Eye of Round Beef Jerky: Simple and Delicious!

Making beef jerky from an eye of round is pretty easy.  One of the nice things about working with a beef round is that it is simple to slice it so the final jerky is either super tender or has some chew, depending upon how you like it!

I am going to give you the basic instructions you need to make some great jerky from this cut so you can get started making a batch today!

 

Slicing the Eye of Round for Jerky

In my opinion, the eye of round is the best cut of beef for making beef jerky. I love using the round because:

• The meat is extremely lean which is perfect for jerky.
• There are no bones, cartilage or interconnective tissue that need to be removed.
• It is easy to slice the meat either with or against the grain.
• The eye is one of the least expensive cuts of beef.

Sometimes you will get an eye of round that has a fat cap and some silverskin.  These need to be trimmed away before you start cutting slices. 

It is very easy to see the grain structure on this cut which runs along the length of the meat.  

If you want your jerky to be super tender then you need to cut the eye round against the grain.  This will have you slicing circular cuts at the end/face of the roast.  When I cut this way I will take the circular slices and cut them into thirds for bite sized pieces of jerky.

If you want your jerky to have some chew then you need to cut the eye round with the grain.  This will have you slicing strips along the side of of the roast.

Regardless of which way you are slicing you should aim for cuts that are 1/4 inch thick.  Some folks just free hand and eyeball their cuts while others use a deli slicer.  I personally think that the best meat slicer for jerky is a reversible jerky board.

Season The Beef

Once the beef is sliced you need to decide how you want to season it and you have a lot of options.  For this batch of jerky I used a commercial jerky cure and seasoning mix from Hi Mountain but let me walk you through a few options you can make at home.

The basic components of a jerky marinade are:

• A bunch of salt
• Something sweet to take the edge off the salt
• Other Flavors as desired

Here is what that will look like in recipe form for a two pound batch of jerky:

Simple Beef Jerky Marinade

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 1 Tbls black pepper
• 1 Tbls lime juice
• 1 tsp chipotle powder

Mix the marinade and place it in a one gallon Ziploc bag along with the sliced beef.  Massage the bag to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

After the meat has marinated, remove it from the bag, pat it dry with paper towels and space it evenly on a drying rack.

Optional Curing Step

I love beef jerky that has undergone a curing process.  

Curing is the process of treating meat with sodium nitrite and salt.  Curing protects the meat from harmful bacteria, produces a distinct flavor and turns the meat reddish/mahogany in color.

The easiest way to cure the jerky is to add 1 tablespoon of Morton Tenderquick (MTQ) to the marinade. MTQ is a commercial blend of salt, sugar sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate that has been used for home curing meats for generations.

Marinade for Cured Beef Jerky

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 1 Tbls Morton Tenderquick
• 1 Tbls black pepper
• 1 Tbls lime juice
• 1 tsp chipotle powder

Mix the marinade and place it in a one gallon Ziploc bag along with the sliced beef.  Massage the bag to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

After the meat has marinated, remove it from the bag, pat it dry with paper towels and space it evenly on a drying rack.

Turn the Beef Into Jerky

If you want to make sure that your jerky is going to be safe to eat then you need to follow a two step process.

• Step 1: Fully Cook the Beef
• Step 2: Dehydrate the Cooked Beef.

Cook the Beef

To fully cook the beef you need to preheat your oven to 325F.  Place the tray of beef slices into the 325F oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the beef is fully cooked and you can remove the tray from the oven.

Many people skip the cooking step and jump straight to dehydration.  I do not skip this step as it is highly recommended by the USDA for food safety reasons.

Dehydrate the Cooked Beef

You can dehydrate the meat by using a dedicated food dehydrator, an electric smoker, your pellet grill or your oven.

You want to use a temperature of around 150F for the dehydration step.  My oven does not go that low so I set my oven to its lowest setting, 170F, and use a wooden spoon to keep the door cracked open.

Place the rack of cooked beef into your oven (dehydrator, smoker, etc) and allow it to try for 6-8 hours.

The jerky is done when it is dry but pliable.  

Use a paper towel to dab up any grease that pooled up on the jerky during the dehydration step.

I have absolutely no idea how long this jerky lasts as we always eat the entire batch in a day.

If you want more ideas on making jerky then check out:

How to Make Pork Jerky

How to Make Brisket Beef Jerky