This is so good and easy to make! And it’s weirdly deep-fried, too.
Thai beef jerky is very different than typical American jerky in that it’s not totally dehydrated and definitely needs to be refrigerated. Like other cooked foods, I wouldn’t recommend keeping it longer than 3 days in the refrigerator—if it doesn’t all get eaten before then.
Note that the recipe calls for dehydrating the meat in a 120-degree F. oven. In my experience, modern electronic ovens don’t accommodate such a low temperature. Our oven’s minimum temp is 180, for example. If this is the case with your oven, you’ll either have to improvise to keep the temp at 120 degrees, or use a dehydrator, which is actually the best tool for this.
This recipe is from shesimmers.com, by way of Serious Eats.
What you’ll need
- 1 lb. top round steak, cut into strips about 4 inches long, 0.5-inch wide, and 0.25-inch thick
- 2T fish sauce
- 1T dark or light soy sauce
- 2t sugar
- 0.5t ground white (or black) pepper
- Neutral oil for frying
What to do
If you don’t have a dehydrator, heat the oven to 120°F and set a rack in the middle of it. Spread out the beef strips on a large cookie sheet and let them dry out in the oven for one hour. Turn the beef strips over and let them dry for another hour.
If you have a dehydrator, set it for 120 degrees and dehydrate the meat for 2 hours.
You’ll know the beef strips are ready when their surface is dry to the touch and the texture is still somewhat soft and elastic. When they’re done, put the meat strips in a mixing bowl.
Begin heating about 2 inches of oil in a medium saucepan. Line a plate with paper towels to put the meat on when it’s done frying.
Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl and pour it over the beef strips. Toss the meat so every piece is covered in the seasoning sauce.
You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you put a wooden skewer or chopstick into the oil, making sure the tip of the wooden skewer touches the bottom of the pan. If you see tiny bubbles rising from the point where the wooden skewer touches the pan, the oil is ready—this is about 325 degrees.
Shake the excess seasoning sauce off of the beef strips and fry them in batches for about a minute for each batch. Remove the meat with a wire spider and put it on the paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
Serve the fried beef with a hot sauce, spring roll sauce or whatever sauce works best for you.
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