Low sodium beef jerky

This low sodium beef jerky is prepared in a food dehydrator but it's still very smokey and peppery. A great snack for road trips or camping! The only sodium comes from the beef, but remember that it dries down to about half its weight so the sodium is a lot more concentrated.

 Servings: Makes 8 ounces

Sodium: 40 mg per ounce
 Time: 30 minutes prep, overnight marinating, then 90 minutes in the food dehydrator

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean beef (I used London broil), sliced into 1/8 inch pieces

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground mustard

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1) Cut the beef into 1/8 inch strips against the grain, and combine with all remaining ingredients. Beef is much easier to slice this thin if you have a good, sharp knife and the meat is partially frozen. I like to freeze the meat in advance, and then thaw it in the refrigerator a full 24 hours so that it's still firm all the way through, but easy to cut. Make sure to rub the spice mixture into each piece of beef. Refrigerate the marinated beef overnight.

2) Arrange the marinated strips of beef on the trays of a food dehydrator, making sure to lay each piece flat and not overlap any pieces. Take a look at the instructions on the user manual but use your judgment and check the jerky every 45 minutes or so. I have this Nesco food dehydrator and it takes me 90 minutes at 165°F to get the jerky dry but not hard. Here's the jerky when I've just loaded it onto the trays, after about 45 minutes, and then when they're done. Let the jerky cool completely and store in the refrigerator.