Homemade Dehydrated Beef Strips

Have you jumped on the air fryer train?? Honestly, if you haven’t yet, you may want to soon. We got ours about a year ago and initially were pretty skeptical but now have fully converted. And actually recommend an air fryer for practically any food! (Totally unsponsored haha!) Even for tasty snacks/treats for your pup! 

Recently, we ordered the dehydration rack to try out for our Ninja Foodi Grill. The first thing on the list, of course, beef stripes for our pup Layla! Who we have recently adopted from Companion Animal Welfare Society in Edmonton. CAWS provides help to pets in the Edmonton and greater area, who are in need by providing temporary homes until they find a permanent home. And by helping pets find a permanent home, who have been surrendered or transferred into their care.   

We had a few minute steaks in the freezer, so we conducted our trial immediately!! When considering which cuts to use for dog treats, make sure to choose lean cuts. Not only is it healthier for your pup, but it is better for the dehydration process and prevents your treats from spoiling faster. 

 

As for seasoning and or marinades, we opted not to season/marinade the meat for Layla’s treats. And she seemed to find the beef stripes delicious without any extra additions. Making these treats at home is great for pups that may have allergies or food sensitivities since you can control what ingredients are used. If you are using seasonings or marinades, please ensure that they are all pet/dog-friendly. 

Equipment 

• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Dehydrator

Ingredients

• 2 Minute Steaks (The beauty is that you can make as much or as little treats as you would like!)

This whole procedure doesn’t really require a ton of work or supplies. Start by rinsing the meat with water and then dry with some paper towels. Grab your cutting board and cut the beef into 1/4 inch strips we also recommend keeping your strips relatively thin to keep the cook time at a minimum. 

We used the Ninja Foodi Grill, which has a dehydrating function, but you will need to purchase the dehydrating racks separately. Place the drying racks inside, then place the beef strips on the rack and ensure that you leave 1/4 inch space between them. Turn the machine on, select the dehydrating function, and set the desired cooking temperature (there’s no need to preheat for this function). We set the temperature to 150°F with a cook time of 6 hours but only needed 4 hours to cook. The cook time will depend on the type/cut, the thickness of the meat, and the machine you are using. 

If this is your first time, we recommend checking on the strips every 1-2 hours. We also rotated them halfway through and cooked them until they shrunk about half in size. Cook the strips long enough where they snap to break and do not bend or feel rubbery. 

Turn the machine off and take out the strips on the rack, set them aside to completely cool. Once completely cooled, you can serve them to your pup! Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week or the freezer for up to a month. These high-value treats also work well for training exercises! 

Let us know how your treats went! Need other treat ideas but don’t want to use a dehydrator? Check out our other treat blogs, your pup will not be disappointed.