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Do you need a dehydrator or a smoker to make beef jerky? No, so don't go running out and buying expensive appliances. Start with an appliance everyone already has, an oven!
This is the no dehydrator beef jerky recipe! Using the oven to make beef jerky is a very easy, simple, and cost effective way to make great tasting jerky.
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🥩 Choosing and slicing the meat
1 - Start by buying a lean piece of meat, I am using flank steak for this recipe. Flank steak is not my favorite cut of meat to use, mainly because it produces less tender jerky. The flank steak I have access to here in Austin has a little more marbling than I like and is also about twice as expensive as my favorite cut; beef eye of round.
2 - Trim any visible fat from the meat. Fat will make your jerky spoil, so cut off as much as possible.
3 - Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 1-2 hours to partially freeze. Freezing is not mandatory, but does make slicing the meat at a consistent width easier. Slice against the grain at around ⅛″-¼″ thick. When using flank steak, I have found that wider slices allow the jerky pieces to stay together better and produce better jerky.
You can also skip the freezing stage and slice your jerky using a jerky slicer. I use a Weston Jerky Slicer. It makes sure all your strips are the same width which allows them to dry evenly. Having a slicer is great when making a lot of jerky.
🧂 Marinating the meat
4 - Place the slices of beef to the side and assemble your jerky marinade. As I mentioned earlier, I am using my Chili Lime recipe for this batch, but you can find dozens of jerky marinades on my beef jerky recipe page.
Once you have made your marinade, place the beef slices in your marinade and make sure they are covered evenly. Marinate the jerky in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours.
5 - Cover the bottom rack of the oven with aluminum foil to avoid drippings during the drying process. It will make a mess if you do not put a layer of protection down. If you are like me, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour cleaning your oven because you skipped a 30 second step in the process!
⏲️ Drying the jerky
6 - Dry the strips on paper towels to soak up any excess marinade and either lay the jerky pieces across the metal rack or use toothpicks and hang the strips. I have decided to use toothpicks to hang my strips. After drying the strips with paper towels, I slide one toothpick through one of the ends of each piece of jerky.
7 - Take the metal rack out of the oven and pre-heat the oven between 170° to 200°F. Hang the strips on the metal rack while its outside the oven. You can also place the strips laying flat on a baking/cooling rack and leave the ovens metal rack in the oven while pre-heating.
8 - Once pre-heated, put the oven rack of jerky in the oven on the highest rack position, being careful not to allow the strips to fall. When making beef jerky without a dehydrator and in an oven, make sure to prop the door open with a wooden spoon to allow moisture to escape and air to circulate during the drying process.
🌡️ How to determine when it's finished drying
9 - It should take between 3-8 hours to dry in the oven depending on the thickness of the jerky. Check after 3 hours, and continue as needed. The jerky will be done when it bends and cracks but does not break in half. It took 4 hours to dry this jerky to my liking.
10. Allow the jerky to cool for an hour or so to room temperature and then store in air tight containers in the refrigerator or a dark cool place. Learn more about how long jerky stays good and how to store it on my storing beef jerky page.
That's all there is to making great tasting beef jerky in an oven. It's a great way to get started in making jerky without having to buy any fancy and expensive equipment.
Let me know if you have any questions or share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
💭 FAQ
Yes, ground jerky can be made by extruding jerky from a jerky gun onto a cooling rack, then placed in the oven.
Yes! Still make sure to prop the door open with a spoon to let the moisture escape.
Between 170°F to 200°F is the best temperature to make beef jerky.
👨🏻🍳 Old Pro Tips
- Line any baking pan with aluminum foil to make clean up easier. Then lay the jerky strips on cooling racks on top of the pan.
- Use a wooden spoon to prop the oven door open. This allows moisture to escape and helps dry out the jerky.
- Using liquid smoke will give jerky that is made in an oven that smoky flavor.
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Ingredients
Lean Beef
- 1 lb eye of round
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke (Don't add if using a smoker)
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice
- 1 zest of lime
Optional
- ¼ teaspoon Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1)
Equipment
Instructions
- Pick you favorite type of beef and trim all visible fat. Place the meat in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze. This allows for easier slicing and more consistent widths.
- Mix all above ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid. Whisk marinade until all brown sugar is dissolved.
- Remove beef from the freezer and slice against the grain between ⅛"-¼" thick.
- Add sliced beef to the container of marinade and shake well to evenly coat the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours.
- After marinating, remove and pat dry the strips with paper towels. Either hang from toothpicks or lay the jerky on a cooling rack and place in a 170°F - 200°F preheated oven.
- Prop the door of the oven open with a wooden spoon and bake the jerky for 3-6 hours. Begin checking for doneness at 3 hours.
- The beef jerky will be finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. Allow to cool for several hours before storing in an air tight container.
Pro Tips
- Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
- Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
- Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor
- Use fresh Limes for most intense flavor
Nutrition
Laurie Mc says
Hi.. loved the article. Very helpful for a first time jerky maker. I have a Samsung oven that has a dehydrated mode. Would or should I still use the wooden spoon for release air? Thank you
Laurie
Will says
I’ve never seen one of these ovens so I would recommend reading the manual. You probably won’t need to prop it open. Let me know how it turns out!
Joanne Patton says
I just made my first batch and it turned out excellent. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Danny says
I have read that the meat should be sliced 1/4 inch thick but does it matter how wide or long the pieces are?
Will says
Hey Danny. No, it does NOT matter how wide or long the strips are.
Karen Prentiss says
Hello I do have a question of making jerky. My husband likes it as hot as you can give it. So I'm still trying my question is I sliced my meat very thin and made my strips it's marinating in the refrigerator from last night. But I only did a dry rub do I need to add any liquid to that marinating bag with what if I do what would I use thank you for helping me. Have a great day was fun reading your articles
Will says
You can do a dry rub, you don't have to do a wet rub. I prefer wet rubs because I normally use curing salt and it needs to be dissolved. Water or beef broth are both good liquids to use for marinating.
Gary Coots says
Thanks for all this great info! I am trying my very first batch, using eye of round (44oz. wet) and my Samsung oven set to dehydrate with 165 degree setting. I'm using the Smokey Joe's recipe, which I marinated for 6 hours. I'll let y'all know how it turns out. I love smoked meats using pecan wood and my next batch of jerky I'm going to try using just my outdoor smoker.
Will says
Let me know how it turns out Gary. Using the smoker adds great natural flavor!
Rami Mahfouz says
great articles on this site! couple of days ago I asked my missus to pick me up some ribeyes from the butcher but she picked up some flank steak by accident... so today I'm making jerky! 🙂
Quick question though, I am thinking of only using salt and pepper for marinade due to dietary restrictions.. Would I still need to leave it in the fridge for 24 hours if all I'm putting on it is salt and pepper?
Thanks Tim, Keep being awesome
Rami Mahfouz says
Also, after the initial 10 minutes at 300f we should turn down the oven to the lowest setting.. mine goes down to 122f (50c) is that too low?
Thanks again!
Will says
I try to keep it around 140F as the lowest. 122F would work as well though.
Will says
I might be a little late answering your question but you would not need to marinate it. Just put the salt and pepper on and start dehydrating!