Sweet-and-Spicy Beef Jerky

Many cuts of beef make fine jerky—the key is getting meat with very little interior fat to reduce the risk of spoilage. It’s easy to remove fat from around the outside of the meat, but cutting it out of the center leaves odd, ragged pieces. Freezing steak slightly makes it easier to cut thin slices. Try to cut each slice at an even thickness so each one will dry at the same time. If some pieces are thicker, pound them with a meat mallet to an even thickness.