Plus, 6 tasty beef jerky recipes from around the web

I’m a total amateur when it comes to knives, but I got to go to BLADE for the first time this past summer. The eye-popping culinary demos there taught me I been doing everything wrong in the kitchen for my whole entire life. Cooking would have been a lot easier if I’d invested in something besides a hand-me-down knife from the back of my mother-in-law’s kitchen drawer during my first 10 years of marriage. Or sharpened any of my kitchen knives. Ever.

The first thing I did when I came home from BLADE: wrapped up all my knives in a kitchen towel and took them to get them professionally sharpened.

The second thing I did? Restocked our family’s Band-Aid stash when both my husband and son cut their fingers slicing limes for my cocktails. This family seriously needs some knife skills, y’all.

With a good knife and some knife skills, your culinary options multiply. Before I knew the knife crowd, I pretty much thought my beef jerky options were limited to the high-sodium offerings at the Sheetz. But with a good knife, you can make your own. Bonus: You can do it for about half the cost of buying the pre-made stuff. You don’t need a fancy food dehydrator to try it. Your oven is up to the task.

Here are some knife tips, tricks, and recipes we found from around the web:

  • When selecting the cut of beef from the butcher, look for the least amount of fat and silverskin you can find.
  • Top roast, London broil, or rump roast makes the best beef jerky, says Pioneer Woman.
  • Put the beef in the freezer for an hour or two before you slice it. Flash freezing makes the raw beef easier to cut.
  • Choose a very sharp, long knife with a straight or granton edge. Yeah, we know all your knives are always sharp, but I have to mention that.
  • Slice with the grain into slices that are between 1/4 and 1/8 inch thick.

 

6 Beef Jerky Recipes

Beef Jerky

Image courtesy of Tread Magazine

Black and red pepper dry-rub beef jerky, from our sister publication Tread. This one has a bit of a kick to it.

 

Beef Jerky, from Alton Brown at the Food Network. His setup is pretty amazing. Household fans and bungee cord? You need to see this one.

 

Beef Jerky

Image courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Beef Jerky, from Pioneer Woman. A difficulty rating of “easy” means this is a must-try recipe for the newbie.

 

Beef Jerky

Image courtesy of Fresh Off The Grid

Simple DIY Beef Jerky from Fresh Off the Grid. Looking for a dehydrator? Good info here.

 

Homemade Beef Jerky in the Oven from Sara Kate Gillingham for The Kitchn. Try the turkey version of this one!

 

Beef Jerky

Photo courtesy of kitchn

Spicy Maple Beef Jerky from Christine Gallary for The Kitchn. With Sriracha and maple syrup, this sounds delicious. Can’t wait to chew on this one.

Have a recipe you use? Let us know in the comments! 

How about some knife tips of your own! Tell us!