Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky

• 1 1⁄2-2 lbs flank steak (London broil also works)

• 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

• 2/3 cup soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 teaspoons black pepper

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3-5 chopped shallots

Trim the flank steak of any excess fat, place in a zip-top bag, and place it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours in order to firm up. Remove the steak from the freezer and thinly slice the meat with the grain, into long strips. Place the strips of meat along with all of the remaining ingredients into a large, 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag and move around to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Place the bag into the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours, or longer.

Remove the meat from the brine and pat dry. Evenly distribute the strips of meat onto dehydrator trays (or Google Alton Brown's method of using box fans and air conditioner filters), and dry for ~8 hours at 145, turning over at least once. Drying speed will vary, so check every few hours (and more often as it gets close to finished). Finished jerky should be dry, but flexible, and slightly chewy.

Once dry, store in a cool dry place, in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.