1. Once your meat is trimmed, we recommend you pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours to help firm it up. This will enable you to make more uniform cuts, which isn’t imperative but does make for nicer final presentation. When you get to slicing your meat, make sure you cut it in very thin strips against the grain. Cutting with the grain will result in tough cuts.
2. When you’ve got your meat sliced up, put it in your favorite marinade and leave it overnight. Some of our favorites are teriyaki sauce with red peppers, Italian dressing, or a good old fashioned dry rub. When pulling meat from the marinade, it’s best to blot your strips on a paper towel to allow them to dry out.
3. To bake your jerky, we recommend lining the bottom of your oven with foil and laying the jerky strips directly on your oven racks without overlapping (spray with non-stick cooking spray first!) Heat the oven to 175 degrees and keep the oven door cracked using a towel- this will allow moisture to escape, thus successfully dehydrating the meat. Let the jerky cook for about 8 hours, until you can bend the meat in half without breaking it.
4. To smoke your jerky, prepare your smoker for low heat and lightly oil the grate. Much like in the oven, lay the strips out on the grill without overlapping and let cook for 6-8 hours.

Let the meat cool properly before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge and voila! Homemade jerky, just the way you like it.