The Complete Guide to Making Beef Jerky at Home

I spent most of the past 10 years learning as much as I could about making beef jerky. It’s the hobby that sparked my interest in cooking and the goal of this video is to hopefully inspire others to make great beef jerky at home. I’ll do my best to answer as many jerky related questions in the comments as possible!
Check out www.maxjerky.com if you’re interested in trying out my jerky 🥩
-----
SUBSCRIBE and RING THE BELL to get notified when I post a video!
PLATFORMS
-Snapchat: www.snapchat.com/add/maxtheme...
-Instagram: / maxthemeatguy
-TikTok: / maxthemeatguy
-Facebook: / maxthemeatguy
-KZbin: / maxthemeatguy
DISCOUNTS
www.beacons.ai/maxthemeatguy
WEBSITE
www.maxthemeatguy.com/
FILMED BY
Sophia Greb / sophiagreb
---
#beefjerky #porkjerky #chickenjerky #eatmaxjerky #maxjerky #guide #cooking101 #cookingguide
00:00 Making Jerky Out of The Zoo
02:17 What is Jerky?
03:56 Buying Meat
04:48 Slicing Meat
06:32 Making a Marinade
10:24 Cooking Your Meat
12:56 Question Speed Round
16:06 Taste Test

[@MaxtheMeatGuy]

***Correction: if using pink curing salt use 1 teaspoon per 5lbs of meat (not 1lb). Thanks @mikesmicroshop4385 for pointing this out!

[@Christopher-qq4dl]

❤

[@mikejackson2228]

I like heart as means toward jerky. I over season because I often use it as a soup base.

[@GetFuckedTrump]

bros probably on the PETA hit list😂😂😂

[@brandonadams6743]

Candied and smoked salmon and tuna is basically a jerky

[@ChristopherElizabethPark-xs2wt]

So 0.2 pounds per 1 lb

[@rogue.akatsuki]

I really appreciate how honest and transparent he tries to be

[@JesusChrist-yh4pi]

He's basically shilling his product. Im not sure he's being transparent at all

[@DaNNi2774]

@@JesusChrist-yh4pi wdym

[@ClemsonFan46]

@@JesusChrist-yh4pi I mean, he's also giving you a pretty simple to follow guideline to make his product on your own.

[@rogue.akatsuki]

@@ClemsonFan46 exactly. other people who own businesses would probably be vague in explaining specifics in fear of some sort of competition 😑

[@littlewigglemonster7691]

​@@ClemsonFan46he liked your comment lmao

[@shadi3993]

Hi guys I just want share my experience on this exact recipe so you don't make the same mistakes I did, I attempted this recipe the day before last and let it marinate for 24 hours, before drying I laid the marinated meat on a paper towel and patted it dry and left a couple with the marinate onto see if it makes a difference, furthermore I seasoned some of the meat before dehydrating it at 65c for 5 and a half hours and what I learned. 1. There is no need for the additional seasoning and in fact it made it unbearable to eat. 2. Patting them dry produced a similar if not better tasting product because the marinate was able to penetrate the meat and the wet ones were just too slimy feeling for my taste. 3. I'm sensitive to honey so I thought I'd use date honey but that was unfortunately the wrong move to make because it ended up being the only thing you can taste I couldn't even taste the meat so next time I'll stick with the brown sugar. 4. although I think the fact that I used date honey was entirely my fault I still think that the 15-20% sweetness estimate is way too high and I felt that I got nothing but sweet flavours which was a bit disappointing so next time I'm hopefully going for a more conservative 8-10%.

[@teebee1904]

Was just telling my girlfriend I wanted to try making my own beef jerky. Could have easily followed any other type of video like this: but then you dropped this video and man, I’m thankful you did! I’ll definitely try out the oven method first before buying a dehydrator

[@Last_Chance.]

I make it every week. It's easy

[@spudthegreaterusa8386]

A couple things when doing it in an oven. Max mentioned keeping the door open a crack. Good idea, it helps air flow. Most electric ovens vent out of the back right Stove top element location, so make sure that is not covered with a pan or something, also most electric ovens lowest temp setting is 170F.

