Homemade Beef & Bacon Jerky
Protein is a key ingredient for the backcountry. Backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, paddling are all activities that take a serious toll on muscles and joints. To keep your body’s performance at its peak, it’s important to refuel with a complex protein, like those found in meat and soy products. Complex proteins aid your body’s recovery by rebuilding the muscles and connective tissues that are broken down during physical activity.
On extended trips this can pose a serious challenge, especially at high altitudes, as fatigue and diminished appetites begin to set in. Trail mix becomes unpalatable. The protein shake turns chalky. That sweaty, uneaten summer sausage. I’ve seen hikers resort to some pretty extreme measures to make sure they are getting their protein needs met.
To ensure that you are getting the protein intake you need, it helps to control the texture and flavor of your food. One easy way to do this is by making your own jerky. Surprisingly, this doesn’t require investing in expensive equipment and can even be made with a cheaper cut of meat, like brisket or flank steak.
Beef Jerky
For my jerky I used a one and a half pound skirt steak, but it's fine to use whatever is a bargain at your local grocery store (provided it’s fresh!).
The first step is to cut off the excess fat from the meat with a paring knife. Fat spoils faster than meat, so by removing the fat at the beginning you will ensure that your finished product lasts as long as possible. I ended up cutting off some of the meat along with the fat during this part of the process--another benefit of using an inexpensive cut.
Wrap up the trimmed beef in saran wrap and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours. This will help make the meat easier to cut in the next stage. While you’re waiting for it to harden up, prepare the marinade. The marinade serves two purposes--it will add flavor to your jerky and also help to tenderize it. Below is the recipe I used, which is made up of ingredients that I already had at hand in the kitchen. This is a great place to let your own personal flavor preferences shine, so get out your favorite seasonings, sweeteners, and vinegars and get creative. Just remember that one of your ingredients will need to be acidic (like vinegar) for the marinade to do its job.
Marinade ingredients:
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp. chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp. Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 packet bacon
- Brown sugar
- Sriracha sauce
- Honey