Mike's Peppered Beef Jerky

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 600 min
Servings: 24
Yield: 24 servings
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Description

Slowly-marinated beef strips dry into savory pieces of peppery beef jerky in a food dehydrator. For safety, it's best to cook the strips first before drying.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds very lean beef, visible fat trimmed and cut against the grain into 1/4 inch-thick strips
• 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 3/4 cup water, or as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1 Place beef strips on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound beef with the tenderizing side of a meat mallet until the meat fibers are slightly broken but the strips still hold their shape.
2 Mix Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and coriander seeds in a large bowl until brown sugar has dissolved.
3 Place beef strips into the bowl; add enough water to allow marinade to cover the meat. Stir to incorporate water and submerge the beef in marinade, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
4 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
5 Remove beef strips from marinade, shake off excess, and lay the strips onto oven-proof racks. Do not overlap the strips.
6 Bake the beef strips in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest strip reads at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C).
7 Remove strips from oven and place onto racks of a food dehydrator so the strips don't overlap.
8 If desired, sprinkle strips with more coriander seeds and black pepper.
9 Turn on the dehydrator, set machine's temperature for 155 degrees F (70 degrees C), and dry the jerky until leathery, about 9 hours. Rotate the racks from top to bottom every 1 1/2 hours for even drying. A piece of jerky should crack but not break in half when folded.