Today we will be making all natural home made beef jerky without adding nitrates. We will be replacing the curing agent with celery which has naturally occurring nitrates and nitrites which will in turn properly cure the meat. The Process of curing meat is to kill the bacteria that causes botulism.

This is Texas and we take our meat very seriously.

Ingredients

Beef (top round or bottom round cuts are ideal)
Celery (dry or juiced)
Seasonings
Smoker
Oven or Dehydrator
Knife
Tenderizer
Closed container

Beat the Meat

Tenderize your meat. You are also free to cut your meat into portions if its necessary.
Juice your celery and pour it into a covered container. At this point you can add seasoning to the celery juice. If you are using celery power, cover your meat with it and add seasoning and follow the next step.
Lay your cut or cuts of meat into the container. Ensure that the meat is fully immersed in the celery juice.
Set the container in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
When you pull it out, the color of the juice should have darkened and the outer portion of the meat will have an acidic sear. Any meat below the surface should have a pink hue.
If you did not season the celery juice, season both sides of your meat now.
Place the cut on a smoker at 165-180 degrees f to acquire natural smoke flavor in the meat. I used mesquite and hickory.
Remove the meat from the smoker after 30 minutes or when the internal temp reaches 160 f and place in a dehydrator for about 12 hours. You can also place it in an oven on low heat for 12 hours if you don't have a dehydrator.

BEEF JERKY TIME

I hope you enjoyed making homemade beef jerky with the @XtrodinaryPilot. As you can tell, my passion for flying is accompanied by a passion for culinary creations. Be on the look out for my other recipe posts. I have Baby Back Ribs, Prime Rib, Prime Rib leftover, and crawfish posts that are in the works. Catch you on the flipside.