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So many flavors! Dark soy sauce and worcestershire meld beautifully with the white wine making this jerky a delicious snack to eat or store for later during this tough time the world is going through.

Right now the best thing to have while prepping for the future is protein that will last a VERY long time and tastes great! Let's be honest, the second best thing to have right now is also alcohol. This recipe has you covered!

An excuse to buy some alcohol and you also get to make a fantastic tasting beef jerky to store for the future.... and eat some right away...

Slicing The Meat

Choose a lean cut of beef, I used beef eye of round when making this beef jerky recipe. Some stores may be low on meat, so check out the best cuts of meat to make beef jerky with by clicking here! You can use MANY different cuts, you are bound to be able to find one of them.

The first step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat. You can see the white fat in the picture below, just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat with a very sharp knife either with the grain for a more chewy jerky or against the grain for a more tender jerky. a ¼″ in thickness is just right.

Slice even strips so they will dry evenly and be finished at the same time. You can wrap the roast in plastic wrap and partially freeze for 1-2 hours to make slicing easier.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky. If making more than 3lbs of jerky, having a slicer REALLY speeds up the process!

Not sure what way the grain runs in your cut of beef? Need more information on slicing meat for jerky? I have put together a page on Slicing Meat for Jerky where you can find EVERYTHING you need to know..

Making The Marinade

This Vineyard Mash Beef Jerky recipe does not have any whole ingredients, such as peppers, so using a blender is not necessary when mixing the ingredients.

Simply mix all of the ingredients into a ziplock bag or bowl and add the previously sliced meat.

Mix the strips around really well to make sure they are all evenly coated with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

If you are in a rush, these vacuum marinating machines do work pretty well. About ½ an hour and your jerky will turn out like it marinated for 12 hours. Not bad!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. I marinated this beef for a total of 18 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have!

Before adding the meat to your dehydrator, oven, or smoker; lay out paper towels placing the meat strips on top. Pat dry the strips to remove even more of the excess marinade.

This step will help speed up the drying process and prevent the meat from being ‘sticky’ after it has finished drying.

I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this jerky. I love how easy it is to use a dehydrator, so that’s what I use to make most of my jerky.

If you want to use your oven or a smoker, you can see more information on drying on the jerky making methods page. This page will also have even more in depth directions on using a dehydrator.

After drying for 3 hours at 165°F and 1 hour at 145°F, the jerky turned out just perfect. The 3 hours were done on high to make sure the internal temperature reaches 160°F to kill any potential bacteria.

After the kill phase, I turned it down to finish it off. Turning the heat down will prevent the meat from becoming brittle.

RELATED PAGE: DEHYDRATOR REVIEWS – CLICK HERE

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished.

90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. This is a MUST READ during these times of lock down and uncertainty.

Taste Test!

The Vineyard Mash Beef Jerky turned out tasting GREAT! I really enjoyed this recipe and will definitely make it again. The flavor resembles a traditional beef jerky with a subtle flavor of the white wine. The black pepper gives it a little kick, however not overpowering, just enough to let you know it's there. ENJOY!!!

Old Pro Tips:

Switch apple liquid smoke out for hickory or mesquite to suit your desired flavor
I used a Pinot wine, but any white wine will work well
Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
Slice strips at ¼″ thickness for a good jerky feel

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods

Vineyard Mash Beef Jerky