This super-low-carb chipotle beef jerky is made in the oven - no dehydrator required! Sugar free and keto friendly recipe.
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OK... so I *love* jerky. Beef jerky, turkey jerky, and especially bacon jerky! It is the perfect low carb snack. But it isn't cheap - often costing just under $10 for what seems like a few bites. Also, it is rarely a zero carb product - because manufacturers REALLY want to put sugar into it, and I just don't think that's necessary.
After buying store-bought jerky for many years, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I did some reading around and discovered that I didn't even need a fancy dehydrator - I could make jerky in the oven! I could also make my own seasoning blend that wouldn't contain carbs!
How to Make Homemade Chipotle Beef Jerky
I used flank steak to make the jerky - although I've read you can also use London broil. Mine was about 1lb in weight which made absolutely loads of jerky!
The first job is to freeze it for two hours - this firms it up and makes it easier to slice thinly.
Meanwhile, make the marinade with soy sauce, olive oil, liquid smoke, chipotle powder, salt, chipotle flakes, onion powder, paprika and black pepper. I really don't think you can go far wrong with this marinade if it is a blend of flavors that you enjoy!
After it has firmed up, remove any large pieces of fat, then slice the rest as thinly as you can.
Add the beef to the marinade, stir well to coat and leave it (covered) in the fridge for 24 hours, turning once halfway through.
Lay the pieces out on two cooling racks placed on top of baking sheets.
Place them in an oven preheated to its lowest setting, and crack open the oven door to help circulation. Your house will smell SO good! After three hours, check to see how well done the beef is. I have a convection oven, the jerky was absolutely perfect - wonderfully chewy and not to dry. But you might prefer your jerky drier, so just keep roasting it until the desired texture has been reached. If you don't have a convection oven, be prepared for it to take 8-10 hours!
The jerky was intensely savory, smoky and spicy. And I could enjoy this perfection knowing that it was a incredibly low in carbohydrates!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
📖 Recipe

Homemade Chipotle Beef Jerky
Ingredients
Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Freeze the flank steak for two hours, then slice thinly.
- Make a marinade from the remaining ingredients. Add the sliced steak, stir to coat, cover, and place in the fridge for 24 hours, turning once.
- Preheat the oven to the lowest setting - usually 135-150F.
- Lay the steak slices on a baking rack placed on a baking tray.
- Bake in the oven for 3 hours with the oven door propped open slightly for circulation.
- Test the jerky and continue to cook until the desired texture has been reached. Convection ovens will be quicker.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.
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Susan says
If using a convection oven, do you still keep the oven door cracked?
Georgina says
I don't have one I'm afraid - hopefully someone who does will be able to answer this!
Tim says
Can I just use chipotle in adobo and skip the dry ingredients?
Georgina says
I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it would work fine!
Rob Letcher says
Just made this using top round which the butcher at Whole Foods was nice enough to slice for me. This was way easier and better tasting than I could have expected! I don't have baking racks, so I just lined sheet roll trays with parchment paper and turned it once after two hours and let it go for an additional 2 hours. I got about 15 oz out of 2 lbs of beef.
So was it a cost savings?
Let's ignore the cost of the spices and liquid smoke - total about $10 - since I'll get a lot of batches out of that. Focusing on the cost of the beef, which was $18 for 2 lbs.
Since most packages of store-bought are a little over 2 oz (2.2 to 2.3), I'll compare my 2 oz packs to them. Tillamook no-sugar on Amazon is $22.88 for 4 packages, or $5.72 per package, or $2.62 per oz.
My home made was 15 oz for $18 of beef, or $1.20 per oz. Less than half the cost!
Georgina says
This is awesome - thanks for sharing!