Beef jerky is an esteemed food in Korea, where it is often given by a bride’s mother to the groom’s family before a wedding. It is an extravagant gift, because beef has historically been very expensive (even today, beef costs three to five times as much in Korea as in the United States), and it takes careful tending and a long time to dry the beef properly in the sun. Sun-drying may be traditional, but it isn’t convenient. That’s why I was so excited when, on my first visit to the U.S. in the 1990s, I saw an ad on TV for an electric food dehydrator. The pitchman demonstrated how the machine could make beef jerky indoors relatively quickly. So I bought the machine and started experimenting. After some trial and error, I came up with a pretty good recipe, but it was lacking something. I realized it was missing the right smoky flavor, so I added a little bit of liquid smoke to the mix. It’s not traditionally Korean, but now the recipe’s perfect.
MAKES: 35 to 40 pieces
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 pounds lean beef, such as flank steak, or bottom round, trimmed of visible fat
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 9 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes (American, not Korean)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Thinly slice the beef along the grain, about ⅛ inch thick. Cut into 5-x-2½-inch pieces.
- Combine all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the beef and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least for 30 minutes, and up to overnight.
- Place the slices in the trays of a food dehydrator and set to the jerky, fish, or meat setting (160°F). Dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions, about 8 hours, turning once after 4 hours. Remove the slices as they become sufficiently dried.
- Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature. You can also freeze the jerky in an airtight container for up to 3 months; defrost at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
