The silk road was a trading route that ran from Europe around the Mediterranean eventually all the way to China and beyond. This recipe has Sumac as the star ingredient, which is from the Mediterranean…
You might be asking, “so was Sumac traded along the silk road?” Uh, I don’t think so. But I needed a name for this jerky, and since I already have a Mediterranean Jerky, I named it Silk Road Beef Jerky. See how simple my mind works? Ha.
As I mentioned before, Sumac is the star ingredient for this recipe. I bought mine at a spice shop down the road in Boulder. You can find some at a local store near you or buy some Sumac on amazon.
Sumac is a spice from the middle east that has a tangy lemony flavor. It’s normally found and used ground, not whole. It’s fantastic!!! I also used some tomato powder that you can find at a local spice shop or online, of course…
After marinating for 12 hours, I strained in a colander and patted dry with paper towels.
After patting dry with paper towels, sprinkle on extra sesame seeds to enhance the flavor and make it look that much better! I put the strips on my Excalibur Dehydrator trays and dried for 4 hours at 165°F.
This jerky turned out VERY yummy! A great flavor comes through that is tangy and tart. The sumac really steals the show adding a little lemony flavor. This is followed by a hint of cinnamon that rounds out the jerky making it a definite keeper! There isn’t much of a tomato flavor, so if you like tomato you might need to add a little more. VERY GOOD!!!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
Silk Road Beef Jerky
Ingredients
Lean Meat
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground sumac
- 2 tsp tomato powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/4 tsp curing salt optional
Topping
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
- While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag. Only use 1/2tsp of sesame seeds and keep the other 1/2tsp to sprinkle on the strips after marinating.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. (I did not freeze the jerky and used my Jerky Slicer with the grain)
- Add sliced beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle strips with the remianing ½ tsp sesame seeds.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 165F.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
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