Cut of Beef to Use

I used a ~1.5 lb london broil (top round).

If you can’t find that, use any lean cut of beef like:

• Bottom Round
• Eye of round
• Round tip
• etc.

Any cut that’s lean and cheap works best.

Slice the Meat Thin and With OR Against the Grain

Dylan’s Tip: If you bought the meat thawed, pop it into the freezer for ~30-45 minutes; This makes it MUCH easier to slice.

• For “soft” jerky– slice against the grain.
• For jerky with a “tug” – slice with the grain.

Slice the meat roughly 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick.

Habanero Teriyaki Marinade

Combine in a bowl:

• 1/3 cup Low Sodium Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• 1/3 cup Mirin
• 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Water
• 4 tbsp Evaporated Cane Sugar (any sugar works, like white sugar)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp habanero flakes + more before dehydrating
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

The Habanero Flakes I use are Sonoran Spice – here’s a link (not an affiliate link).

You could opt to use fresh in the marinade but I like to sprinkle it on before dehydrating.

Heat Treating the Beef Jerky to Improve Texture via Lower Dehydration Temperature

I like my beef jerky soft.

The best way to achieve this is to dehydrate at a lower air temperature; I use ~130F.

If you don’t care about this step, skip it.

Instead set your dehydrator to the highest setting or 160F until it’s done.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then place metal cooling racks on top:

Place marinated beef jerky on top of the cooling racks. The racks elevate the jerky of the baking sheet and help prevent case hardening

Once your oven is at 350F, put your baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack for ~10 minutes.

While your meat is heat treating, get your dehydrator setup to 130F.

Dehydrating the Beef Jerky

Once the beef jerky is heat treated, transfer to your dehydrator and allow the beef jerky to dehydrate for at least 3 hours.

Before transferring, sprinkle on some more habanero flakes to both sides of the jerky for an extra pop of spice.

After 3 Hours, Start Checking the Jerky for Doneness

Most Jerky will finish in ~3-5 hours.

At 3 hours, take a smaller piece out of the dehydrator and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Once cooled, bend it – the jerky should have a noticeable spider webbing at the bend.

If the jerky still feels like rubber and the bend has hues of red and pink – it’s not done.

Keep checking a new piece every 30 minutes.

Store the Jerky in a Cool, Dry, Dark Place

As the jerky starts to finish, transfer to a ziplock bag to cool.

Leave the top open and allow it to aerate.

Then zip the top and store.