[@TheRitchieReport]

you dont have a girlfreind

[@aguast4]

@@TheRitchieReport mg you look like your 12 you probably dont even have a normal friend. especially if you cant spell girlfriend

[@cthomas025]

@@spudthegreaterusa8386 Also a reason that I think air fryers are good for this as well. Definitely have to work in batches but there's a lot of air flow and the temperature is able to go lower.

[@MarauderLegend]

Max is the best, he explains things so that you actually understand. He is the best.

[@VitalArms]

I’ve been making jerky for about 15 years and learned something new. I could never put my finger on how the store bought jerky always had that extra moisture to it. Now I know they have a high humidity drying process. I also hate that style😂 I literally can’t eat any other jerky than my own because I’m obsessed with how mine comes out. I felt the nostalgia when he pulled out his first ever dehydrator. Mines been going strong for 15 years.

[@nicholasrubio1660]

Any tips on getting started with this? I'd love to make my own jerky.

[@nathanielwiley9908]

I completely forgot about the experimental taste test at the end 😂, almost went to watch another video. Very educational, and I almost forgot about the bit of fun thrown in. Gotta give it to Max to always make his video's interesting, The meat side of youtube is always the best 💯

[@werieawesome8530]

So glad biltong is here for our SA viewers but you should try all our SA varieties😂🇿🇦 We have: Game biltong Beef biltong Geelvet biltong (which is beef with a side of fat) Chilli bites (beef or game) Biltong sticks (beef or game) Droëwors (beef or game)

[@Thee_Godfather_Kat]

🇿🇦

[@daniellefourie6250]

Stem saam dink nie hy het ordentlike biltong geëet nie. Daar is nie manier dat daardie goed beter kan smaak as biltong of droëwors nie.

[@jarodjacobs7253]

Biltong = best

[@werieawesome8530]

@@daniellefourie6250 100% reg

[@stefaniaorsi2503]

I lived in SA and got a Biltong addiction, Braai are the best and South Africans are definitely the best at cooking any meat! The bbq culture there is amazing!

[@carlynscolorfulcreations]

Its really nice to see such a large creator being so active with his community in the comments. Some people have less than one third the subs and dont give superlikes or reply to any comments.

[@thorbrigade]

Going broke buying all these beef jerkies. Recently added dried meat into my lifestyle for a better eating, real food healthy eating lifestyle. Was thinking about learning to make my own jerkies and boy was i glad i clicked on this video. I thought it was going to be a long sophisticated, constant monitoring type of process but you definitely made it easy to follow and explained it step by step so thoroughly. Thank you my guy! Will definitely support purchasing some jerkies from you as well until i get the ball rolling. Much love.

[@kevingambarota4229]

Fantastic guide on how to make jerky!! Gotta try it when i have the time!! Been watching this channel for a long time and there is always soo much to learn!!!! keep up the good work!!!

[@gerosphillypodcasts5337]

Can we please get a series of these videos. They are my favorite!

[@MadPick]

Lots of good info packed into this video! Thanks, Max!

[@jackthuss1732]

You are the best, You’ve come so far. Great Job!

[@ians9623]

Thank you so much Max. Loved this instructional style content

[@Snom268]

i live somewhere i cant get max jerky but i really wanted to try it. Thank you for this. Really appreciated.

[@Angelina_Swiftie]

I never thought I would be interested in meat until Max poped on my yt shorts

[@Mrcustomwerkz]

im gonna try it!!! thankz for the breakdown!! love the vid 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽😊😊

[@dierksfan59]

I just made jerky for the 1st time today using left over tri tip. Smoked it at 200 for 7.5hrs thank you Max! It was delicious

[@jaredklein6927]

Jerky is so easy to make, everyone should try it. It’s the getting it the way you want it part that can be tough. It’s fun to experiment with different things to see what works.

