Paleo Beef Jerky...

Day 32 Paleo / Zone Challenge
Today's WOD was pretty brutal, but then again, what Crossfit WOD isn't!

Who the heck thinks up some of the "exercises"....... I swear there's some sadistic person out there that spends hours, no days, trying to figure out how to torture us.....but then again, for some bizarre and unexplainable reason, I keep showing up........figure that one out!


Paleo Beef Jerky:
I became obsessed with figuring out the proper ratios and thicknesses and which meats are best for the Perfect paleo beef jerky. It turns out, every batch is different no matter what, so just wing it.....it's dried meat for heavens sake, does it really matter!

Ingredients:

Meat - I have found that Tri Tip tends to be the most tender and holds the flavors best.
(can be beef, venison, rabbit, buffalo, doesn't matter! whatever floats your boat!)
Seasonings (whatever your favs are, as long as their "paleo")
Bragg's Liquid Aminos (sm. amount of soy in it, but not enough to really matter in my opinion)
(Bragg's, adds a soy sauce like flavor to any thing,use it in salad dressings, stir fry veggies, etc)

Slice meat to desired thickness (thinner the better for drying)
Place in zip lock baggie, add 1 cup or so of the Bragg's liquid Amino's
Add Small amount of other desired seasonings ( I use Garlic and pepper)
Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or longer

If using your oven, heat to 150 degrees, place meat strips on cookie sheets or baking racks, sprinkle lightly on one side only, some of your seasonings.......don't sprinkle too heavily, your jerky will be "gritty". Bake in your oven for 8 to 12 hours. You'll need to keep checking the dryness of the meat. The thinner the slices the quicker the meat will dry.

If using a dehydrator, place meat strips on racks, sprinkle with seasonings, again, not too much as it will make the jerky gritty. Turn on dehydrator to highest setting usually around 150 degrees. Check the jerky in about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Thinner slices should be done. If sliced thicker, may need another hour or two.

Whether cooking your Jerky in the Oven or in the Dehydrator, make sure to let the Jerky cool completely before placing in an airtight container. Placing warm Jerky in the container will cause condensation, keeping the moisture in, and allow mold to grow! Mold is not our friend!

The fun is in the experimentation. I have added hot sauce to make the jerky "hot" n spicy.
Remember you can flavor the jerky with anything, as long as it's paleo.