Slicing meat when making making beef jerky is where you get to decide whether you want a chewy jerky or a more tender jerky. Here you will learn the different ways of slicing meat so you can get the best feel and taste out of your beef jerky!
So hopefully at this point you have decided what type of meat to use when making your homemade beef jerky, now you just need to trim and slice it! If you haven't picked a cut of beef yet, visit my page on Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky.
These instructions are the same if you are slicing venison for venison jerky as well. So get the deer roast ready and let's get started!
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🎥 Video - Slicing meat
🥩 Trim the fat
First, trim any visible fat from your cut of meat. Here is a lean Beef Eye of Round Roast before trimmed.
Use a sharp knife to cut away any fat. Fat makes beef jerky spoil faster, so it is best to trim as much as you can now to prevent your jerky from going bad.
🔪 Cut with or against the grain?
You have probably heard about the "grain" of meat; and depending on how you cut in regards to the grain will affect the texture of your jerky. The simplest explanation is:
- Slicing WITH the grain = Chewy / Tough Jerky
- Slicing AGAINST the grain = Less Chewy / Soft Jerky
So what exactly is the "grain" of meat? The grain of meat refers to the direction the muscle fibers run within a piece of meat. Okay, so how do you know what direction the muscle fibers run?
You will be able to see the lines of fibers that run parallel to each other along a cut of meat. In the picture below, the fibers are running vertically from bottom to top.
Slicing in the SAME direction of the fibers is called "slicing WITH the grain". The 3 slices of meat seen above were sliced WITH the grain at about a ¼" thick. As mentioned earlier, slicing with the grain will produce a more chewy / tougher piece of jerky.
In the picture below you will see the blue arrows again showing the direction of the grain of the meat. When slicing the meat perpendicular to the direction of the grain (in the direction of the black arrows), you will be slicing AGAINST the grain. Again, as mentioned earlier; this will produce a softer / less chewy piece of jerky.
Below is an example of slicing AGAINST the grain.
This is what a slice of meat looks like when it is cut against the grain at about ¼" thick. You can see that the muscle fibers are running in several directions. This makes the jerky easier to tear apart and less tough.
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Jerky slicer
You can also use a jerky slicer when cutting up beef jerky meat. I use a Westin Jerky Slicer to get even sized strips which is fantastic when drying your jerky. Since the strips are the exact same size, they dry evenly.
This means no more pulling several pieces of jerky off the dehydrator and leaving other pieces on to keep drying because they are a little thicker.
To use the Westin Slicer, cut the roast in 1 ¼" slabs and feed it through the machine. A couple turns of the handle feeds the piece of meat through and it slices it with ease.
Just feed the slabs through the slicer either with the grain or against the grain to achieve your favorite chew!
Tenderizing
Slice the meat WITH the grain and tenderize with a meat mallet (beat the hell out of it with the pyramid pointed side). This will break up the muscle fibers and make the jerky a little less chewy. (This will give you a chew not as tough as if you sliced only with the grain and not as soft as slicing only against the grain)
This technique works great when making The BEST Beef Jerky Recipe.
I hope this has helped you decide how to slice your beef for making beef jerky. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below! Happy Jerky Making!!!
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Mark Maki says
Hey Will, thanks for ALL the GREAT information on making beef jerky! You've saved us countless hours and bundles of money experimenting by reading your pages. We've tried a couple recipes and both were fantastic. On our third batch today and your recommendation of the Weston Jerky Slicer made it a breeze - it's the 'sliced bread' of making jerky! Keep up the good work and all the best to you!
Will says
I'm glad I was able to help Mark. That slicer is definitely a great piece of jerky equipment!
Katherine FAST says
Would grass fed beef be similar to deer meat?
Will says
Grass fed beef is not going to have the same taste as deer nor be as lean. Deer is going to have a little more of a game taste because they eat other stuff than just grass. Any recipe made deer on the site can be used for beef as well. So don't let a deer recipe stop you from making it with beef!
John says
Love your site. I've been doing jerky in the oven on skewers for years and just got a pellet smoker so was looking for some tips on how to do jerky in it. Found your site and got great tips, thanks. Something you might want to try, take your leftover spiral sliced ham from Christmas dinner and make jerky. It's already sliced to a uniform thickness and doesn't need any marinade or other seasonings. Just pull off the fat from between the muscle groups and smoke it with hickory pellets/chips in your smoker. Mine turned out so good I'm thinking about doing it again with the whole ham.
Will says
That is great advice John! I will have to give it a try. I am in the market for a pellet smoker as well... Can't wait!
Wes says
Saw your article on making jerky in a smoker.
Going to try it (have always used a dehydrator). I have a rum flavored beef jerky recipe I'm going to try.
Any recommendation on what wood to use?
Will says
I always like using hickory or apple wood, can't go wrong! Let me know how it turns out!
Chuck Hickl says
Maybe this tip has been shared as I did not have the time to read through all of the comments but I typically half freeze the cut of meat I am using for beef jerky which allows me to slice it thinner and more consistently.
Lisa White says
Can you make chicken jerky? Wanting to make healthy dog treats for training.
Will says
You can make chicken jerky. I would recommend pre-heating the meat to 165F in the oven before drying to make sure any bacteria is killed. I talk about jerky safety here, check it out.
Art Gnuvo says
Sorry if this is a dumb question but is there any reason not to just have the butcher use the meat slicer to slice the eye of round when purchasing it?
Will says
Not a dumb question at all Art. You can totally ask your butcher to slice the meat for you. Sometimes they will, sometimes they won't... It really just depends on your butcher. You also can sometimes find meat that is labeled "milanesa" which is normally a top round sliced very thin for Mexican dishes. I find this every once in a while already sliced in the 'meat cooler' of my super market.
Joanne Brill says
I bought my son a smoker and it came with a 4 tiered rack. I borrowed it and made jerky and it fit perfect in my oven after I took 1 rack out. My oven only goes down to 170 so your tip about putting the wooden spoon in was a great tip. thankyou
Tony says
Great site Will . I have a 2.5 pound round of eye in the freezer gonna smoke it on my traegar this weekend. Should I cut it frozen, slightly thawed or room temp?
Will says
I would put them in the fridge until they thaw out. Then place it in the freezer for 2 hours to slightly firm up the meat, then slice. You don't want it frozen, just firm so slicing is a little easier.
Michael says
A good way to make jerky is if you have an air fryer, I do it at 180 for 1 hour each side, the problem is I can only do 3 or 4 pieces at a time so I'm getting ready to buy an air fryer oven because it will hold much more..