There are a diversity of cuts of beef that you can utilise to make tender, delicious beef jerky. While top round, bottom circular, pectoral, and lifter are typically the best cuts, others like flank and skirt steak can also brand great jerky. These cuts of beef are all lean, economic, and full of flavor. Let'southward await at a few different cuts of meat and learn how to cull the all-time ones to make beefiness jerky!

Related: Drying Jerky From Commencement To Finish

Here Are the Best Meats for Tender, Delicious Beef Wiggle


  • Top Round —Also called "Inside Circular Steak" or "London Bake," this cut comes from the round primal region. It's an excellent source of lean, economical big-cut meat for beef jerky. It'due south besides the about popular cut used by commercial jerky companies. It's extremely lean and affordable, but it'southward non the about flavorful or tender.
  • Bottom Round—Also called "Lesser Round Oven Roast" or "Round Roast," this cut comes from the same area every bit the elevation circular. It's a footling tougher just withal makes nifty beef jerky. Overall, it'due south pretty similar to the pinnacle round but a little less tender.
  • Eye of Round—Likewise found in the round key area, eye of round comes from the elongated muscles located in the center. It's more expensive, merely it's as well more tender and a little more flavorful than top and lesser round.
  • Sirloin Tip—Also called "Knuckle" or "Round Tip," this is a less pop cutting from the round primal but is however a great option. It's in the heart as far equally cost goes, and it has more flavor than the other cuts listed above just is as well less tender.
  • Lifter Meat—Too called "Blade Meat" or "Cap and Wedge Meat," lifter meat comes from the rib primal and is meat from the outside of the ribs. This cut is a little less lean and has medium marbling, making for more tender, flavorful beef jerky at a slightly college toll.
  • Flank Steak—Also called "Beef Flank" or "Plank Steak," flank steak comes from the flank primal. Information technology'south a lean cut with long grains. It has little fat and marbling. This cut is less tender than lifter meat but has much more than flavor. It's also i of the almost expensive cuts for beef jerky.
  • Pectoral Meat—Too called "Special Trim," pectoral meat comes from the chuck primal. It'south slightly fatty and has decent marbling. This cutting is extremely tender merely less flavorful. Pectoral meat is a great affordable selection, specially for first-time jerky makers.
  • Deer Meat—You tin too make great hasty with deer meat . It's ordinarily very tender, lean, and flavorful. It's a great choice for those that love the game flavor.
  • Elk Meat—This meat is also very lean and great for making hasty. It'southward extremely tender and has very fiddling game season, unlike deer meat
  • Pork Loin & Tenderloin —This meat is slightly fattier but works well, specially for sweeter jerkies. It's full of flavor, relatively inexpensive, and super tender.

    • Related: Cutting & Slicing Meat for Beef Hasty

    How To Choose the Best Cutting of Meat for Beef Jerky

    Y'all have then many options available, and while there aren't any hard-and-fast rules for choosing a cutting of meat for your beef jerky, we'll give you some general guidelines to help you brand the all-time pick.

  • Fatty Content—This is one of the most important criteria for choosing a cut of beefiness to brand jerky with, and information technology's the commencement one to await at. When making jerky, you tin can't fully dehydrate the fat, meaning that leaner cuts are typically better. Too much fat tin cause your jerky to spoil faster. However, if you lot programme to eat all of your hasty within a few days, you tin can choose a cut with slightly more than fat without any problems.
  • Intermuscular vs. Intramuscular Fat —Intermuscular fat is fatty around the protein, and you should remove it earlier starting the hasty-making process. Choosing meat with the least intermuscular fat makes making jerky easier.  Intramuscular fat is the marbling, which runs between musculus fibers. More marbling is better for making jerky; it contributes to the tenderness, juiciness, and rich flavor.
  • Cull Economical Cuts —Fresh, high-quality beefiness is amend than ownership the fanciest cut you lot can detect. Even relatively tough cuts of meat can exist used to brand tender jerky. It's usually amend to salve the fancy cuts like ribeye and filet mignon for other uses.


    • Can You Use Ground Beef To Brand Jerky?     —Yes! However, information technology'southward more hard, and the cease result is usually not equally tasty equally using whole muscle beefiness. Ground beef jerky will accept a much different texture than traditional hasty. If you lot go this road, choose the leanest meat y'all tin can discover and consider looking into a "jerky gun" to make the process easier.

    Related: How To Make Ground Jerky

    Tips for Buying Beefiness Jerky Meat

  • Buy Fresh Meat—The fresher, the amend. Avoid buying meat with night spots, ligaments, tendons, or cartilage. Accept your time and inspect the beefiness before taking it abode.
  • Buy the Right Amount—During the dehydration process, you'll lose a significant portion of the original weight. A practiced rule to follow is 3 pounds of meat for one pound of jerky.
  • Discover a Butcher—A reputable butcher can be an amazing resource for your hasty-making adventures. They can slice the beef for y'all, saving you time and ensuring that the jerky cooks evenly, which is extremely important when making jerky at dwelling house.
  • Know Your Cuts—Once you lot know what cuts you prefer, you can watch out for weekly sales and specials, allowing yous to purchase big quantities for great prices.

    • Best Meats for Beef Jerky: Final Thoughts

    Making jerky yourself is challenging, just information technology tin can exist very rewarding. 1 of the virtually important parts of the procedure is selecting the right cuts of beefiness. The best office of making your own beefiness jerky is that you get full command over everything, and you lot can experiment on a small-scale scale to effigy out which cuts you prefer.

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