Homemade pineapple beef jerky, just 4 ingredients, ready for travel days

Travel is one of the trickiest places to keep eating well, the gas station, the airport, the long drive with nothing familiar on the shelf. Most store-bought jerky hides soy, gluten, or pepper-based spices. This version solves that with 4 ingredients, shelf-stable, and made by your own hands, so you always know exactly what is in it.

Beef is a dense source of protein, iron, and zinc, minerals many midlife bodies run short on and that are involved in energy, immune function, and tissue repair. The pineapple juice marinade lends its sweetness, used here in a modest amount, along with a little natural enzyme tenderizing. This is a snack that holds you over without leaving you depleted an hour later.

Jerky is an old, patient food, slowing meat down to a chew, treating the animal's gift as something not to waste. Make a batch, tuck it into your bag, and you have looked after your future self before the day even asks.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb lean beef
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp sea salt

Swaps made: Nothing changed. The original is already a four-ingredient AIP-compliant recipe.

Method

• Partially freeze the beef so it firms up, then slice it very thin, about 1/16 inch, on a mandoline.
• Stir together the pineapple juice, honey, and salt, then add the beef slices and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Discard the marinade. Lay the slices in a single layer on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet.
• Dry in a 200 F oven for about 2 hours, until the jerky is firm and dry but still bends without snapping. Thicker slices take longer, so check and adjust.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*