Lamb Jerky

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 to get you geared up for #summerlambventures where you could win $2,000 for an epic summer memory!

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!