Thai Beef Jerky Recipe | Sun-Dried Beef - Neua Dad Deow | Cooking with Nart (2024)

This Thai beef jerky, known as Thai sun-dried beef or neua dad deow (เนื้อแดดเดียว) in Thai is an amazing dish that goes well with many other Thai dishes such as curries, salads or even a simple side like steamed sticky rice. It's also great as a snack and one of the best things to enjoy with beers!

Thai Beef Jerky (Sun-Dried Beef)

If you've been to Isaan Thai restaurants, you may have seen this Thai-style beef jerky or fried sun-dried beef on their menus or even tried it already. In case you're curious, "neua" means beef in Thai, while "dad" means sunlight, and "deow" means one. Basically, "neua dad deow (เนื้อแดดเดียว)" means beef that's been sun-dried for a day. Isn't Thai such an easy language?

This Thai beef jerky is on the saltier side of things, but it's definitely not too salty. Or, at least it shouldn't be. The stuff is really addictive when eaten warm, fresh off the pan. it's often served with nam jim jaew (Thai chili dipping sauce). And you can enjoy it with steamed rice, sticky rice, along with so many other dishes such as somtum or Thai sour curry. My dad likes to hand-tear the thing into sweet little strips and enjoy it with his beers. And yes, I can confirm it's really good with beers.

How To Choose The Right Beef Cut

You Do Need Some Fat

I personally don't have a favorite cut for this, but because I'm not a big fan of beef fat, I tend to go with any cut that comes with less fat. So many people I know, including my family and friends, love beef fat, and they think the best beef cut for nua dad deaw is the one that comes with a lot of fat.

As I make at least 2 pounds and 3.27 ounces or 1 kilogram of sun-dried beef each time, I always share it with other people. And, of course, they're happy to take the fatty parts! Please note, though, that even if you don't like beef fat either, you should still get a cut with some fat because it'll make your beef dry and cook much better.

How To Prepare The Beef

If you buy beef from a butcher who can actually cut the beef for you, then that's perfect. Butchers just have THE most amazing knives ever, don't you think?! Like, my knives will never be able to cut anything like theirs.

Anyway, you want to ask them to slice the cut into pieces that are about 1.5 cm thick. If you buy your beef from the supermarket, then you can cut it with a knife by yourself at home. The thickness will still be the same. This is all the initial cutting I do.

Then, I normally cut the beef again into random shapes before I cook it. But some people like to cut the beef into strips at this point. Just choose whatever shape you want. Be careful not to cut your strips too thin because the beef will shrink when the water has evaporated!

Equipment Needed To Dry The Beef

To dry the beef and get the right texture, you will need either of the following:

• A Drying Rack

If you're lucky enough to be living in a country where the sun shines brightly most days like Thailand, then it's so easy to accomplish the right texture of Thai sun-dried beef. You can just put the meat in a drying rack and hang it outside your house.

• An Over

If you happen to live in a gloomier part of the world, you can still make this by drying the beef in an oven at 185°C or 85 °C for 4.5 hours.

Ingredients

• 35.27 ounces or 1 kilogram of beef
• 4 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 3 teaspoons of ground pepper

Instructions

Traditionally, Thai people fry the sun-dried beef in oil or grill it. However, I have an air fryer at home so I normally use that. This is when that little bit of beef fat comes in handy. It prevents the beef from getting too dry when cooked in an air fryer. If you don't have an air fryer, then you can definitely fry it the traditional way with oil in a pan. Just don't add too much oil if there's already a lot of fat in your beef. I should also mention that the grilled version is also very tasty, but it takes a bit longer than frying. When I have the time, I like to grill my beef jerky too.

1. Slice your beef into 1.5 cm thick pieces.

2. Marinate the beef with fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and ground pepper in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight.

3. Place the beef slices in a drying rack and hang the rack where it is directly exposed to the sun for 1 day. If drying the beef in an oven, arrange the slices on a baking tray and dry at 185 °F or 85 °C for 4.5 hours. Whichever method you choose, make sure each piece of beef is not on top of another one.

4. Collect the dried beef and divide it into your preferred portions.

5. Take as much as you would like to cook/eat and cut the beef into pieces in any shape you want. Freeze the rest of the sun-dried beef for later use.

6. Fry the beef in an air fryer at 180 °C for 12 minutes. If using the traditional frying method, heat just enough oil to fry in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the beef to the pan and fry until cooked.

Notes:

This Thai-style beef jerky will keep in the freezer for a long time, but it is best to consume it within 1 month.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Thai Beef Jerky Fried Rice (Khao Pad Neua Kem)
• Thai Grilled Pork Neck (Kor Moo Yang)
• Thai Egg Salad | Yum Kai Tom
• Thai Chicken Panang Curry
• Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)

📖 Recipe