Do I need to cure my meat when I make jerky?!
Answers: nope, just marinate it. we cut it an eighth of an inch thick (against the grain, and the meat department at the grocery will usually do it for you) and then soak it in equal parts liquid smoke and soy sauce and add dried red pepper to taste. we usually use this recipe for venison jerky and it's amazing
no, you need to season it with your own recipe or one of the commercial ones . a pretty good seasoning mix is brown sugar, some onion and garlic powder and a tad of soy sauce.
The slow drying of meat to make jerky, is curing the meat.
If you're using beef, there are lots of recipes online for homemade jerky - some in the oven, some in smoker or dehydrator....you don't need to "cure" it, but you need to season and marinate the meat for whatever flavor you prefer...I made some recently in a dehydrator and it was delicious! The trick is to buy a good type of beef that will be tender (I used tri-tip)...and cut it against the grain, so when you eat it, it will pull apart easily.