How to Make Beef Jerky: The Easiest 2-Ingredient Low Carb Jerky
In short
The easiest jerky you’ll see. Trim the fat off a piece of silverside or corned beef, slice it 3 to 4mm thick, toss it in a low carb hot sauce and dry it in a dehydrator for about 6 hours, or on a wire rack in a low oven.
Key points
- Two ingredients. A piece of silverside or corned beef (regular beef or pretty much any red meat works too) and a hot sauce. I use Nando’s Peri Peri in hot or extra hot.
- Check the sauce label. The Nando’s nutrition panel shows it’s very low carb. Barbecue sauce can be something like 30 or 40% sugar, so skip it if you’re watching your carbs.
- Mind the grain. Turn the beef so your slices go across the grain, otherwise you’ll be battling to bite a piece off. Aim for strips about 3 to 4mm thick.
- Trim the fat. Unlike most of what I cook, the fat comes off here, because it’s the first bit to go rancid.
- No need to marinate. Some people let it sit for a while. I don’t, because I don’t think it makes much difference.
- No dehydrator? No worries. Mine came off Facebook Marketplace for about 50 bucks, but a wire rack in a low oven does the job.
- Rotate the racks. In my dehydrator the bottom dries quicker than the top, so I swap the racks every couple of hours.
Need a low carb snack that’s high in protein and actually tastes good? In this video I make the easiest beef jerky you’ve ever seen, with just two ingredients: a cheap piece of silverside and a hot sauce.
It’s my go-to snack between meals, with none of the junk you’ll find in a lot of shop-bought snacks. If you’re into hot stuff it’ll be right up your alley, and if you’re not, swap the sauce for something milder that’s still low in sugar.
Method in brief
- Grab a piece of silverside or corned beef, a sharp knife, a bowl, your hot sauce and a dehydrator tray (or a wire rack if you’re using the oven).
- Trim the fat off the beef.
- Check which way the grain runs and turn the beef so you slice across it. That way you can tear or bite pieces off easily.
- Cut strips about 3 to 4mm thick. Cut them through the middle if you want them thinner.
- Slosh some hot sauce into the bowl, add the beef and give it a good mix. Add chilli flakes if you’re a real heat fiend.
- Lay the strips on the rack with a little gap between each one so they dry out quicker.
- Dehydrate at full temperature for around 5 to 6 hours, rotating the racks every couple of hours so everything dries evenly. No dehydrator? Put the wire rack in a low oven instead.
Why I make it
Shop-bought jerky can be expensive, and sauces like barbecue sauce can be loaded with sugar. Doing it yourself means you pick a low carb sauce and know exactly what’s in it. In all honesty, it doesn’t hang around our place long enough to go off.
Want the written version with photos and the cost breakdown? See my easy beef jerky post.
New to all this? Grab the free Carb Guide, or watch my story and how I lost 23kg in four months.
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Not medical advice. I'm not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist, just a bloke telling the story of what worked for me. Check with your doctor before changing your diet or medication.
