How To Make A Tasty Teriyaki Beef Jerky

By Jennifer Smith,

If you traveled to various countries already, you probably have noticed that the teriyaki flavor is pretty ubiquitous. Of course, teriyaki in Japan is actually called “should.” It is a soy sauce and when compared to teriyaki somehow varies.

But that’s not the point of this article. In here, I will show to you how to make a teriyaki beef jerky. If you are a fan of jerkies and the teriyaki sauce, this is the perfect treat for you. Fortunately, this delicacy is not that difficult to make. It will just consume your time. But hey, the taste of a jerky will make you forget all those waiting!

How to Make a Teriyaki Beef Jerky

Making jerkies, regardless of the type of meat, will involve the proper selection of ingredients and tools. What I mean here is that the ingredients that you should choose in your jerky should be fresh and appropriate. For a teriyaki beef jerky, here are the elements that you should gather.

Ingredients

• Beef flank steak (5 pounds)
• Worcestershire sauce (2 cups)
• Teriyaki sauce (1 1/2 cup)
• Soy sauce (1 cup)
• Onion powder (4 teaspoons)
• Garlic powder (2 teaspoons)
• Black pepper (4 teaspoons)
• Table salt (1 tablespoons)
• Maple syrup (2 tablespoons)
• Honey (1 tablespoon)
• Sugar (3 tablespoons)
• Red pepper (1 tablespoon)

Tools

• Baking trays
• Large bowl
• Oven or food dehydrator

Directions:

Step 1

Prepare the meat. Specifically, you should slice the flank steak with a sharp cutting knife. The strips should be around 1/4 inch thick. The thinner the slice, the faster you can dry it. Of course, it would be great if the meat doesn’t come with fat. You should trim it, too. Fat is not necessary for making jerkies.

Step 2

After cutting the meat, you should mix the rest of the ingredients that we mentioned here on a large bowl. Stir them thoroughly until such time their flavors would blend in. Once you finished this step, you can already add the beef strips to the bowl. Make sure that the strips are submerged properly so that the marinade would seep into their flesh.

After mixing the meat and marinade, cover the bowl and put it in your refrigerator. Specifically, the refrigeration should take overnight for better results.

Step 3

When the refrigeration is over, take out the meat strips from the marinade. Pat the meat gently with the use of a clean paper towel. This should take remove the liquid on their exterior surface. But to fully dry the meat, you have to put it inside your refrigerator for around 30 minutes.

Air drying the meat on the counter of your kitchen is not a good idea. After all, airborne detriments might land on the ingredients, which could cause spoilage and other possible illnesses.

Step 4

Once you are done drying the meat, put them on another baking rack. Arrange them properly so that they won’t touch or overlap one another. The meat strips should be close together so that you can maximize the space of the racks. But remember, do not let them have contact with one another.

Step 5

Put the baking rack in a preheated microwave oven. The ideal temperature of making jerkies is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This amount of heat is enough to dehydrate the meat while preventing it from being fried or cooked. Moreover, this temperature is sufficient to kill any foodborne organisms.

If you want to catch the drippings, you have to put an aluminum foil at the bottom part of the oven. Of course, you have to do this before you start heating the device.

Step 6

Let the meat strips dry in the oven for four to six hours. While drying, make sure that the door of the oven has a small hinge or opening. In this, the internal moisture would escape outside. Moreover, doing this can promote the proper circulation of warm air, which is necessary for food dehydration.

On the halfway of the drying process, make sure that you flip the meat strips. By doing this, you can achieve even results on both sides of the meat. Meanwhile, you can identify if the meat is already dry if it has a firm and bendable texture. If the dryness is palpable, your jerky is now good for consumption! But of course, let it cool down for a few minutes first.

After this, you can already eat your very own teriyaki beef jerky! The taste of delicacy is a blend of sweetness, with a hint of spiciness that could awaken your senses!

Storing the Jerky

You can either eat the jerky right away or store it for later consumption. If you choose the latter, make sure that you have an airtight container of food bag. Storing the jerkies on these items would prevent quick spoilage.

If you refrigerate the jerky, it should last for one to two months. But if you put it in a freezer, its lifespan would extend up to four months.

Conclusion

Making a teriyaki jerky is quite fun and appetite-stimulating. It is a snack that doesn’t only have good flavor, but a myriad of nutrients, too. It is a good source of protein, zinc, and iron, that would bolster your bodily functions. Moreover, it has a decent lifespan, which makes it an ideal treat on weekend trips and outdoor adventures!

Image credit: Shutterstock

Author Bio

Hello, I am Jennifer Smith, a simple housewife with two kids. I currently write on a personal cooking blog called Jennifer’s Cozy Kitchen. Obviously, my heart is inclined to eating and exploring various cooking methods and recipes. I am also an advocate of living and eating healthy. If you want to contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions, just message me on this address: Jenniferscozykitchen@gmail.com.