Marinade is another important element in making beef jerky come out amazing. The marinade used in this recipe combines all of the key elements to help add flavor and tenderness to your final jerky product. There are elements of salt, sweet, acidity, and bold seasonings to make sure you get a mouthful of flavor with every single bite. There are a few optional and additional pieces to this marinade that I wanted to cover here so you can get the best result possible.