How to make beef jerky. This recipe is enough for about 3 pounds of meat, which will dehydrate down to about 16-18 ounces. While beef is what most people are familiar with, just about any firm meat can be made into jerky. If there are any hunters in your family, try venison. Turkey breast or firm fish such as salmon or tuna also make excellent snacks. Simply slice your choice of meat thinly (usually 1/8") with the grain. This is a bit trickier with fish, so I highly recommend freezing it halfway first. Freezing will make slicing all meats easier. Note: You can also use ground meats for jerky in which case you can forego the marinade and use a dry spice rub instead. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a large (gallon size or larger) plastic zipper bag. Add sliced meat and refrigerate, turning and mixing every hour or two. Hearty meats like beef and venison should be marinated overnight. For turkey, salmon or tuna, 3-4 hours is usually plenty. Don't marinate ground meats. When ready to begin drying, place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to aid in cleanup. Drain meat in a colander and pat dry with paper towels (the drier the better at this point). Set the oven at the lowest temperature setting and carefully place the meat slices directly onto the oven racks. Leave the oven door open a crack to allow moisture to escape. Drying times vary due to oven differences and meat size. Perfect jerky is firm and dry and not at all spongy. However, if your jerky is so dry it breaks in two easily, it's probably over-dried.