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1 pound or more lean beef (or whatever you have), sliced into 1/8 inch strips
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
Directions
In a small bowl or cup, mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, and some cracked black pepper. Season the meat lightly, using only part of the mixture. Reserve the remaining spices. Place into an airtight plastic container or bowl, and refrigerate. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and pineapple juice. Heat until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Pour over the meat, and mix by hand to coat really well. Seal the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to marinate.
Arrange the beef strips on the rack of a dehydrator, and sprinkle with a little bit more of the spice mixture and red pepper flakes if using. Dry for 5 hours, or to your desired dryness.
Just in case you want to dry your jerky and not put in the smoker (I know, who would do that?) then you can add about 5 tablespoons of liquid smoke to the wet part of the recipe to add that oh, so important smoke flavor.
we made some venison jerky that had (real) maple syrup and hot sauce as the main ingredients and it was fantastic. I will try to get the recipe from my friend.