Beef Heart Jerky

A few months ago I was given a new food dehydrator and I love it! Making jerky is so much cheaper than buying, particularly when you are getting the kind that is AIP/Paleo compliant. It’s also just so much better for you than store bought brands, particularly if you use organ meat like beef heart! Jerky is perfect for travelling. Keep it on hand for those days when you’ve got a million things to do and you need something fast to fill you or your kids. Using a dehydrator makes it so easy to make! Here’s how I make mine. I use beef heart here but you could really make it with just about any cut of beef. Like most things I make, I keep this really simple. You can easily add other spices if your diet and taste buds allow and using fresh onions, garlic and ginger will likely add flavour. I’m just all about saving time!

Beef Heart Jerky (AIP, Paleo)

Ingredients: 1 large beef heart

For the marinade:

• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (omit for AIP)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

Instructions:

Prep the marinade in a bowl, pouring in all ingredients and mixing well. Next, remove membrane from around beef heart. Slice heart into slices approximately 1/4″ thick. Place sliced heart into a flat dish and pour marinade over. The marinade will not cover all the meat so you will need to occasionally stir the beef in the marinade over the next several hours to ensure it all gets coated and has a chance to soak up the marinade flavours. Cover the beef and marinade and place in fridge to marinate for 12-24 hours, stirring once in a while. Once marinating is complete, using your dehydrator, place beef strips on trays, leaving a small amount of space between each strip to ensure even cooking/drying. Turn on dehydrator to approximately 158 degrees F and set timer for 6 hours. After 6 hours, check texture of meat. It should be dry but still slightly chewy. If it’s still moist cook for another one to two hours, checking every hour. The beef I made in this picture I cooked for 8 and a half hours. Remove jerky from dehydrator and place in air tight container or zip lock bag. The jerky is fine at room temperature for a few hours but I would store it otherwise in your fridge. It will last for at least three weeks if in fridge, though it never lasts that long in our home!