[@yobnoc]

I typically smoke my Jerky for a few hours until the surface is dry, then finish in my dehydrator. It makes the cleanup MUCH easier since you don’t have marinade baked onto the Excalibur mesh sheets. Very interesting on the moist dehydrating at the factory - I may have to try spraying my jerky while it smokes with apple cider or something along those lines for a similar effect!

[@MaxtheMeatGuy]

Two very awesome ideas!!

[@antsmith3284]

​@@MaxtheMeatGuyDo you not like hickory?

[@whagHD]

@@antsmith3284applewood is better

[@im1fadedRob]

I would have appreciated if you would have elaborated how we might add more humidity to our at home jerky ventures, but other than that this was unbelievably informational. I've always loved beef jerky and have thought about making it before, but this video really lays everything out better than any other video I've watched on the subject. I'll definitely be making my own for the first time soon.

[@azn280284]

Now that I've seen this, I'm curious to experiment with the humidity aspect of making jerky more tender. I'm thinking maybe laying the jerky on the top rack of my smoker and filling a sheet pan with an experimental amount of water and putting it on the bottom rack. The amount of water would be the delta. My thinking is that while the water evaporates, it will create a humid environment in the smoker but then at some point the water will completely evaporate and then I can let the jerky finish to a nice dry but tender texture. Unless you make a video doing this experiment, I will report back with my findings

[@MaxtheMeatGuy]

Great idea! I’ve done something similar with great results. Adding a water pan to an oven and essentially steaming for the first hour. Keep me posted how it turns out for you!

[@alarlol]

if o were to just literally steam the meat in a steamer untill like semicooked and then jerky it?

[@Indydi]

How did it work out? The bottom rack of many dehydrators doesn't dry as well, so this could be a handy use for it!

[@azn280284]

I’m so sorry! Completely forgot to give an update. So the batch I made came out fairly tender! Much more tender than typical jerky but not quite as tender as I was hoping for. I used a regular sheet pan and filled it with about a 1/4 in of water and put it on the lower portion of my smoker. Then I just made the jerky the usual way. I think I need to add a bit more water and I will get the desired result I’m looking for. Then again, changing the amount might not affect the result just because a smoker isn’t the most effective way to make super tender jerky but we shall see :)

[@vickyferreira3259]

​@@azn280284 I was going to comment about putting a metal pan of water in with the jerky. Try putting more water and placing the pan closer to the meat. I'm going to try this, but in my oven.. I don't have a smoker.

[@EinLucas]

Great video, really informative!

[@malone4735]

It’s Always Great When Max Uploads ❤🥩 🔥

[@N3xuus1012]

Yay! Max listened to my advice from like a year ago 😊

[@HeisenbergFam]

Max tasting meat at the end is truly a beautiful sight to behold

[@HussainAl--Khalil]

this video singelhandedly has me wanting to attempt making homemade jerky. Thank you for showing the process, it's not that much to do. An morning & afternoon on a day off can end in a tasty treat.

[@CRUSADEROFTHELORD]

My recepe for jerky (any jerky): Use whatever mid-grade meat your butcher has on hand(it's normally cheaper and faster to get it non-pre cut). Take the jerky and slice it into 1/7th-In, now let it get to room temperature. For a marinade I use 2shots JackDaniel's, .5shot of 80Prof Vodka, and 3Cups of beer per .5lbs of jerky you're making. Now let it rest over night. Now, in the morning, after letting it sit, take it out and prepare to boil it (1min/.5Lbs of meat). For the boil use 1cup of Viniger, 1table-spoon of whatever salt of your liking, 2Litres of water, 1shot Molasses, and 2table-spoons of whatever sugar of your liking. Use this mix and double it per every 1lbs of meat. After boiling smoke it high and fast for half an hour, after let it cool 1min/1lbs of meat, after go low and slow for 1hour. After smoking dry it out. Now enjoy.

