This lamb jerky is seasoned with oregano, soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic and onion, a great alternative to beef and perfect for healthy snacking.
This post is sponsored by The American Lamb Board.
When we went out west two years ago to hike through Zion, Bryce and the slot canyons, I pretty much subsisted on jerky and Clif bars.
When it comes down to it, it’s really all you need to keep your body going, protein + carbs.
The problem was, I swear the amount we spent on packaged jerky rivaled the cost of the flight out there. Decent jerky is pricy!
Sure, you can buy that stuff in the gas station/convenience store (I’ll refrain from naming names but we all know the yellow/red packaging I’m talking about) but among all packaged foods sold at a place where you also fuel up your car, that’s one of the top 5 scariest in my opinion. Is it even meat?
My sister in law ended up buying grass fed, local jerky and meat sticks from a farm stand, I showed up with only brands I trusted and when we laid out our spread (an entire backpack full) for the 5 days of rigorous hiking my brother had planned for us out on the hotel bed the first day.
I’m pretty sure we could’ve paid for the downpayment of a house with the amount we instead invested in jerky for that trip.
I got my act together after that and started experimenting with jerky making at home with this buffalo sauce beef jerky and came to realize just how easy and affordable homemade jerky actually is.
You can be the least experienced cook out there and be able to do this. You basically just dry meat. The end.
And while a dehydrator is nice to have, it’s not necessary at all and you can definitely use your oven with just as much success.
Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend with some blogging girlfriends at Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah.
I’d never been to a ski slope in the summer and assumed there wouldn’t be much to do (although I was content to just take in the amazing mountainous Utah views from our room), but was pleasantly surprised there was actually a whole web of mountain bike and hiking trails that weaved their way up and down from the resort to the summit opening up a treasure chest of summer activity for those of us who wanted to explore. (me, me!)
We went on a few group hikes which were a little more low key but Kita, Justine and I decided to take a few free hours on our last day and hike to the summit for a bit more of a workout and of course, the views.
With about 2,500 feet of elevation gain, a few missing trail signs, a few more wrong turns, the blazing sun (there wasn’t a cloud in the sky the 3 days we were there!) and the fact that we only really had 2 hours to complete this adventure, you know what I could’ve used?
Some jerky.
And the water I was too stubborn to bring with me since I didn’t want to carry anything.
Rookie move.
So between trying to read the map (let’s just say their hiking trail maps need some improvement) to get us down the mountain before sunset, taking in the views like Silver Lake (below) and avoiding moose on the trail (she was literally like 10 feet from us just chowing down on some foliage for dinner), I started thinking about this lamb jerky.
I figured if Trader Joe’s can turn bacon into jerky, I can turn delicious American lamb into it as well.
With beef jerky you usually use a flank cut, with lamb jerky, I used a large boneless leg that I trimmed of all fat.
The concept is totally the same, thinly slice the meat (freezing it for an hour or so before you slice is super helpful in getting nice thin slices), marinate/season it how you like and then dry it! Easy peasy.
I went with a bit of a Greek approach using oregano, garlic and onion in this seasoning but combined with soy sauce and worcestershire, it’s still got that traditional jerky taste you’re used to.
It came out wonderfully. Ulysses wouldn’t stop eating it straight out of the oven/dehydrator as I portioned it out into baggies for an easy grab and go, lean, high protein snack whether I’m headed to the gym or the trails.
The American Lamb Board is hosting a fun summer contest (#summerlambventures) to find out if you’re a Fit Foodie, Global Griller, Outdoor Adventurer or Patio Party Planner. Document and share your summer bucket list challenges for a chance to win all sorts of awesome prizes. There are some pretty awesome gift cards up for grabs for each personality as well as a grand prize of $2,000 to help pay off your summer fun! Contest ends August 28, 2016 so get out there and live summer up!
I ended up being a Fit Foodie but I swear I hover between that, Global Griller and Outdoor Adventurer. If I could CrossFit on a mountain in a foreign country, that’d pretty much be my ideal summer challenge! Of course, with some of this lamb jerky in my back pocket.
Love this recipe for lamb jerky?
Try my Buffalo Sauce Beef Jerky!
Lamb Jerky
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds boneless leg of American lamb, trimmed of all fat
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the trimmed American lamb in the freezer for about 1 hour to make it easier to slice.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
- Remove the lamb from the freezer and thinly slice so the grain is running lengthwise.
- Place a layer of slices in a 9×13 dish.
- Brush the seasoning over the lamb slices.
- Continue layering the meat and brushing the seasoning on. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
For dehydrator option:
- Place the marinated lamb slices on racks of a dehydrator and dehydrate at 145 degrees for 6 hours until dried and crispy.
For oven option:
- Heat oven to 175 degrees. Use convection option if you have it.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top.
- Place the lamb slices on the rack in a single layer, do not overlap.
- Bake for 4 hours until dried and crispy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I’ve made beef, venison and salmon jerky….
And they both turned out good…. I never tried making lamb jerky….. i’m thinking of splitting a half of a lamb….. With someone….. and this would be good way to use some some of that wonderful lamb
Great recipe, we had left over leg of lamb from Christmas. So the meat was cooked, I cooked it for 2 hours on convection then watched it to cook little by little until the crispness was good maybe another 45 minutes. I did use the marinade recipe with how it had been cooked. The jerky was great!!! We are going to make it with London broil on n the next week, I am excited!!!!
Can’t wait to try it. Glad you enjoyed Utah. I raise sheep and Icelandic sheep in Utah. Just slaughter an adult Ram and was planning my hand in making lamb Jerky. Recipe sounds great. I have to try it this weekend.
Just put mine in the refrigerator and we’ll leave it in there for 24 hours. Put in a little extra garlic and some crushed red pepper. Recipe sounds great. I have a digital smoker I will set at 175 and when it reaches a temperature I will also put smoked discs in with it for the four hours that it will be in the smoker. Can’t wait to try it!
Lamb lovers unite! Seriously, woot!
I love the idea of turning lamb into jerky. And YES that would have been perfect while we were hiking :)
Can you give a description or maybe a picture/video of exactly how you slice the meat? The grain description confused me. Thanks!!
You just want the grain in the meat running lengthwise in each slice. Think about how you’d cut a flank steak, same idea.
My boys go nuts for jerky, I should try this for them!!
Sounds like you really had a good time in Utah! And these jerky…I can’t wait to try this. Our good friend is a fan of jerky, he really does and he would be thrilled if I share this recipe…or even pack it for him :)