Good news, everyone! I’ve found a way to sneak beer to work! HR will never know – and you get to enjoy your favorites right at your desk. You can even invite your coworkers to join… if you like them enough. How, you may ask? BEEF JERKY.

Yes, yes, I know. There isn’t any alcohol left after the dehydration process… But the point is you get all that great flavor AND delicious meat.

Beef jerky couldn’t be any easier. I was inspired after reading a friend’s paleo diet blog where she took on beef jerky, so I thought to myself ‘Self, why don’t we do this, too? But with beer!'

And thus it began.

I bought top sirloin that had been precut and labeled as “stir-fry beef”. I could have bought and sliced some myself, but this precut lot made my first go very slick. I picked a few rubs to try out and then headed to the liquor store to find the perfect beer for the marinade. Most recipes I found call for a marinade with liquid smoke and Worcestershire, so I decided on a bourbon aged scotch ale (why not) and a smoked Baltic porter (because hells yes).

Next, I sliced my meat into about a finger width size strips, length-wise. I lightly sprinkled one side of the meat with my chosen rub and then used a meat tenderizer to gently beat the rub into the meat. Flip over and repeat.

After all the meat had been rubbed ad massaged, I tossed them into Ziploc bags and covered them in beer. Be mindful to poor slowly! The rub does cause the beer to get quite effervescent. Make sure to use enough to coat the meat, then squeeze out as much air as you can and seal.

I let mine sit for 8 hours – overnight. In the morning, it was jerky time. Using toothpicks I hung my meat between the grates of the oven rack, which I moved to the highest setting. Put some tin foil or a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drippings from the jerky.

I have a gas oven that I was able to keep at 150 degrees. Make sure you don’t go hotter than 160 or you will cook your meat rather than dry it. Prop the oven door open just slightly to let moisture escape and set the timer for 6 hours. I checked mine at 4 and it was coming along great. I ended up pulling it out at 7 hours. When it comes down to the wire, check your meat at hour 6. If it is still flexible, let it cook longer. You want that classic jerky bend where the meat is slightly crackly but not crispy to the point is just snaps.

From what I have found on the Interwebs, this jerky can last two weeks when refrigerated.

Here are my flavor combos from batch one:
McCormick’s Steakhouse Rub – Surly Smoke 2012 Baltic Porter for marinade
McCormick’s Smokehouse Maple Rub – Tyranena Shaggin’ in the Woods Scotch Ale for marinade

If you make your own rubs, excellent! Try them out with different beer combos. All in all, I used about 2.5 lbs of meat bought for 10 bucks and made about 10 3oz bags of jerky. This means that those 3oz bags you see for 3-4 bucks a piece… well you just made 30 bucks worth of jerky for a ten spot. Nice work, you.

This was one experiment I am glad to report has been a hit around the office and with my very own taste buds. It’s easy, it’s healthy, and it will save you money! Now get out there and spread the good news. Craft beer makes amazing beef jerky!

Ok, beer geek friends. Bare with me here while I get my review writing hat on. This is the first, so feel free to giggle and criticize, because you know I'm gonna stumble through this one. Leave comments for me about what you'd like to hear about and I'll be happy to evolve like a Pokemon as we move along through the blog.

All right. Do you have your adventure pants on? Let's go.

I chose Skull Splitter for one simple reason -- I have a splitting headache thanks to the aftermath of a bad late summer cold. No better reason around, if I do say so myself.

I am 99% certain my New Belgium chalice is the wrong glass, but work with me, here. I am planning to slowly acquire better bar ware, but first I need a paycheck. Or maybe a few. It's been a busy month.

I digress.

When I first poured the Skull Splitter into my glass it was a very pleasing dark maple color. It felt perfect for fall and the changing leaves outside. There was minimal head, and what head there was dissipated quickly. There was a visible bubbling like a sparkling ale that remained.

The sniff test told me that right away this was a strong brew. The forefront of everything was that burning alcohol smell - like nail polish remover but more pleasant. Once that got past my nose, the next thing I noted was a toasty smell. It was something nutty or caramel-y. Almost a warm fresh toffee smell to the beer.

In the mouth, the beer felt sticky. Not in an unpleasant way, but the liquid seemed to linger a bit after I swallowed, There was that bite of alcohol right away, but that dissolved into an almost effervescent feel.

Overall, this beer is one to sip on around a fire with your sweetie, I feel. It is warming and toasted, which bring on memories of mild fall days raking leaves. The caramel and toffee notes actually stuck around on the pallet for a really smooth after taste, which I much appreciated. The beer itself was much lighter than i expected it to be.

Beer: Skull Splitter
Style: Rich Ale - Authentic Orcadian Ale
Brewery: The Orkney Brewery
ABV: 8.5%
Served from: 11.2 ounce bottle
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 - I'd buy it again, but I don't want a ton of it.