How to Make Delicious Beef Jerky from Beef Heart and Liver - Mytour

Beef jerky is a familiar side dish at casual gatherings. This dish has a delicious aroma and unique taste, often enjoyed with various salads, mixes, or bread. If you love this snack, why not make it with an easy and authentic recipe for beef jerky shared by Mytour below. 

1. What is beef jerky made from?

Beef jerky is a dish specifically distinguished from regular beef jerky. While regular beef jerky is made from meat, beef jerky is typically made from beef liver and heart, usually from the liver. The process of making beef jerky is quite simple. After cleaning the liver, it is marinated with soy sauce, oil, and other ingredients. Then it is stir-fried and roasted until the liver becomes dry, resulting in a flavorful and enticing dish.

If you've got beef heart but aren't sure what to make with it, try this recipe right away!

Black beef jerky, with its characteristic dark color, offers a sweet, fatty, chewy taste that many adore. It's perfect for mixing into salads, making rice paper rolls, or adding to Vietnamese-style stew.

Currently, there are various types of black beef jerky on the market, some made from pork lungs marinated with harmful chemicals to mimic beef liver. To ensure food safety, choose sources with clear origins and proper hygiene. Ideally, if you have the time, prepare and process the ingredients yourself. Compared to making beef jerky from meat, making black beef jerky is equally simple with just the right recipe, allowing you to enjoy restaurant-quality dishes at home.

2. How to Make Black Beef Jerky

2.1 Ingredients for Making Black Beef Jerky

• 500g beef heart
• 300g beef liver
• Various marinating powders such as sesame, garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, cloves, chili powder, cinnamon powder, honey
• Seasonings: Oyster sauce, soy sauce, soybean oil, pepper, brown sugar, minced garlic, dried chili...

2.2 Steps to Make Black Beef Jerky

Step 1: Prepare beef heart and liver

After purchasing beef liver and heart, place them in a small basin with a little warm water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Soak for 2 minutes. After soaking, rinse thoroughly with cold water until all blood is removed. Drain the beef heart and liver.

Step 2: Making Black Beef Jerky Sauce

Prepare the sauce according to the following recipe: 1 tablespoon soybean oil, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ginger powder, ½ tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, ¼ tablespoon cinnamon powder, ¼ tablespoon cloves, 1 tablespoon honey. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

After draining excess water from the beef heart and liver, slice them thinly and place them in a plastic bag. Then add the entire mixed sauce into the bag. Use your hands to gently massage the seasoning into the meat. Let marinate for 1 hour.

Step 3: Making Beef Liver and Heart Jerky

Heat a pan, add a little oil, and sauté 1 tablespoon minced garlic until fragrant. Slowly add the marinated beef liver and heart to the pan and stir-fry evenly over high heat. Stir-fry until dark, then add the remaining sauce to the pan. Occasionally turn the pieces for the sauce to penetrate the liver and heart.

Continue frying the beef liver and heart on the stove for 20 minutes. When the liquid in the pan has dried up and the liver and heart turn black, you've completed the process. Then reduce the heat and let the black beef jerky dry completely. Remember to continuously stir at medium heat during frying, avoiding high heat.

Step 4: Toasting Sesame Seeds

Heat a pan over low heat, add white sesame seeds, and stir for 2-3 minutes until the seeds turn brown and occasionally crackle.

Tip: If you prefer not to toast sesame seeds in a pan, you can spread them on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8-15 minutes at 175°C.

After toasting, sprinkle the sesame seeds over the black beef jerky. If you like more sesame seeds, you can sprinkle more. Then place the black beef jerky in the oven and bake for 4 minutes at 200°C.

3. Finished Delicious Black Beef Jerky

After heating, the black beef jerky emits a fragrant aroma of sesame. Its characteristic black color comes from the seasoning, not from overcooking. When eaten, it has a chewy, crispy texture, with the richness of sesame, the deep sweetness of the seasoning blending with the inherent taste of the liver and heart. After making, you can enjoy it hot or store it in a glass jar, keeping it in the refrigerator and consuming it within a month.

Especially delicious when paired with green papaya salad or used in rice paper rolls, sandwiches. You can enjoy it as is, accompanied by a little beer or wine. It's perfect for gatherings with friends or parties at home. With a lower cost and similar taste, it can replace traditional beef jerky.

4. Notes on Making Black Beef Jerky

So, this is one of those delicious beef dishes that's quite easy to make, isn't it? However, besides following the recipe correctly, you need to pay attention to some things when selecting ingredients and processing. Specifically:

• How to buy beef heart: Choose hearts that are bright red, with a shiny surface. When touched, they should be soft, with the heart membrane still sticking to the heart muscle. Pressing on it, you should feel its elasticity and see some fresh pink fluid coming out. Especially avoid buying hearts that are soft, dark black, or pale in color, with yellowish fluid coming out. When sniffed, they have a foul smell, are abnormally swollen, and have a rough surface with blood clots.
• How to buy beef liver: It's best to choose beef livers that are still bright red and evenly colored. Choose whole livers with a beautiful appearance, without any lumps or swollen glands. Avoid choosing livers that are dark or have a yellowish hue.

We hope with the recipe for making black beef jerky suggested by Mytour Blog here, you'll gain more experience in cooking delicious dishes for your family and friends. Don't forget to follow Mytour for more enticing cooking recipes!

Check out more ways to make beef jerky for some super enticing snacks:

• How to make beef jerky using a pan
• How to make beef jerky using an air fryer