Bulgogi-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky #AppleWeek #Sponsored

This post written by me on behalf of NordicWare, a sponsor of #AppleWeek. 

Products for recipe development and review were provided; prizes were donated for the giveaway, 
and this page may contain affiliate links.

Another great list of recipes for #AppleWeek! I am so grateful for Carlee of Cooking with Carlee for organizing this fantastic event and gathering a wonderful line-up of event sponsors. I have bushels and bushels of recipes that I can't wait to try. How about you? Have you been inspired this week?

Please be sure to check out my introduction post and enter the giveaway.

Thursday Recipes

• Apple & Chipotle Candied Bacon Deviled Eggs by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck 
• Apple and Plum Crumble by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
• Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette by Everyday Eileen
• Apple Sausage Skewers by The Cookaholic Wife
• Apple Pie Granola by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Apple Pie Jam by Tip Garden
• Apple Jamon Fontina Grilled Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Easiest Apple Strudel Recipe by The Anthony Kitchen
• Baked Apple Pancake by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Banana Apple Curry Soup by The Saucy Fig
• Bavarian Sauerkraut by Palatable Pastime
• Bourbon Apple Fizz Cocktail by Girl Abroad
• Bulgogi-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky by Culinary Adventures With Camilla
• Butterscotch Apple Oat Cookies by Family Around the Table
• Caramel Apple Salad by Daily Dish Recipes
• Caramelized Apple Wheatberry Porridge with Pepitas and Cranberries by The Baking Fairy
• Chai Spiced Apple Waffles by Jonesin' For Taste
• Cider Glazed Roast Chicken by Kate's Recipe Box
• Creamy Apple Cider Chicken Skillet by House of Nash Eats
• Chicken Sausage Stuffed Baked Apples by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cinnamon Sponge Charlotte Cake With Caramel Apples by Cooking With Carlee
• Creamy Beet & Apple Salad by Savory Moments
• Copy Cat Dairy Queen Apple Pie Blizzard  by An Affair from the Heart
• French Apple Cake by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Glazed Chocolate Chip Apple Cake by Who Needs A Cape?
• Grandma's Apple Butter by The Freshman Cook
• Granny Smith Pizza by Jolene's Recipe Journal 
• Instant Pot Apple Butter  by Soulfully Made
• Pan Apple Mini Cakes by Seduction in the Kitchen
• Pork Tacos with Sweet Apple Slaw  by The Redhead Baker
• Quick Applesauce for One by Shockingly Delicious 
• Turkey Breast Roulade with Apple, Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing by Books n' Cooks

Bulgoki-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky

We love beef bulgogi. I was first introduced to bulgogi when I was in college in Berkeley and my parents came to visit. We were looking for somewhere casual to eat and stumbled across a food court just a block away from campus. I was a vegetarian at the time, but my dad ordered bulgogi; my mom opted for the bibimbap; and I went for the jap chae. The restaurant became a family favorite and every time my parents visited, we went there. Eventually I was drawn back to being an omnivore and came to love bulgogi, too. Yum.

When I have time, I make my own. But there's a Korean restaurant in town that is my go-to with my own family when we need a delicious, filling dinner. When I walk in, the owner greets me and asks, "Bulgogi and Jap Chae?" Yes, please!

So, when I received the Oven Crisp Baking Tray that I used from NordicWare* for this event, I decided to try my hand at a bulgogi-inspired oven beef jerky. Suffice it to say that recipe testing was crucial to this recipe. I tried three times before I got the temperature and time ratio correct. Then I did it twice more...just to be sure! This recipe uses apples to tenderize the meat during the marination process.

Ingredients

Jerky

• 2 to 3 pounds thinly sliced sirloin (here's a secret: I get the butcher to slice it for me!)
• Also needed: Oven Crisp Baking Tray or baking sheets with cooling racks nestled inside of them

Marinade

• 6 T gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
• 3 T organic dark brown sugar
• 2 T rice wine (mirin)
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 organic onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 1 organic apple, peeled and grated (traditionally it's made with pears, but I tried it with apples a few times before posting this)
• 1 t fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/8 t ground black pepper

Procedure

Marinade

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Place the meat in a container (I used a flat, lidded glass container) and pour the sauce over the top. Hopefully the meat is completely submerged. If not, you'll need to turn the meat every couple of hours. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for, at least, 6 hours.

Jerky

When you're ready to oven-dry the jerky, remove beef from the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. If your oven thermostat allows, preheat oven to 175°F. Mine has a bottom temp of 200°F, so I set it at that, then leave the door propped open during drying.

Brush oil on the oven tray or wire racks and line the inside of the pans with foil for easier clean-up

Remove the meat from the marinade and gently blot away any excess marinade with paper towels. Arrange the meat strips side-by-side across the trays or racks, leaving a little bit of space between strips.

Place the trays in the oven and cook until completely dry. The drying time varies greatly with the thickness and moistness of the meat...and also how chewy or dry you like it. At 200°F with the door propped open on my oven, mine took just 2 hours. The time depends on the thickness and moistness of the meat and how chewy you want the jerky to be. 

It should be dry, darker in color, and break gently when bent. If it snaps when you bend it, it's overdone. And remember: the jerky will firm up as it cools. 

Blot any residual moisture from the jerky with paper towels and cool completely on the racks before storing. You can store the jerky in an airtight container. I have read that beef prepared this way will last 2 to 3 months. But my batches never lasted more than three days with the happy omnivores noshing on them whenever they walked by the kitchen!

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*Disclosure: I received products for recipe development and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the manufacturers of this product or the organizers of #AppleWeek.