I was at the grocery store a couple of days ago and bought an armload of habanero peppers. I couldn’t resist. They were bright orange and shiny. Just their appearance promised a mouth-burning heat.
The habanero is a small, extremely hot chile pepper grown in Mexico, Latin America and parts of the United States. How hot is it? A jalapeno pepper checks in between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville, or heat, units. The habanero can be 100 times hotter than a jalapeno.
Habaneros are typically eaten in salsas or stews, but I wanted to pair it with one of my favorite trail treats – beef jerky.
Jerky is an outsider’s dream snack. Beef jerky is a great source of protein and high in many vitamins and minerals, including zinc, iron, vitamin B12, phosphorus and folate. It has a long shelf life and is easily storable and portable; it’s easily stashed in a pocket or pack and ready to hit the trail.
The best cuts of beef for jerky are extremely lean. I prefer top round, bottom round and eye of round. Excess fat reduces shelf life because it spoils more quickly than the meat. Also, the dehydrating process turns fat on the exterior of the jerky to gristle.
I have one tip about the habaneros. Wear some sort of glove when slicing or handling chopped habaneros. You don’t want to get the oil on your fingers and then rub your eyes with those fingers. Believe me.
Here is the recipe for habanero jerky I have come up with over the years using a food dehydrator, top round beef and lots of habaneros:
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds lean beef
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Pinch of salt
Habaneros. This is where it’s up to the individual. I used 10 habaneros. You can slice them or use a food chopper. I used a food chopper to get them chopped up extremely fine. The resulting jerky has a sweet, peppery taste with a volcanic slow afterburn. If you can’t handle the heat, scale back on the peppers. For the faint of heart I suppose the traditional teaspoon of red pepper flakes would do. But come on. This is habanero jerky!
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix all ingredients except beef and place into a gallon zip-top bag.
- Trim the beef of any excess fat. Place in the freezer for two hours. This doesn’t thoroughly freeze the beef, but it makes it much easier to slice thinly.
- Slice the beef into thin strips – ¼-inch maximum. Slicing with the grain will produce chewy or tough jerky, while slicing against the grain makes for a softer, less chewy snack.
- Place the strips of beef in the bag and move it all around to distribute the yummy marinade all over. Refrigerate for four hours.
- Follow the manufacturer’s directions for your dehydrator for beef placement and drying time. My dehydrator’s instructions said to dry for four hours. I pulled it out 15 minutes shy of four hours. I wish I had given it the extra 15 minutes.
- Once dry, you can store the jerky in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three months. But seriously, won’t it be eaten in two days?
There you have it. It’s oh so good and fun to make. Enjoy!
