I haven't made a batch in a while, but I used to (when I had more time) quite a bit, as a matter of fact, I used to sell it at a club bar as fast as I could make it.
It's not at all difficult, if you take a few short cuts. I got on good terms with a grocery store butcher, and twice a week, I'd pick up a whole bottom round, cut and trimmed, all ready to go (at no extra charge BECAUSE I was getting two a week). I'd take the strip-cut meat home and divide it up into batches in gallon ziplock bags, pour in my marinade mix (soy, worcestershire, garlic, and pepper) and after the first batch sat over night in the fricge, filled the dehydrator. Every 12 hours I had about a half pound of finished product that I could enjoy myself, or drop at the club for roughly a triple mark-up (yes, it's a good recipe, I had back-orders for it). The secret is to have the trimming/cutting done for you when you pick the meat up (the butcher can do in ten minutes, what would take you or me a couple of hours), and don't worry about all the "special marinades" marketed at you. Experiment with soy, worcestershire, steak sauce, teriaki glaze, and spices 'til you get a tasty simple recipe you like, then you're on a roll <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Give it a try, Sue, you'll either enjoy yourself and have a good time (like I did), or decide that it's quicker/easier to buy it, but I guarranty it won't be cheaper <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy