Beef For Jerky cuts come from a special part of the animal. What do they look like, and how do they differ from regular cuts? Beef For Jerky is a beef jerky company that makes the best beef jerky. They also have delicious snack sticks, burger seasoning and other meat products for you to enjoy.
What Is The Best Cut Of Beef For Jerky?
Make jerky with the leanest ground beef available (at least 90 percent lean) – Use a jerky gun or flatten the meat and cut it into strips – Make jerky with a jerky gun or flatten the meat and cut it into strips For further information, please see my page on How to Make Ground Beef Jerky.
What is the best meat for beef jerky?
Beef jerky may also be made from lean ground meat, which is a great alternative. Try out a few different cuts and determine which one is your favorite for yourself! Check out my Beef Jerky Recipes Page to find your new favorite jerky marinade once you’ve finished! This is, without a doubt, the greatest meat for making beef jerky. The Rounds are the most delicate of the bunch.
Can you make beef jerky out of any cut of beef?
- In principle, any cut of beef may be used to produce beef jerky, and this is true.
- Despite the fact that this is a pleasant and original idea, we believe that Filet Mignon cooked to medium rare is the best choice.
- Steer clear of fatty cuts of beef such as top round, bottom round, lifter, pectoral, flank steak, and skirt steak; instead, choose for lean cuts such as top round, bottom round, and lifter.
What part of the cow do you use for jerky?
Aside from chuck roasts, any cut of beef may be turned into beef jerky. Despite the fact that this is a pleasant and original idea, we believe that Filet Mignon cooked to medium rare is the superior choice. Steer clear of fatty cuts of beef such as top round, bottom round, lifter, pectoral, flank steak, and skirt steak unless otherwise instructed.
Is rib meat good for jerky?
Just consider all of the great cuts we receive from the rib primal: prime rib, ribeye steaks, beef ribs, and so on. What makes them so good for the plate, on the other hand, renders them completely worthless for jerky. Rib meat is rich in fat and has a delicate texture.
What is the best cut of meat to make beef jerky with?
While top round, bottom round, pectoral, and lifter are the most common cuts used for jerky, other cuts like as flank and skirt steak can also be used to produce delicious snacks. Unless otherwise stated, these beef cuts are all lean, inexpensive, and full of flavor. Let’s take a look at a few different kinds of meat and discover how to select the finest ones to use in making beef jerky.
What is the best thickness for beef jerky?
Other cuts like as flank and skirt steak can also be used to produce jerky, however the finest cuts are normally top round, bottom round, pectoral, and lifter. Unless otherwise stated, these beef cuts are all lean, inexpensive, and flavorful. Learn how to pick the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by taking a look at a few different cuts of meat.
Is brisket good for jerky?
Top round, bottom round, pectoral, and lifter are the most common jerky cuts, although other cuts such as flank and skirt steak can also be used to produce jerky. All of these beef cuts are lean, inexpensive, and full of taste. Learn how to pick the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by taking a look at a few different types of meat.
Does butcher slice meat for jerky?
- Your butcher can prepare the beef for you by pre-slicing the meat.
- This will save you time by eliminating one step from the jerky-making process.
- Your butcher will be able to slice the meat into uniform slices to your exact specifications if he uses a professional slicer.
This will guarantee that the jerky cooks evenly in your oven, which is an extremely vital element of the jerky-making process in your own kitchen.
Should jerky be cut against the grain?
In the case of jerky slices made with the grain, the texture of the jerky would be harsh and chewy, making it more difficult to bite through. Cutting against the grain, on the other hand, will result in softer jerky, which will be more attractive to individuals who will be eating your finished product.
How long do you marinate jerky?
Bathe That Jerky in Water Place the entire bag in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but no less than 4 hours, to allow the flavors to blend properly. If you marinate for an extended period of time, the taste and tenderizing activity will be more intense.
What part of deer is used for jerky?
Almost every part of the deer may be used to make jerky, but the tastiest cuts are the eye round and rump roast from the hind legs, which are both from the hind legs. Any substantial roast from the rear leg will suffice. Why? Larger pieces of jerky result from larger chunks of meat, and the majority of the muscle fibers in these roasts run in the same direction.
Is topside good for jerky?
Preparation of the meat Ask your butcher to cut any visible fat off the outside of the meat, and then use a sharp knife to trim away any remaining fat when you’re ready to cook it yourself. The topside of a beef roast is the best piece for creating beef jerky. After you’ve trimmed and prepared your meat, it’s time to slice it into thin slices.
Can you use corned silverside for jerky?
Silverside is a wonderful cut of meat to use for beef jerky because it is lean and has minimal fat, making it less prone to spoil than other cuts of meat. It is also a less expensive cut of meat, which is advantageous because the meat will lose a significant amount of weight once it has been dried.
Can you use ribeye for beef jerky?
Top round, bottom round, and eye of round are the best cuts of beef for creating jerky, followed by flank steak, sirloin tip, top round, and bottom round. After everything is said and done, flank steak is the greatest type of meat for making high-quality jerky. The ribeye is a decent substitute for flank steak when the former is not available.
Is sirloin good for jerky?
