Beef jerky is a thin cut of beef that has been dehydrated in an oven for the purposes of preservation and storage. The Nuwave Oven is an electric, counter top oven that utilizes infrared technology to cook various types of food more quickly than a traditional oven. With the proper preparation and setting, you can use a Nuwave to dehydrate beef strips and ultimately make beef jerky.
Remove the fat from the meat with a sharp knife. Fat spoils quickly, so you want to remove as much of the fat as possible before you dehydrate the meat.
Pound the beef into one thin piece. Aim for the thickness of the meat to be no more than 1/4 inch.
Cut the beef into 4-inch strips.
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Mix together your choice of jerky marinade. You can either make one at home with various oils, herbs, citrus and spices, or you can purchase a pre-made marinade, such as a teriyaki marinade, from your local store.
Add the beef strips into the bowl of marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Place the beef strips on the Nuwave cooking rack.
Set your Nuwave oven to power level 2, which corresponds to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal temperature for dehydrating the beef into jerky.
Leave the strips in the oven for six hours. After three hours, carefully open the Nuwave oven and turn the beef strips over with kitchen tongs.
Turn off the Nuwave oven after six hours and allow the beef jerky to come to room temperature.
Tip
Even though the Nuwave oven claims to cook items faster than a conventional oven, you still need to cook the jerky on 150 degrees Fahrenheit, which is power level 2. You cannot adjust the cooking time to try to cook the jerky more quickly, otherwise it will burn the beef rather than dehydrating it, making it unsuitable for eating or storing.
You can store homemade beef jerky for one to two months without refrigeration.
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Jessica Jewell is a writer, photographer and communications consultant who began writing professionally in 2005. Her chapbook, "Slap Leather," is forthcoming from dancing girl press. Her recent work has appeared in "Nimrod," "Harpur Palate," "Copper Nickel," "Rhino," "wicked alice," "Poetry Midwest" and "Barn Owl Review." Jewell was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from Kent State University.