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Wish you could be laying on a beach in a tropical paradise? Me too... Well, this Tropical Island Beef Jerky is the next best thing!
My wife was asking me the other day when we were going to take another vacation to a warm tropical paradise where we could swim in crystal clear water while sipping on Mai Tai's. Sounds great doesn't it?! Well, since I didn't win the lottery again this week, I figured the trip was out of the question. But to make her feel like she was there I decided to make a beef jerky that tastes like an island paradise. (Is that even possible?)
That is how Tropical Island Beef Jerky was made. I figured a little coconut water, sugar, and a tad of spice sounded like a tropical style jerky if I had ever heard of one. It turned out pretty good! Will you think you are on a white sand beach with the sun warming your face? Probably not... but it's the next best thing!
I used beef eye of round sliced against the grain for this recipe. I also decided to use curing salt in this recipe to give it more of that beef jerky taste. You can leave this ingredient out if you so choose.
My Excalibur Dehydrator took care of these beef strips in about 5 hours. Make sure to slice your strips the same thickness so they will dry evenly.
Top with a little more cayenne for that extra kick, and enjoy!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods
Ingredients
Lean Meat
Marinade
- 3/4 cup coconut water
- 1/4 tsp Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
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 the prague powder, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, cayenne, and coconut water in a bowl and mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Slice with the grain for a chewier jerky. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for even sliced strips.
- Add sliced beef to the mixture in a 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.
- Pat dry the strips with paper towels.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my dehydrator and dried for 5 hours at 160 degrees.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Nutrition
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods
I tried my own recipe for Hawaiian Teriyaki Beef...the flavor was there, but the thin spots on some of the cuts were very tough, and the thicker parts (yes, I cannot cut evenly) were "gel" like. Is there certain things you can't use when making jerky? The recipe consisted of Very Very Teriyaki, sugar, pineapple juice, and soy sauce. I used white sugar because the brown sugar was making the transition of teriyaki and pineapple very sour/acidic.
I haven't really came across anything that you can't use. However, any kind of citrus can actually start cooking the meat during the marinating process which can change the texture. I have also found that real thick liquid marinades or juices don't work well either, the flavor doesn't permeate the meat. That's all I can think of for right now.