We use eye round, which is lean and easy to slice by hand with a sharp knife. You can get it pretty cheap at places like Costco, around $3/pound.

If you aren't willing to slice and are willing to pay more, you can often find thinly sliced beef in an Asian market.

Without a dehydrator or an oven with a fan, I'm not sure what the best method would be. Perhaps the sun? :-)

EDIT: We use a Nesco FD-80 American Harvest Square-Shaped Dehydrator. Super easy to use and clean.

Just Google beef jerky oven recipe and you'll find things like http://homecooking.about.com/od/beefrecipes/r/blbeef103.htm

Sounds easy enough- partially freeze meat to slice thinly more easily, marinate slices, 4 hr. in 250 F oven, then air dry 24 hr. and put in zip lock bags..

flank steak --best bang for your buck.

I just used the Alton Brown method complete with box fan...excellent

Flap meat is a good (and inexpensive) cut of meat to try. An oven on your lowest setting (150'F to 200'F) with the door left open for 24 hours should work just fine to dehydrate the meat.

My butcher recommended that I use rump steak (round steak, for you Americans) for its leanness, but mine worked fine using some braising steak. If you can be bothered to trim your meat extensively it'll end up with less fat anyway.

I also just used a non-fan oven on the lowest setting propped open with a wooden spoon. It cooked disappointingly quickly, but it was incredibly thin and still had the jerky taste, even if it presumably wouldn't keep so well. I assume that opening the door wider and turning the heat off totally now and again would allow a longer drying process.

We have a dehydrator and I highly recommend getting one. It's easy to use and easy to clean. I've made beef and venison jerky quite a few times. My favorite is grass-fed london broil. It may be a bit more expensive than some other cuts but it is so easy and tastes great. There is no or little fat or connective tissue to trim and it is simple to slice. I put it in the freezer for about 2 or 3 hours just so it firms up without freezing through. Then you can slice it into evenly thick pieces in just a minute or two. I put the slices and whatever marinade I'm using into zip bags with the air squeezed and let them sit in the fridge. After 24 hours it will make a great jerky but after 48 it will be amazing. With a dehydrator it takes maybe 4 hours to be finished. My wife always gets into it a little early because she likes it when it is still warm and a bit chewy.

I was inspired to buy a Nesco dehydrator thanks to this thread. The homemade dehydrator looked cool but I probably would've burned my place down with the cardboard box and lightbulb. Great device and highly recommended. I tried it with a cut from Whole Foods labeled as "London broil" that I believe was top round. $6/lb. It turned out as some of the best jerky I've ever had with just a simple water & spice marinade. I'm dehydrating some strawberries now to experiment with my own Paleo-friendly trail mix (jerky + berries + nuts).

Let me add another vote for getting a real food dehydrator. I got the Excalibur, cut up and marinated some grass-fed bottom round beef, and the jerky came out perfect the first time. I even brought some to Whole Foods where I got the meat, shared some jerky with the guys at the meat counter, and they all loved it!

My husband is in charge of making jerky - although it's Biltong, the African version, and I'm not sure how different that is - but anyway, we use a dehydrator we bought for $40 and it does a good job. Latest success - Kangaroo Fillet! Easy to get and very cheap - in Australia. It's lovely and lean and gamey - even better than beef.

I'd recommend getting a jerky gun. You fill it with ground hamburger and then press out thin strips or tubes of meat onto your dehydrator trays. I just made my first batch, and it came out great. It holds together just like "real" beef jerky (although it is a little easier to chew). This method seems easier to me and is much cheaper.

Pemmican you say? Never venture far into pemmican land without Lex Rooker to guide you: http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

Or you can jut purchase from me for an affordable price delicious flavors made from 100% grassfed top round beef!

http://grassfedjerkychews.com/

Thanks!

here's another place you can get grass-fed beef jerky. www.nomadjerky.com