[@sebastianhildebrand941]

I kid you not 2 hours ago i talked about making beef jerky for the fun of it but didnt know where to start, this video helped me so much thanks

[@thickymcghee7681]

This was great info. I learned a lot.

[@Jeterfan906]

I just got an air fryer that has a dehydrator and was definitely looking at the cook times. I knew you’d have a video to help me out lol

[@NotPorn]

Pretty solid advice! Gotta update to the excalibur for home use instead of the Nesco. Nesco is still dope, but always been a fan of the Excalibur 9 tray. Especially for fruit leather.

[@NotPorn]

A good vacuum sealer is recommended. Flip the bag every 6 hours. Mix it in the bag. Pre-cut is cool. The more flavor, the better! Season your beef!

[@adamscott3304]

definitely right about store bought jerky, health and safety costs too, expensive industry to get into, but when they get it right it tastes soo good.

[@kramerfortuna7228]

Ayyyyy, Max the Jerky Guy! Let's goooooooo!!!!

[@YeshuaT-bm6ss]

I love making smoked salmon and sturgeon and can't forget elk and dear. Here recently I find myself wanting to make pemmican. Just like you I enjoy making jerky. Thank you for a great video

[@JonathanFox-uj1rv]

Thank you! Weights and measures are missing, or not there on so many vids. Very helpful.

[@cncdan1364]

Saw your road trip video the other day when you stopped and got some jerky. So I order yours and just go them about to try it.

[@anythingandeverything6924]

One of the best meat guys on KZbin

[@MikeS42069]

I love making my own jerky. Lately tri tip has been one of the cheaper cuts and it makes some GREAT jerky

[@jazwee_561]

Hey max, have you tried to do bak kwa before it be kinda nice if you include in your future video sometime comparing American style jerky and Chinese style jerky

[@futuredesolation]

I'm Digging The Tasting History type transition 😂🎉

[@scrane5500]

As I have a family history of Cancer I need to avoid meat (due to IGF-1 and BLV in beef in particular) but miss jerky so I'm going to try making jerky with seitan and tofu this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration

[@jillf24]

make it with Turkey or Chicken? Or do you have to avoid all meat cuts?

[@nicholascrow8133]

Try it with mushrooms!

[@DJPhukk]

It always makes me happy when people mention biltong.

[@Ferrow6]

I always wanted to know this! Done with the industrial beef jerky’s 🤤🤤

[@margodphd]

I would advise You to experiment with ultrasound marinading process - ir can be done bagged or if marinade is thin as is. It's quite superior to vacuum tumbling for taste penetration. I think it's absolutely the future both for alcohol production as it speeds flavour dissolving and penetration but also for meat taste penetration. It would be incredible for thicker cuts such as steaks at home.

[@mrdogccc]

I gotta say you are right sugar does make it better and bounds out the salt because once I made in a beef jerky weird like a type of soda but we got rid of all the fizziness and a balance out the salt so much and it was so good

[@terrivel11]

I have an older circular Nesco dehydrator similar to that one, just ancient. I’ve used it to make jerky for years and it works really well, I just need to get more trays for it. Apparently with those kind you don’t need to rotate trays like you would the box oven style ones.

[@VikoolyaLV]

I'm salivating just watching 🤤😋 I don't eat sugar, can stevia, allulose, monk fruit or xylitol be used as sweetener in the marinade? Looking forward to your reply 🙏

[@youngrumandcoke]

I just ordered a custom 8 pack off this vid can’t wait to try it!

[@johnnygagnon4968]

Nice video! a lot of info! big thumbs up for the meat joke!!

[@Ali__C]

the crazy part of doing this type of video against your own product is respectable, shows that there is value in both sides of the coin well done.

[@barrysarver3873]

The last batch i made i used a London Broil and it was about ten dollars and was trimmed and had no fat. It worked out great.

[@FormlessDuck]

I make my jerky in my instant pot air fryer usings its dehydrate setting. I've found that it leaves it much more tender and less dry than my dehyrator

[@Figs3]

Sophia is my favorite character on this show. Simply from that joke.

