Honey Ginger Beef Jerky: A Sweet and Savory Delight from our Test Kitchen
Hello fellow jerky enthusiasts! I’m Doug, your resident taste tester here at Jerky.com, and today we’re crafting a unique beef jerky flavor based on your suggestions from the comments: Honey Ginger Beef Jerky.
To start, I always keep pre-sliced and pre-measured bags of exactly 2 lbs of eye round in my freezer. It’s a handy trick that enables me to whip up these test batches conveniently. Make sure you've defrosted the meat ahead of time before you begin.
For this Honey Ginger Beef Jerky recipe, we're going to enhance our beef with thick honey and other delightful flavors like sweet soy sauce, ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. Missed any of those? Don’t fret! You'll find all the ingredients, measurements, directions, and steps needed to make this flavor-packed jerky below!
Before mixing, ensure that the meat isn't sticking together - it's common when pre-packaging. You want to ensure all the pieces are well separated before we start the mixing process for proper marinade coverage.
It's time to get your hands dirty and mix the ingredients thoroughly! Here are two things to look out for: first, you want to make sure all the dry ingredients dissolve fully into the liquids. Second, every single piece of meat should be well-covered in the marinade. This step ensures an even, consistent flavor all over the meat. Don't skimp on this part - thorough mixing is key to great jerky.
After mixing, seal it up and leave it in the fridge for about 41 hours to let the flavors infuse properly.
Once your meat is ready, it's time for the drying process. You'll need a dehydrator, but if you don’t have one, don't worry! You can even do this in your oven. The aim is to ensure that each piece of meat lays flat and is not touching any other piece. This arrangement promotes proper airflow around your pieces of meat, not just on the top and bottom, but also all around the edges.
Keep in mind the capacity of your machine when loading your meat. The machine I'm using here can hold up to 4-5 lbs of meat, depending on how it's sliced. Set the temperature at 140 degrees and start checking it around three and a half hours into the drying process. Honey-based recipes like this one may require a longer cooking process, and this batch ran for almost 5 hours in the dehydrator.
Allow the jerky to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours after removing it from the dehydrator. The finished Honey Ginger Beef Jerky has a fair amount of surface level moisture and stickiness, as you would expect with honey. The texture is just right - great tear and chew!
The honey definitely brings a sweetness to this jerky, and while the ginger is a bit subtle, it’s a very pleasing flavor. If you prefer a more prominent ginger kick, feel free to adjust to taste.
So, if you're a fan of sweet jerky profiles, our Honey Ginger Beef Jerky is a must-try. It's a versatile base that can be tweaked according to your preference. Got an idea for a unique jerky flavor? Drop them in the comments section and I might feature your suggestion in our next test kitchen experiment!
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Thanks for joining me in this Honey Ginger Beef Jerky adventure, and I'll see you next time in the Jerky.com test kitchen. Enjoy jerking!
