My Recipe for basic "hot/spicy" jerky:
4-5lbs "choice" lean, flank steak (or any cut of meat you have handy). (Cut with the grain-length wise, generally, about 1/8-1/4")
4 TBS onion powder
1 TBS blk pepper
1 (Heaping - kitchen TBS spoon) TBS of minced garlic
1 cup Worstechire sauce
1 cup Soy sauce
4 TBS hot sauce (I use Franks-but whatever floats your boat)
1 TBS red pepper flake
3 TBS liquid smoke
3 TBS cumin (I love this shit-adjust if you don't)
~3 TBS brown sugar (I use dark and don't measure-just pinch clumps in)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp (whatever flavor you like-I use ghost curry powder, but that is a custom blend from a spice house)... use 1 tsp whatever makes you happy.
I throw all the above seasoning in a 1 gal, heavy storage bag, which I sit, upright, in a platsic container (like Glad or whatever) in case of leaks. I shake or stir that stuff to make sure dry stuff is incorporated.
I slice the steak thin as mentioned, and throw them into marinade for 12-24 hrs or so, in fridge. Rotating bag to make sure all the meat gets flavorized. If I can do 24hrs, I flip bag over bags so everything gets
marinade and seasoning-like at least once every 12 hrs or so.
To cook:
Using oven, set at lowest heat (150 degrees or whatever) and prop oven door open with a wooden spoon for air circulation. Cooking time is 6-8 hrs or so-depends on how "chewy" or "dry" you like it.
Taste around 6 hrs. Decide from there. If everything cut evenly-it'll be pretty consistent. I now have a dehydrator (commercial, with 10 racks) I set on lowest for meat and check for chew/dryness from there.
Anyhoo-After marinading for 12-24, I usually pull meat onto a plate and dry the meat off with paper towels. For oven,
I use baking sheets with cookie racks in them.
After drying meat, I place meat strips along racks, until they are full-I do not worry about space between strips.
When rack are full-I grind, fresh, black pepper on all the strips. As much as you like.
I put them in oven and let them go 6 hrs or so, sample, and pull them when they are not leather, and not too chewy. The more they dehydrate-the longer they will keep. Jerky will generally keep weeks easily.
Weeks likely-but who doesn't pig out before then?! LOL.
After they are out of oven-you can give them a quick pat with paper towels to remove any moisture and fat (moisture is the killer of jerky-mold or bacteria need moisture to grow, and all that salt pisses them off too).
I store in same 1 gal storage bags with a couple paper towels to grab any fat/moisture they may shed. Let them cool before bagging-steam is moisture.
GOOD EATS!
Side note: You can flavor these however you like. This is my "base" recipe. if I want hot-I jack up the cayenne, red flake, and ghost seasoning. Get crazy. I am a fan of cumin. If smokey isn't your thing,
cut that back and maybe liquid smoke also. Sweeter? More brown sugar or even honey-whatever floats your boat. May take a batch or two, but you will find what works for you.
Add stuff or subtract for your tastes-cannot go wrong! It is always about "what you like." There is no wrong answer here IMO.
Hope you enjoy this!