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Being that I love beef, this simple snack of Basic Smoked Beef Jerky is my favorite go to snack. We have a gorgeous Traeger Grill that enables us to smoke big, delicious cuts of meat like my Smoked Brisket, but the beauty of this smoker is that it also allows me to smoke little things, like jerky, nuts and even cheese.
To make a batch of Basic Smoked Beef Jerky all you need is just 3 ingredients, gorgeous smoke and time.
I have a few brands of beef jerky that I love and I have bought them for many years. Because of the cost though, I limited myself to buying it, only if we were on a road trip. Those prepared packages of beef jerky are expensive and there really isn’t that much in the bag……….especially when I have to share! Sheesh!
I am a pretty resourceful, able bodied gal, and I know I can make anything I put my mind to. So, I finally decided to pull the plug and be my own jerky pimp! First up, I researched smokers and found the Traeger brand of smokers and grills were affordable, reliable and had great reviews. I got my smoker, set it up, experimented with several recipes for jerky and found a few I love and now I make jerky regularly. This recipe is a stripped down, basic jerky. It is low in carbs, high in protein without any of the extras. I have other marinated versions and I will post the recipes for those at another time.
Basic Smoked Beef Jerky is slightly salty, peppery beef, infused with smoke to create a mouth-watering, beefy treat, that you can take anywhere!
To make Basic Smoked Beef Jerky super affordable, I keep my eyes peeled for sales on beef and when it goes on sale, I stock up and put it in the freezer. Then, when I am ready to make a batch, I take advantage of the fact that it is frozen, because meat is much easier to slice thin, while it is partially frozen. I am not talking solid rock. When the meat is still half frozen, it is firm enough to allow the knife to cut evenly through it. If your meat is not frozen, put it into the freezer for 30 minutes to help it firm up for easier, uniform, slicing.
Basic Smoked Beef Jerky
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds Beef such as London Broil, or flap meat trimmed of extra fat
- salt to sprinkle both sides of beef
- cracked, black pepper to sprinkle both sides of beef
Instructions
- Slice semi frozen beef into strips approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Place meat into a bowl or on a sheet pan and liberally coat with salt and pepper.
- Turn smoker on to 180 degrees and let preheat.
- Place meat strips into the smoker on the rack in a single layer, allowing room between the strips of meat. Set timer for approximately 3.5 hours.
- Check the meat at 3.5 hours to make sure it is nice and dry. If the strips of meat are thicker, they may require a longer smoking time to properly dry.
- When meat is done, turn smoker off and let meat cool on the racks.
- Remove cooled meat from smoker and place in an airtight container or eat right away. Enjoy friends!
Once you sliced your beef and removed any extra fat, you are going to season it liberally and place it on the smoker. Lay the pieces of beef in a single layer, leaving a little air between the strips of meat. Set the timer for about 3-1/2 hours and let the smoker do its magic! It doesn’t get much easier than that! If you have cut your meat uniformly thin, it cooks very evenly and will all be dried at the same time. Once you have removed the meat from the smoker, place it in an airtight container and enjoy it for as long as it lasts, which isn’t very long in my house! Enjoy!!
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I am so glad to hear this! Thank you for your kindness!
I love smoked jerky, especially with lots of pepper.