Home Run Jerky

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Cut a couple of pounds of meat (I buy rump roasts, etc. when I find them on sale and always have a couple in the freezer for making jerky -- we use an electric meat slicer and slice the semi-frozen roasts into thin slices for marinating before dehydrating) into 1/4-inch strips and marinate a minimum of one day in the above mixture.

Shake excess moisture from the strips, string them out on cake racks or oven racks (or in the dehydrator) and let cook for 5 to 6 hours at 175�F (I find that thinly sliced meat dehydrates in about 3 to 4 hours on high). Remove from oven, blot with paper towels. When cool, you can store this in old mayonnaise jars or in plastic bags.

Increase the marinade ingredients for larger batches of jerky. For spicy jerky, add some Tabasco and/or minced jalapeno to marinade. You can also sprinkle marinated meat with freshly cracked black pepper, cayenne and finely minced jalapeno. I also like to add some crushed garlic to the marinade.