Dry Cure Southwest Beef Jerky

This was my first experiment with dry cure jerky. It's a peppery jerky with the flavors of chili. The beef sold as "fajita meat" works perfectly for jerky; it's lean and in good-sized slices. Prep time includes seasoning the beef overnight. Serving size is approximate - how much can you eat at one time?

• Ready In: 15 hrs
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3  tablespoons chili powder
• 2  teaspoons cumin
• 1⁄2-3⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2  lbs  sliced lean beef (I use the beef labeled as "fajita meat")

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and really rub the dry ingredients into the grain of the meat; really get it worked in Cover and marinate overnight.
2. If you have a dehydrator, by all means use it.
3. My oven method: Place aluminum foil on oven rack.
4. Preheat oven to 170 degrees F (that's as low as my oven will go--).
5. Put meat on baking racks then set on the foiled oven rack to dry.
6. Prop the oven door open with an oven mitt to allow moisture to escape.
7. In my oven, it takes about 7 hours for complete drying; slightly less if you use very thin slices (mine are about 1/4 inch thick).