This is the best jerky I have ever tasted and, after much humble begging and sucking up, Scooter graciously allowed us to post his recipe.

Scooter uses an American Harvest Dehydrater, Deluxe model, which cost him $40 at Walmart. A drying time guide is included. Study it and then experiment. Practice makes perfect in this case. Scooter suggests marathon drying sessions, generating an abundance of tasty jerky, apples, or other fruits or veggies.

Select a large and very lean piece of top round beef. Slice it as thin as possible. You may want to take it to someone who has a deli slicer to assure thin slices with minimal effort! There's no need to precook the meat before marinating or dehydrating. Marinate the meat using enough marinade to cover for 12 to 24 hours, keeping the mixture refrigerated. Stir occasionally.

• 1 cup Soy Sauce,
• 1 cup Brown Sugar,
• 3-4 TBS BBQ Sauce- pick the brand you like.
• Tsp onion powder Tsp Garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
• (For a smoked flavor you can procure Liquid Smoke, never tried it)

Use a collander or strainer to remove excess liquid from the meat,as this will make cleanup of the dehydrator much easier! Arrange the slices in the dehydrator, without allowing them to overlap. Scooter allows the jerky to dehydrate about 12 hours. However, if the slices are thicker rather than thin, you may want to dry the jerky longer. The finished product is stored in plastic bags in the freezer.

Note that a dehydrator operates at a perfect termperature to facilitate the growth of salmonella and e. coli bacteria, so be scrupulously clean in your preparation methods.

Dehydratin' Scooter's Dried Apples

Another amazing food! Core apples, slice thin, and dehydrate. Makes a delicious and crunchy snack, and serves as the base for a fruit compote or an apple crisp. Again, dehydrate for 12-14 hours, and store the finished product in the freezer. Shelf life is something like 6 to 8 months.