Using sirloin tip for gourmet beef jerky is an excellent choice because it is a particularly lean cut of meat. Despite the fact that it is not as delicate as other of the round slices, it is still a good option.
Is Chuck roast good for jerky?
Chuck steak and brisket are good for producing beef jerky, but they may require extra trimming when you slice them to remove some of the marbled fat that will accumulate. In the event that any fat does remain, the jerky will need to be consumed more quickly, which is by no means a negative thing!
How to make the best beef jerky in the world?
- Using a sharp knife, slice the meat. The meat should be sliced with the grain between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
- Make the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together. Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, meat tenderizer, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Prepare the beef by marinating it.
- Remove the moisture from the meat.
What Are The Best Cuts Of Beef For Jerky?
If you haven’t run into jerky and don’t know what it is, jerky is actually dried lean trimmed meat which has been cut into strips. The drying process would include salt to prevent the beef jerky from accumulating bacteria before the dehydration process is completed.
Beef jerky can be a satisfying snack that is full of protein, yet low in carbohydrates. Athletes are getting hooked with the beef jerky as it can provide essential vitamins and minerals needed for muscle-building, sodium replenishment, and a lot more.
Making a homemade beef jerky is easy, but choosing the right cut of the beef could be tricky. You may opt-in for the pricier cut, which is the flank steak. It’s one of the leanest beef cuts that is perfect to make nice thin strips of beef jerky.
You can also choose the eye of round, top or bottom round, or London broil cuts as they can be a great option for your beef jerky. Just make sure to trim some extra fats on the meat before slicing them into thin strips.
If you are making a homemade beef jerky, make sure to cut the beef into thin slices that are at 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick.
Best Meat For Jerky
What Qualities Should Be Present on the Meat for Beef Jerky
You would like that beef jerky that is chewy, yet not too tough when you bite it. A small trace of fats and the bursts of flavor would indicate a good jerky quality.
For the second bite that you don’t find any of those qualities and you don’t want to eat it anymore, that means you are getting a bad quality beef jerky.
To know if the beef jerky has been seasoned properly, you should be able to notice the saltiness either from the salt or other sodium-based condiments, such as soy sauce. Aside from providing great flavors to the beef jerky, the salt also helps in speeding up the drying process of the jerky meat.
The soy sauce on the other hand, can help replenish the lost sodium contents during the dying process. Commercial jerky makers are adding some soy sauce as it also makes the beef jerky a bit more flavorful.
Creating a savory marinade is also one of the main keys of having a good quality on your homemade beef jerky. If you love some peppery hints on the jerky, just make a marinade using soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, liquid smoke, onion powder, seasoned salt, and garlic powder.
What Are the Different Cuts of Beef for Jerky
Learning the different cuts of the cow would help you understand and puck the best cuts of beef for making homemade beef jerky. Some parts are mainly used for roasts, steaks, and ground beef or ground meat products.
Brisket Cut
Beef brisket is best suited for BBQs, pastrami, and corned beef. This marbled cut has coarse grain and toughness that is ideal for a slow cooking process under low temperature.
This brisket is usually found below the chuck, which is under the cow’s shoulder section. Beef brisket usually contains fat, which makes it prone to spoilage. You can still use this beef cut for your jerky, but make sure to prepare it on time and properly to prevent spoilage.
Chuck
The chuck part is usually used in bone-in or boneless steaks and roasts. It is located at the top of the brisket, which is the top shoulder of the cow.
The chuck is also trimmed to create that perfect steak cut, in which the trimmings are grounded and turned into ground meat for hamburger patties.
Using the chuck steak cut may take time for making beef jerky as you need to cut those excess fats before slicing them into thin slices. Just like the brisket, higher amounts of fat would result in faster spoilage of the meat.
Plate Cut
This part of the cow is primarily used in beef short ribs and pot roasts as it is located at the underbelly of the animal. A cut for skirt steak (round steak), called fajitas, is also located at this portion.
The trimmings of the plate are also grounded and turned into patties for hamburgers. The skirt steak of the plate cut could make a chewy beef jerky, but you have to keep in mind that it can be too tough and fatty for the dehydrator.
Ribs
Ribs are primarily used in steaks as this meat part contains the prime rib and the eye rib. The meaty and flavorful beef short ribs are also taken in just behind the chuck, toward the rear of the cow.
This part of the cow is least considerable to make a good jerky as it is both fine-grained and fatty. Those textures are not suitable to be turned into thin strips and won’t work well in the dehydrator.
The dried meat rib part might just crumble after placing it into the dehydrator. This is due to the fine texture that won’t hold long during the drying process.
Flank Cut
This kind of steak cut is quite good for grilling. You can have a flank cut toward the animal’s rear legs, beneath the loin’s sections. It usually has a coarse texture that gives way to a tender bite when the steak is thinly sliced against the muscle fibers.
The steak made from the flank part has a bold and meaty flavor on its own. But it is a very good cut for making a good beef jerky as the meat can hold well on marinades. The cuts from the loin could be costly, depending on the quantity of the jerky that you are going to make.