[@katttmandoo]

I would also like to note that having grown up where snow every now and again would zap the heat out of the house getting so cold we would run the oven open instead … I too did this as an adult and actually ended up blowing out the heating element or was it the coupler… I forget but when you run an oven open for long periods of time it can never “get to temperature” so the constant running fries it… this wouldn’t happen with what you’re doing here say a handful of times over long periods of time but if someone was to attempt to do jerky daily or at least frequently in an oven it would begin to fry those elements. But doing this every now and then would be fine.

[@jhaas68865]

I started making my own jerky because of the price. Get a 5lb round and flavor like I want at the time. Throw it on the smoker at 180 until done. I even do those odd pieces you would cut off to square the meet up for cutting. They became sample pieces during the cook. Not sure how long it would last because between the kids and I we usually kill it within 3-4 days.

[@spoperty4940]

meat*

[@Wh1stlejacket]

Hearing Max trying to pronounce Worcestershire is why I watch KZbin. 😅

[@markpaystrup5800]

You are the man max

[@surferb100]

Amazing video thanks

[@noizeaous7267]

I guess you could smoke your marinade and add back water when done. You would just need to weigh it beforehand and when you're done, then put the missing weight in water back in it. That would prevent you from using liquid smoke.

[@nessaacabs]

Ok im obsessed with this channel

[@nikitagavrylovskyy2932]

omg i love ur content

[@therandomizer67981]

I was expecting a video like this since you come up with your own jerky brand

[@MathewSan_]

Great video 🔝👍

[@krazykid2002k]

Such a great video I’ve been making jerky for years such a great snack and hobby been cooking it in my pellet smoker the last 5 years instead of a dehydrator…a week or 2 to eat the jerky more like 2-3 days 😂😂😂

[@thomasgerrets9090]

I’ve made jerky with my dad a few times and it’s so good (oh and a tip try using an file knife for me it works better I don’t know if it works better then yours)

[@Montatora501]

I had jerky once that was made with ahi tuna, and it was some of the most flavorful jerky I've ever had!

[@isaacpineda8649]

So Max. You having your own Jerky and Learning everything you could. I want you to order some No Man's Land Beef Jerky. And Do a Video Review. Best Beef Jerky I've Ever had (No Disrespect To Your Brand, Obviously, Which Come At 2nd For Me). Although, it is on the pricier side, I Highly recommend everyone to try it at least once. Would Love to know your Honest opinion. Love Your Videos Man. Keep Doing What Your Doing. Very Happy for Your Success.

[@brcha]

Thank you for the excellent, and extremely in depth video. I've never tried jerkey, given that it's not a thing in Serbia, but I will try to make some in my oven. Do you think it might help if I add some pan with a bit of water bellow the jerkey? That might add to some more humidity in the beginning of the process. Or, perhaps, spray water in the oven from time to time in the beginning?

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

I’ve had two Nesco dehydrators over the past 15 years. I didnt buy the second one because the first one broke or anything, I just bought it because I wanted more racks. They last forever and you won’t regret purchasing one.

[@devincharlvanvuuren6194]

Mans brought out the biltong😮 thats the best one from far

[@bassie_12]

@MaxtheMeatGuy try making your own biltong. It will be a lot better than packaged biltong and it will change your opinion about it.

[@bridger1172]

Man can’t believe there ain’t elk or deer jerky cause that stuff is amazing

[@SolarSaucer]

"This looks like a dementor" 😂

[@dakotahbrubaker8561]

Hey man I know your the guy to try this, I’ve always wanted to see steak marinated or dry aged in homemade chimichurri if you can make a video on that I’d really appreciate it I’m scared to do it myself

[@CLFS]

My homemade jerky is a 3 day process day one slice and marinade day two dry outside in the sun with a big screen to keep away the critters and day three smoke all day with a cold smoker will last months and months even a year in a paper bag left in the fridge

[@SmokeyRobs]

Max love the content, I used to sell jerky back in high school...I made Bank!!! but boy was it a lot of work. It has always stayed a big hobby of mine, Currently trying to start my own bbq food truck. Just wanted to say I appreciate all the hard work you've put in. But above all that beef pork joke at 10:13 was extremely out of line, it almost makes guga's jokes funny.

