Steak-ish Portobello Jerky

I LOVE making portobello steaks for my meat conscious friends. Turns out, they also are good for making delicious jerky.

Mushrooms are a great substitute for meat.  Not only are they meaty, but packed with great vitamins.

Choosing the Mushroom

For this recipe, I chose Portobello mushrooms, but really any will do. Portobello mushrooms have a decent size to them and are easy to slice.

I prefer to gently wipe dirt from mushroom using a damp wet paper towel rather than soaking them in water.  Mushrooms have a tendency of absorbing water and I'd rather them absorb the flavorful marinade.

Slice mushrooms evenly about ¼" thick so it could dehydrate evenly.  I chose to scoop the gills from underneath the mushroom cap to make it less messy.

To scoop out or not, is entirely up to you.  Also, can dehydrate the stems as well, but I chose not to.  Place aside.  Now it's time for the marinade.

Making the Marinade

I've done this marinade before to make my mock steaks and the end result is deliciousness. The smokiness from the marinade with the earthy flavored mushrooms combines well.

Whisk ingredients together and pour into the ziplock bag with sliced mushrooms.  Can already smell the cumin and smoked paprika, yummy!

Do an overnight marinade in fridge or marinade anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. Mushrooms love soaking up liquid so make sure to rotate bag occasionally for that even soak.

Drying the Mushroom Jerky

After the mushrooms are done marinading, it's time to prep them for dehydrator. First, I drain the mushrooms using a colander to get excess liquid off.

I place sliced mushrooms on paper towel and gently pat any excess liquid. It's all smelling delicious.  The flavors really shine the longer it sits.

The mushrooms are now ready.  Place mushrooms on dehydrator trays.  I used my Nesco Dehydrator to make this recipe.

Make sure the mushrooms are evenly spaced so they are not sitting on top of one another.  I set the temp to 125F and let it dehydrate anywhere from 4 to 6 hours.

Testing for when the Jerky is Finished

I like it crispy so I dehydrate them on the longer side. This is up to you and your preference of texture.  Start checking after 4 hours for your sweet spot. It should tear easy.  Eat asap!

I love this recipe for its simplicity and its familiar steak taste. If you like that meaty flavor, this one is for you.  It's got that tang from the A1 and balsamic and the smokiness from the cumin and paprika.  It's a keeper.

I doubt you will have left overs but if you do, keep in airtight container and leave in dark and cold place.

Chef's Tips:

• Clean mushrooms with damp cloth to get dirt off
• Slice mushrooms in uniform pieces so it dehydrates evenly
• Marinade for at least 24 hours to get maximum flavor