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Sales of jerky and beef sticks more than quadrupled between 1995 and 2006. We don’t have statistics on homemade jerky, but given how easy it is to make, we’re surprised that more people don’t make their own—especially when there‘s a good sale on beef.

Making jerky is a great way to preserve meat when you have more than you can immediately eat. That’s why our ancestors learned to make jerky thousands of years ago! Today we’re blessed with freezers; but instead of freezing that extra meat, make jerky.

All you need are the meat, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, liquid smoke and honey. The equipment: just two resealable plastic bags, a cooking rack, tin foil and an oven or food dehydrator.

After you’ve made the basic recipe in this video, you can get creative with flavoring. And remember: The more tender the cut of meat you use, the more tender the jerky will be.

If you love your jerky, your friends and family will love it too. It might become your signature gift.

Find more of our favorite beef recipes.