Looking at the calendar, we’ve noticed that June 12th is celebrated as National Jerky Day—a holiday dedicated to a type of meat that’s been seasoned, marinated, cured, and then dried to preserve it. You know, the sticks of meat that can be found at every grocery store aisle checkout, liquor store, and gas station. It’s the type of food that people grab as an impulse buy. It’s food to tide one over until they can get access to some real food.

Thinking about National Jerky Day got us thinking about jerky itself. After all, it’s packed full of protein and is low in carbs. An average cup of beef jerky contains 30 grams of protein, 23 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of fiber. Of course, it’s also packed with an astronomical amount of salt, but hey, it is a preserved meat product.

Since we feel most people are either going to skip the holiday dedicated to this food or they’re simply going to grab a stick of jerky at their local gas station, we thought that we’d help people out by helping them create the best beef jerky on the planet.

Making The Best Homemade Beef Jerky

Okay, let’s take a few moments and learn how to make beef jerky that’s sure to wow anyone who tries it.

Step One: The Right Meat

When making beef jerky, it’s important to choose the best cuts of meat. It has to be a lean cut because fat doesn’t dry out, which can accelerate the spoilage process and defeat the entire purpose of making jerky. We suggest an eye of round roast. It’s lean, easy to trim, and doesn’t cost a lot. For our recipe, we used a 3-pound eye of round roast with the silver skin and fat removed.

Here’s a helpful tip for slicing the meat: Place it in the freezer for an hour so that it firms up but doesn’t freeze. That will make it much easier to slice into strips. Once it’s firm, slice the meat between 1/8th and 1/4th of an inch thick.

Step Two: Gather The Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Step Three: Create The Jerky!

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, meat tenderizer, smoked paprika, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Using a whisk, ensure that all the ingredients are well mixed and that the sugar is completely dissolved.

Place the sliced meat in the marinade and toss all the pieces until they’re well coated. When that’s done, cover them with plastic wrap or transfer them to a large Ziplock bag. Marinate the meat for at least 12 hours.

Take two baking sheets and line them with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of each pan. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the two oven racks in the center position. Arrange the meat on the wire racks in a single layer. Place the pans in the oven and cook for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is dried out. Make sure to rotate the pans once while baking to ensure even cooking.

When the meat is properly dried out, it should feel like leather. It should be supple but still tender. Cool the jerky to room temperature and place it in a Ziplock bag or an airtight glass jar. Beef jerky will last for about 1 week at room temperature. If you need to store it longer, freeze it or place it in the refrigerator.

And that’s all there is to making the best homemade jerky. Once you’ve mastered this beef jerky method and recipe, you can try other variations on the basic recipe. Remember, there is a variety of beef jerky, and all of them are excellent in our opinion. Just be warned: Once you start making beef jerky, you’re going to want to keep making it.