Short Loin
Another good candidate for a good jerky is the center section of the cow, which is located just behind the rib. Though short loin is mainly used in porterhouse and T-bone steaks, it has some qualities to make it into a good jerky.
The short loin meat is very tender, though you can find some marbling on the meat, it is still easy to cut into thin slices.
Holy Cow: What Are the Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky?
Beef jerky is a satisfying and healthy low-carb snack, providing a hefty dose of protein per single-ounce serving. For these reasons, it’s gained quite the following amongst hard-core athletes and distance runners, who are always on the lookout for an easily transportable refueling option that provides them with all the nutrients they need for muscle-building, sodium replenishment, and more — see our recommendations for best beef jerky for runners.
However, unless you’ve ever attempted to make your own beef jerky, you may have never considered which parts of the cow present the best cuts of beef for turning out this popular snack-pantry staple. That’s where this article comes in. We’re here to tell you everything you need to know about the different beef cuts, in which sections of the cow they can be found, and why some make better choices for beef jerky than others.
Common Elements of Standout Beef Jerky
When you bite into a strip of high-quality beef jerky, you can tell right away. The texture is appealingly chewy without being too tough, there are only trace amounts of fat (if any at all), and the flavor hits your taste buds in all the right spots. Conversely, you’re likely to notice if the beef is of poor quality—for example, if the meat isn’t tender or flavorful enough to entice you into taking a second bite.
Properly seasoned beef jerky must contain plenty of salt, or sodium-laden products such as soy sauce. Salt is a hygroscopic substance, meaning that it has the innate ability to draw excess moisture out of the meat, thereby speeding up the drying process. It goes without saying that this also makes the strips of beef more flavorful, and helps distance runners to replenish their depleted sodium levels.
Since fat is incapable of drying out as thoroughly as flesh, it’s advisable to use the leanest cuts of beef possible when making beef jerky. Too much fat can contribute an unappealingly stringy texture to your finished product. Since it doesn’t fully dehydrate, it’s also more prone to spoilage, meaning the jerky won’t last as long at room temperature.
Breaking Down the Cow
In order to understand what makes certain cuts of meat more suited for the task of jerky-making than others, it’s best to first take a look at the parts of the steer that are generally used for roasts, steaks, and ground meat products. At the top of each section, we’ll rank the section on a scale of 1 (if the portion is unsuitable for beef jerky) to 5 (for the cuts that are likely to make the best jerky). Note that these names are used primarily in the United States and Canada—other areas of the world may use other names, or even butcher the meat differently.
#1 – Chuck
Jerky Suitability Factor: 3
The chuck portion is located around the top shoulder of the animal, and the meat is used primarily for either bone-in or boneless steaks and roasts. One cut, the shoulder petite steak or “teres major,” is so popular on restaurant menus that it’s earned the nickname “bistro steak.” Sometimes the trimmings (the small pieces that are cut away) are often ground into meat for hamburger, at which time it’s labeled as “ground chuck.”
While chuck steaks and roasts are suitable for making jerky, it can be time-consuming to trim all of the excess fat from the meat beforehand. Additionally, the high-fat content means that the jerky won’t stay fresh for as long. That’s why we’ve given it a mediocre ranking on the suitability scale.
#2 – Brisket
Jerky Suitability Factor: 3
Beef brisket is a well-marbled cut that’s often used for barbecue, pastrami, and corned beef. Its coarse grain makes it ideal for long cooking at low temperatures, both of which can be used to describe the jerky-making process. Before butchering, the brisket is located just under the chuck, below the animal’s shoulder section.
Like the chuck section, the brisket contains excess fat, and is therefore more prone to spoilage than some of the higher-ranked cuts. The jerky will taste fine, but it requires a high level of prep time for a product that’s ultimately more perishable.
#3 – Rib
Jerky Suitability Factor: 1
The rib section contains two of the most prized cuts of meat for steak lovers—the prime rib and the rib eye. Beef short ribs, which are both meaty and flavorful when prepared correctly, are also sometimes taken from this section (located just behind the chuck, toward the rear of the cow).
Because the meat from the rib is both fine-grained and fatty, it’s really not a suitable choice for beef jerky. While the marbling lends a ton of flavor to the rib eye steak and other cuts, it doesn’t translate as well when you’re trying to prepare thin strips for the dehydrator. The fine texture doesn’t hold up well to the drying process, either, which can make for a crumbly product.
#4 – Plate
Jerky Suitability Factor: 2
This portion—found on the underbelly of the cow—is also used for beef short ribs, as well as pot roasts. Skirt steaks, the cut of choice for fajitas, can be found here as well. The trimmings are typically ground into hamburger.
While the chewy texture of skirt steak can make for an appealing jerky, meat from the plate section is generally too tough and fatty for the dehydrator. It can be used in a pinch, but if you have other options, you should consider one of those instead.
#5 – Short Loin
Jerky Suitability Factor: 4
Another center section, this one located just behind the rib, the short loin is used for porterhouse and T-bone steaks (it’s intersected by the tenderloin; see description below). The meat is very tender, and while there’s some marbling (streaks of fat in the meat), it’s typically easy to work around. This makes it a fine choice for beef jerky if you can afford a slightly higher price tag.