[@gunargundarson1626]

I can't believe Max made impossible bacon with that impossible sausage. The innovation of the dehydrator knows no bounds.

[@michaelschneider5682]

Hey there good video man i did want to ask tho on your homemade jerky u said 1 of the draw back was the humidity well growing up my uncles were hunters and as such jerky was a big part they made tons of home made now i dont remember exactly what wood chips the would use and not sure if it mattered to be honest but a handful of chips into a hotel pan whole lemon cut in half and if i were to guess about 2 liter of water tightly foil the top and not sure again on if this mattered but the pan was always on the rack above the dehydrator and man best tender venison i ever had sadly i hqvent senn much of that side of my family since i was maybe 11 12 yr old and in late 30s now but this was something i used to take partin when i was atound them cause it was kind of made into a family activity man kinda missin those days anyway enjoyed the vid and thx

[@Im0utlaw]

Smart video idea. Sold me on trying your jerky. Just ordered the variety pack

[@MaxtheMeatGuy]

I appreciate it! Hope you like it

[@hexkong5688]

Ordered an 8-pack of MAX JERKY to show my support! Hope they’re awesome, got 2 of each flavor!

[@MaxtheMeatGuy]

I really appreciate it!! Hope you like them 🙏

[@s.mtambo6712]

The pride I felt at the mention of biltong- the best kind of dried meat loved all over South Africa

[@zerckzies]

Would've loved to see Maitake (Hen of the Woods) mushroom jerky. It's incredible!

[@SammyNail]

He'd prolly dislike it because its not meat. Like a coward.

[@NixTheMouse]

Funnily enough, my favorite Seasoning so far has been just throwing the meat in Green olive brine, great flavor

[@ciarandonovan9336]

My mom uses an air fryer when making jerky she has only done it twice but it has been pretty good, what do you think of that method?

[@Damien2388]

Cant wait til you start shipping International. New Zealand!!

[@davidkomen5283]

Okay if you're using liquid smoke, what's wrong with hickory, sure I'd prefer white oak, or pecan, but there's nothing wrong with hickory.

[@thomp9054]

Did you have to stack the different meats in the dehydrater in a specific order to avoid possible cross contamination?

[@jamiegaudet6008]

Which meats actually turned out to be good out of all of those? Wouldn't mind seeing a list

[@BobaPhettamine]

Americans attempting to say Worcestershire always makes my day better.

[@murasakinokami9882]

Please drop the pronunciation 🙏🏽

[@jasonsheppard7911]

Hey Biltong! That’s a nice taste of home as a South African. Get the right spice? You’re in for one good time.

[@ReidemptionArc]

This will be fun

[@danielpedigo72]

I tried a Jerky from mexico that was extremely thin & was almost like leather but I loved it lol. I actually enjoyed the texture.

[@gysgt.sunshine3382]

I died laughing when you were talking about food safety and pulled out the pink salt. I thought it was pink sauce 😂

[@salty__kansan]

Now that you said humidity adds that tender touch to jerky couldn't you just add some water obviously separate in a metal bowl or my dehydrator has some fruit sheet attachments to maybe get that better texture.

[@mrdogccc]

I’ve made beef jerky before, and all my God is in amazing. Your is taste better than the brands when you make it like off making it you taste the brand and just think it doesn’t taste as good as it used to. It just doesn’t end that funny.

[@glennsheridan9678]

Any thoughts on pre or post dehydrate pasteurization?

[@krystofpopela7010]

Hello, Max. Would you consider using metric units in videos, please? I know it's easy to let numbers go throught some conventor on internet, but having it in video would make us, your audience not from US, very happy. Thanks

[@firmaneffendi2801]

Max the Jerk guy 😂 Love jerky for sure 😊