Jerky Recipe

To make jerky, take a raw piece of beef round or chuck, quite lean and slice it thin, across the grain. Lay the slices across the racks of the dryer for two days and nights -- test it by breaking a piece, it is dry enough when it cracks in two when you break it. The smaller and thinner you cut the pieces of meat before drying them, the quicker they will get tender as you soak and cook them (remember, its easier to slice thinly if the steak is partially frozen).

One pound of sliced beef dries to 4 ounces of jerky, making a ratio of undried to dried meat of about 4:1.

Before drying the meat, you can season it with some combination of the following spices: paprika, pepper, salt, or other concoctions. Garlic is wonderful on jerky. I recommend rubbing the meat with cut cloves of garlic before slicing it. A marinade will change the taste slightly, and cause the meat to take longer to dry. Marinating tenderizes the meat however.

From: The Hungry Hikers Book of Good Cooking by Gretchen McHugh