Spicy Black Pepper Beef Jerky (Made In The Oven)

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 05:30:17 GMT

Step 1

Stick your meat in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to firm up so it's easier to slice. Trim off any visible fat, then slice the beef into thin, even pieces (usually around 1/8 inch thick), then into strips (if you're using a big cut like a top or bottom roast) 1/2 to 1 inch wide. You can cut against the grain or with the grain. Totally up to you. The only thing it will affect is how the jerky tears when you bite into it.

Step 2

Lay the beef strips out on wax paper, parchment paper, or cookie sheets (whatever you prefer - just make sure it's a sanitary surface that's easy to clean up) and season both sides with the sea salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (or whatever seasonings you prefer). If you want to save time, mix all the spices together first; however, I prefer each piece to have a decent amount of each spice on it, so I season them individually.

Step 3

From here, pull out your two oven racks and lay the jerky pieces across the wire racks (it's okay if they drape down) leaving a bit of space between each piece of meat. Make sure each piece of jerky is secure on the rack so it won't fall to the bottom of the oven. Carefully slide the racks back into the oven leaving a bit of space in between each rack and making sure no beef jerky is touching the top or bottom of the oven.

Step 4

Turn the oven on to the lowest setting it will go (mine is 170 degrees, but if yours goes to 160 or 150 that's great, too) and stick a wooden or metal utensil in the oven door to keep it cracked and promote air circulation.

Step 5

Depending on the thickness of your jerky pieces, they should take 5-6 hours to fully dry out. Some tiny pieces (if you have any) could be ready in as soon as 4, so you may want to peek into the oven to check on their progress. When the jerky is ready, it will tear easily, but not snap in half immediately with pressure. Don't worry if you leave 'em in there a bit too long and they're all snappy. They still taste delicious!

Step 6

Once the jerky's out of the oven, lay all the pieces on a paper towel, newspaper, or a clean cloth towel to absorb a bit of the grease and then let them continue to try for a few hours or overnight, then place in a sealed container for long term storage. Technically, these should last a few months (as long as the fat doesn't go rancid), but my batches are always eaten within 1-2 weeks. If you feel weird about leaving them out at room temperature, you can always keep them in the fridge. Either way will work!

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