Home Made Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky

This is a delicious recipe that I have come to use frequently because of my wife and I's love of Jerky. You can use this recipe for any kind of jerky you prefer and it does require a food dehydrator. I only got one a year ago but since then I have loved experimenting with jerky and dried fruits. I personally use one of my bowls that has a fitted lid to marinate my meat. I use strips of non fatty beef, if you don't like cutting them yourself which can be very fun and you can make them the size and width you personally prefer than you can buy beef sliced but purchasing beef prepared for stir fry is my best advise. I make the marinade and than put the strips in the bowl making sure they all get well coated and seal it in the fridge for the night. The next day, I boil water and drop each strip in just for 10 seconds and put it back in my marinade bowl. Than I lay my strips out on a safe cleanable surface and pepper them. Pepper can make them amazing or way to spicy so be careful and know what spice level you want your jerky to be. Obviously you can scrap pepper off but that's no fun and wasteful. Arrange your jerky on the shelves on your dehydrator and turn it on. The length of time that you boil your beef and the length of time you dehydrate will determine how soft or how tough it ends up being. I like both so I've made it both ways, just be aware of both because they will determine your final product. Check on them around hour three and than keep an eye on them until they are to your desired taste and enjoy!

Ingredients-

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper (to taste)

1 pound lean beef sirloin tip

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3  soy sauce

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

5 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 cup pineapple juice