So I recently bought myself a Excalibur dehydrator. Because why not. I mean, this is a pandemic. That means I can buy whatever weird cooking implement I can think of, and I am not to be judged. But back to the dehydrator. What is the first thing most people think of to make in a dehydrator? That's right, jerky. So of course I had to whip up a batch. And it was fan-frickin-tastic. Alton Brown is definitely one of my go-to chefs.
Note: Alton has a lot of instructions about building your own dehydrator set. But I just stuck it in my premade dehydrator because I don't hate uni-taskers with the same passion Alton does. Mine took about 5 hours to dry, but follow your unit's directions.
Beef Jerky
From Alton Brown
1½ to 2 pounds flank steak
⅔ cup Worcestershire sauce
⅔ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Trim the steak of any excess fat, place in a 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag, and place it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours in order to firm up. This makes the meat much easier to slice.
Remove steak from the freezer and thinly slice, with the grain, into long strips. Place the strips of meat, along with all of the remaining ingredients, in the zip-top bag and move around to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Put the bag into the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours.
Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Evenly distribute the strips of meat on 3 of the air filters, laying them in the grooves and then stacking the filters on top of one another. Top these with 1 empty filter. Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright, plug it in, and set it to medium.
Allow the meat to dry for 8 to 12 hours. If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer's directions.
Once dry, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.
Makes 10 to 12 servings
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