A delicious and easy recipe for keto beef jerky that you can make in your oven. No sugar and no soy sauce!
This keto beef jerky recipe is the result of my desire to avoid high-sugar commercial brands. It's a simple recipe, made with just a few simple ingredients.
Apart from thinly slicing the beef, this recipe is very easy to make. Ever since I learned how to make it, I rarely buy commercial jerky.
Commercial brands are often very sugary
Jerky is one of my favorite snacks. But it's very difficult to find commercial brands that aren't made with lots of sugar.
In fact, most jerky packages contain quite a few grams of carbs per serving, in addition to an insanely high amount of sodium.
This homemade recipe is not only chewier and tastier than commercial versions. It's also made with no soy sauce and with no sugar.
Is it difficult to make keto beef jerky?
Not at all! This is a very simple and easy recipe. You don't need a special smoker or dehydrator. You can use your oven, And you don't even have to marinate the beef prior to drying it in the oven, although you could if you wanted to.
This homemade jerky is so good, that I now make it once a week for our family of four. And it doesn't even last an entire week! My kids absolutely love it in their lunch boxes.
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty keto snack. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Skirt steak or flank steak: Both are tough cuts with a great beef flavor. 🥩Slow cooking tenderizes them.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.
Spices: Garlic powder and chili powder. Make sure they are fresh! A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
How to make keto beef jerky
It's so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Slice the beef thinly against the grain. This means finding the direction of the muscle fibers, then slicing against them, not alongside them. Cutting into the muscle fibers makes the meat easier to chew.
2. Now, use a meat pounder to pound the meat strips thin - as thin as you can get them.
3. Toss the meat slices with salt, pepper, and spices.
4. Arrange the seasoned beef slices on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets.
5. Bake them for 3 hours at 225°F, then cool on cooling racks.
How to store homemade keto beef jerky
The only drawback compared to commercial products is that the final product does require refrigeration. You should keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.
When I pack it to go, I use an insulated lunch box with ice packs and consume it within two hours. Here's a guide from the USDA on traveling with cold food that requires refrigeration.
Other keto snacks that you might enjoy
Who says you can't have great snacks on the keto diet? Another keto snack that I really like and make quite often is this recipe for salami chips.
I also love jalapeno cheese crisps, homemade pork rinds, and almond flour crackers.
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Keto Beef Jerky Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 lb. skirt steak (or flank steak)
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Unfold the skirt steak and place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the beef crosswise, against the grain (so that you sever the tough, thin fibers that you can see on the steak) into 2-inch-wide strips.
- You want the strips to be no more than ⅛-inch thick, so if they are thicker, slice each strip into two thinner, ⅛-inch-thick strips. This is not too hard to do, but if you want to make it even easier, place the beef strips in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing them thinner.
- Use a meat pounder to pound the strips so that they are thinner and more even in thickness.
- Place the beef strips in a large bowl, add the spices and toss with your hands until thoroughly coated.
- Arrange the beef strips on the two baking sheets, not touching each other. Bake 3 hours, rotating the position of the baking sheets midway, until beef is browned and dry.
- Remove to a cooling rack placed on a tray or on foil (to catch any drips). Allow to cool and dry about one hour before enjoying. Refrigerate any leftovers - they're delicious straight out of the fridge.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.