Jerky.
What’s not to love about a delicious combination of seasonings and dehydrated meat that boasts a delicious protein boost?
No matter the season, jerky is a staple in our daypacks. But, in the winter, it has the added bonus of being a snack that can easily be consumed on the trails without having to take off gloves or mittens and risk cold fingers.
It seems like every family has a top secret beef jerky recipe handed down from generation to generation. Today, I’m sharing ours: my family calls this Hiker Trash Beef Jerky.
What You’ll Need:
- 4-5 lbs sliced meat – You can use deer, elk or beef. We like to use flank steak and get it pre-sliced from our local butcher.
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1-2 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- A dehydrator
Get started by mixing all of the items except for the beef together to form a marinade. Combine the marinade with the beef. You can use a couple of plastic bags or a plastic bowl with a lid. Refrigerate 12-24 hours (you can probably marinate for longer than this, but we don’t have that kind of patience). Place strips of beef onto dehydrator trays, and let dehydrate for 6-8 hours. Jerky will be done when it feels dry but you can still bend it with your fingers. We liked to store the beef jerky in a plastic bag or plastic container with a tight sealing lid.
One of the wonderful things about jerky recipes is that they can easily be adapted to individual taste, so feel free to use this recipe as a base and then go wild with your own modifications.
Does your family have a special recipe for jerky?
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