My kids love beef jerky. Every opportunity they get, they want to buy and enjoy it. One of the major issues is the amount you get in a package is just not enough for them. They fight over it all the time. So, I made them some at home and my daughter said “Mommy, this jerky is crazy good!” Mission accomplished!

The Ingredients for Beef Jerky

A few spices and some beef and you will have the best beef jerky you ever had.

Ingredients List for Beef Jerky Recipe

2 pounds beef (steak of choice)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons black pepper

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The Beef

I start with buying a not too expensive piece of beef steak. After all, you are dehydrating it and don’t want to use your best quality steak for it. Place the beef into the freezer for about 30 mins or so. This will help when you start to slice the beef. A slightly frozen piece of steak is easier to slice than one straight out of the fridge.

Using a sharp knife, slice the beef into 1/4 cm strips. In a large bowl, add all of the other ingredients – sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Add the slices of beef into the bowl and mix everything so that the beef is well coated with the marinade

Cover the bowl with a cloth or plate and set it in the fridge for up to 30 mins to allow it to marinate. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. If your oven doesn’t come on at low heat, turn it up a little bit higher, but pop the oven door open and place a wooden spoon in the door and close it. This allows the heat to escape as the beef cooks. The idea is to cook it for a long time on low heat.

Baking the Hiking Food

Line three 9 x 13-inch baking trays with aluminum foil. Place cookie trays on top of the baking dishes and place the marinated beef on top of the cookie trays. This allows the beef to dry and for the drippage to get caught on the foil. If you don’t put a cookie tray on, the beef will not dry up properly.

Place the baking trays in the oven and cook the beef for up to 3 hours. Flip the beef a couple of times to ensure even baking. The whole house will have the delicious aroma of the crazy good beef jerky cooking.

Storing Options for this Camping Food

Let it cool completely on the cookie racks and then place it in an air tight container. It can be stored for up to 1 week. I always make it a point to make and bring this along when we go camping or even for a day hike. It is an amazing snack and keeps the kids happy.

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