2 lb Beef brisket
1/3 c Soy sauce
2 cl Garlic; crushed
1/8 ts Salt
1/8 ts Pepper
1 1/2 ts Brown sugar
Toothpicks
Look for a good lean trimmed brisket, or have your
butcher trim it for you. You want to get as much fat
trimmed off as possible. At home, trim again to get all
the fat off. A bottom round can be used, but brisket is
better.
With a very sharp knife or electric knife, cut into thin
(1/8") strips the length of the brisket.
Combine soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour
over strips and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. You can
marinate longer in the refrigerator, but the longer the
stronger. Sometimes I substitute liquid smoke for the
soy and just brush it on instead of letting it stand.
Because you are just drying the meat instead of cooking,
the liquid smoke can be too strong if you marinate.
Stick a toothpick through the end of each strip. Put a
rack in the top most part of the oven. Place a shallow
baking pan covered with foil below the rack (to catch
drippings.)
Arrange the strips, hanging down through the rack with
toothpicks across the rack bars. Keep them separated and
not touching each other.
Set oven @ 150°F/66°C and leave for 8 to 10 hours. If
your oven is too hot, leave the door slightly ajar.
Drying time will vary depending on humidity and fat
content of meat. When drying is complete, the fat will
not be dripping from meat anymore. If still dripping,
let dry some more.
Once removed from the oven, cool and store in an open
container to allow drying to continue; seal the
container to preserve further drying.
