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  • HOME
    • My Story
    • Contact Me
  • BLOG
  • WE LOVE
  • RECIPES
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfast
    • Chocolate
    • Dinner
    • Gluten Free
    • Granola
    • Make Ahead Meals
    • Mexican Favorites
    • Sugar Free
  • RESOURCES
    • Canning
    • Dehydrating
    • Frugal Living
    • Gardening
    • Meal Planning
    • Old Fashion Living
    • Raising Chickens
    • Small Business Dir. >
      • Submit Your Business
    • PROJECTS >
      • Crafts & Gifts
      • Holidays >
        • Christmas
        • Halloween
        • Mother's Day
        • Valentine's Day
      • Photography
    • Winter Sowing

Blog

Smoked Beef Jerky Seasoning

1/28/2026

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🔥 Homemade Smoked Beef Jerky Seasoning 🔥

After a lot of testing, I finally dialed in my go-to dry beef jerky rub — no liquid marinade, no soy sauce, no nonsense. Just beef, meat tenderizer, and this seasoning. Savory, smoky, and perfectly balanced.

🧂 Smoked Jerky Seasoning (Pint Jar)
Mix together:
  • 3 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 4 Tbsp fine sea salt
  • 4 Tbsp granulated garlic
  • 4 Tbsp granulated onion
  • 3 Tbsp coarse black pepper
  • 2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2–3 tsp brown sugar (optional, very subtle)
  • 4 tsp tomato powder (optional - but it does add some richness)

Stir well, jar it up, and shake before using.

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🥩 How I Use It for Beef Jerky (Dry Rub Method)
Meat:
Top or bottom round, thinly sliced
Equipment: Dehydrator
For 1 lb of beef:
1½–2 tsp meat tenderizer
2½–3 tsp jerky seasoning

  1. Toss beef evenly with tenderizer and seasoning
  2. Let rest 30–45 minutes max (don’t go longer or it gets mushy)
  3. Lay slices flat on dehydrator trays (no overlap)

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⏱️ Dehydrator Instructions
Temperature:
160°F
Time: 4–6 hours (depends on slice thickness)

Jerky is done when it bends and cracks but doesn’t snap.
Let it rest 4–6 hours before storing — flavor gets even better.
No liquid, no mess, just pure beef flavor with a smoky kick.
This one’s a keeper. 🥩🔥

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Dehydrating Refried Beans

5/13/2022

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I get so giddy using our Excalibur Food Dehydrators. Today I am drying 10 cups of homemade refried beans. Saves room in my freezer, I know every ingredient that’s in it, and it will make taco night so much more fun. Since there is only two of us, I can rehydrate just enough for that meal and not have to worry about losing the rest of it in the fridge (I can’t be the only one this happens to.)
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Dehydrating Black Beans

3/29/2022

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Cooked the Black beans in the Instant Pot for 45 minutes, then pureed some and left some whole. Waited until they were cool and placed on trays​ and dehydrated on 135° for 12+ hours depending on how thick you put on the trays.

Result is amazing and I think this is how I am going to do beans from now on. So easy to rehydrate and use in recipes, especially the pureed ones. I measure out how much I want to use and add 1 1/2 the amount of hot water (i.e. 1/2 cup pureed beans, 3/4 cup of water). More or less to your liking. I like my beans a little on the runny side so I can spread them out easily on tortillas. If you like them more firm, add less water. Let sit for 15 minutes, stir, and adjust to your liking.
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Dehydrating Cooked Shredded Pork

2/22/2022

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Okay, I know you are probably wondering, why in the world would someone dehydrate meat that isn't for jerky? Well, I'm gonna tell you. I can store it on the shelf (if stored properly), it frees up space in my freezer (this is a big one for us), it is travel friendly, and it uses less canning jars (which less face it, that's a big one).

Last week Pork Shoulder was on sale for $1.29 a pound. We have been trying to buy more meats but with the prices going up, it has been getting difficult to stock up. So I bought a little over 8 pounds and took it home, put it in my Instant Pot with some veggies and water, and set it for 3 hours. I got an amazing bone broth (cause ours was bone-in) and then shredded the rest for that night's dinner and the rest got shredded really small and put in the dehydrator.
Safely Dehydrating Meat: Dry only lean meats and blot off any oil during the drying process. It is the fat in meat that can turn rancid as it reacts over time with oxygen. Heat and light accelerate oxidation, so store in a cupboard away from heat.
​Storing Dehydrated Meat: As long as the meat you dry is low-fat, it will keep well in jars with oxygen absorbers or in jars that are vacuum sealed with the FoodSaver accessory. I have stored dehydrated meat for up to a year in jars. If you want to go longer than a year, or if you just want peace of mind, you can vacuum seal the dried meat in vacuum bags, and place the meat in the freezer. When taking dried food out of the freezer, allow the food to return to room temperature before opening the bag. Otherwise, condensation may form on the food.
Excerpts taken from www.backpackingchef.com
I dehydrated it on the silicone trays at 155° for 4-6 hours. Checking it and testing the doneness. This batch was relatively clean with not a lot of oil and fat resting on top of the pieces. That doesn't mean it didn't have any in it. Once I "squished" a piece between my fingers and there definitely was a little oil that was left of my fingers. Since we are going to be using this over the next month or so, I am not going to be too worried about this going rancid before I can use it.

For extra safety I will be vacuum sealing my jars and adding oxygen absorbers. I will also be keeping mine in our closed pantry that is quite cool (especially this time of year).
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