- Stir-fry Steak
- Archer Farms Garlic Powder
- Archer Farms Ginger Powder
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Fresh ground sea salt
- Natural Hickory Liquid Smoke
- Worcestershire sauce
- Archer Farms Teriyaki Grilling Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Modenaceti Balsamic Glaze
Pre-heat Oven to 200 degrees.
I have been making beef jerky in the oven for about a year now. This last time, I think I found the best steak to use: Beef Stir Fry. It was pre-cut thin and cooked in about half the time. However, I have used about six different types of steak. The "rule" I started following was either to buy thin steaks and cut thick slices or to buy thick steaks and to cut thin slices. The Beef Stir Fry all ready fits that bill.
I usually prepare four batches at once, which is two packages of steak. I will marinade one batch overnight before cooking and the rest I will place in the freezer for later. I prepare the batches in quart-size Ziploc bags.
I have learned it is best to put the ingredients into the plastic bag before the meat. First put in the dry ingredients, then the liquid ones, and then use your fingers on the outside of the bottom of the bag to mix everything together.
It is my opinion that the proportions you use with beef jerky marinade—even the actual ingredients—really only matter to your taste. For mine, I have become adept at making up a bag of marinade by sight. So, my "measurements" are really merely pinches, shakes, squeezes, and pours.
I use a generous pinch of salt and two-three pinches of black pepper. I then shake a generous helping of garlic powder and a double shake of ginger powder. Next, I put in four shakes of soy sauce, two quick, firm squeezes of Liquid Smoke (a lot will come out of the bottle really easily), eight shakes of Worcestershire sauce, one long squeeze of balsamic glaze (it is very thick), and one long pour (about two dollops worth) of the grilling sauce. I would say that once everything is in and you hold up the bag by the top, the bottom has about 3/4 to one inch of marinade.
After dropping in the steak, I squeeze out most of the air, close the seal, and mash around the meat at the bottom of the bag. I do not turn it upside down or anything, because I try to keep the marinade from rising no more than halfway up the bag, so that the meat is coated, not the bag. Once the meat is thoroughly coated, I open the seal and squeeze out all the air possible, use my fingers to squeeze down any marinade clinging to the side of the bag, and then I fold the top of the bag over the meat. What happens is that with all the meat tucked at the bottom, I can fold it over at the top of the meat, which will leave just an inch or so left of bag, that I then fold over a second time, placing that part facing downward to hold the meat tightly together in the bag and keep it from unfolding in the refrigerator/freezer.
Whether I am cooking right away or taking a packet from the freezer, I let the meat set in the refrigerator for a full day. Throughout the 24 hours, I will periodically pick up the packet, squish the meat around a bit, and then tuck it back into a small packet.
To cook the beef jerky, I will lay the strips on a cooling rack and then place that rack in the oven. The cooking rack I use holds approximately 16 slices in two rows. I also line the bottom of the oven with foil since the marinade will drip all over it.
Depending on the thickness of the meat, I will cook it up to two and a half hours. The first 90 minutes, I cook at 200 degrees. If I am cooking longer than that, I will drop the oven temperature down to 150 degrees. For reference, the stir-fry steak cooked perfectly in 75 minutes.
Yield: 12-16 slices per marinade batch/bag.
