DIY: Healthy Beef Jerky

Ingredients

3 pounds beef sirloin
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Wooden toothpicks

Directions

1. Pop the sirloin in the freezer for about 30 - 45 minutes; this will make slicing it easier. Whisk together the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, black pepper and garlic and set aside.
2. Remove the brisket from the freezer. Slicing with the grain, slice the beef into strips as thin as possible (1/8-1/4 inch slices). Place all the beef slices in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over. Seal the bag and squish and move the strips around to evenly coat the beef. Place the beef in the fridge and marinate for 24 hours.
3. Take both of your oven racks out of the oven. Set one rack aside and place the other over your kitchen sink. Line the bottom of the oven with foil (to catch drips) and preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Drain the marinade from the bag. Take a beef strip and stick a wooden toothpick through it near the top (typically 1/4 inch from the top). The toothpick is used to suspend the beef strip as it hangs from the wires of the oven rack. Place the beef strip between two wires of the oven rack so the beef strip is suspended and hanging into the sink. Repeat with remaining strips. The beef strips can be hung close to one another, but should not touch one another. The entire batch should fill a standard oven rack.
5. Open the oven door and carefully slide your filled rack onto the top rung of the oven. Close the door and let the beef cook for 3 hours. At this point, begin checking/tasting the beef to see if it is to your liking. This will depend upon how thin your slices are and how chewy vs. dry you prefer your jerky. It could take anywhere from 3 - 4 hours.
6. Remove the jerky from the oven and store in the fridge or a cool area for easy snacking!

Of course, you can play around with this recipe and try different flavors and seasonings!

Source: adapted from eatingrules.com and bonappetit.com