Lamb Jerky
Ingredients
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- 2 pounds lamb leg, boneless – well trimmed of all surface fat and silverskin
- 1/2 cups soy sauce
- 1/4 cups Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar – packed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoons black pepper – freshly ground
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Instructions
1. Trim the lamb leg very well, removing external fat and silverskin. Freeze the meat until firm but not solid to make slicing easier, 30–45 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes until the sugar dissolves.
3. Slice the chilled lamb against the grain into 0.25-inch-thick strips (aim for even thickness). Add the strips to the marinade, toss to coat thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate 12–24 hours, stirring once halfway through.
4. Drain the lamb in a colander and pat each strip very dry with paper towels. Arrange strips in a single layer on dehydrator trays or on wire racks set over rimmed baking sheets.
5. Heat the strips to 160°F for safety: Place the racks in a 275°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until the thickest piece reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
6. Dry the jerky. If using a dehydrator, transfer the strips to the dehydrator and set to 160°F. If using the oven, reduce the oven to its lowest setting (160–175°F), prop the door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon, and keep the strips on the racks.
7. Dehydrate 3.5–6 hours, rotating trays and flipping strips halfway, until pieces are dry to the touch, darkened, and when bent they crack along the surface but do not snap. Thicker pieces may need up to 7 hours; begin checking at 3.5 hours.
8. Cool completely on the racks. Store in airtight containers: up to 1 week at cool room temperature, 3–4 weeks refrigerated, or 2–3 months frozen.
Lamb jerky is a lean, savory snack made by slicing, seasoning, and drying lamb until it becomes chewy, concentrated, and portable. The flavor balances the distinct richness of lamb with a salty-tangy marinade and gentle heat from spices, while the drying step intensifies its meaty depth. Properly dried, it bends and cracks without snapping, delivering a satisfying chew and a long shelf life.
The broader technique traces back to Indigenous preservation methods across the Americas and the Andean charqui, later becoming widely known as “jerky” in North America. While beef is most common today, many pastoral cultures dry mutton and lamb in various forms, from Central Asian air-dried meats to Southern African cured-and-dried styles. Lamb jerky adapts the American jerky approach to a different red meat, using lean leg cuts to manage fat for safe, stable drying.