Fall is here and winter is approaching fast and I am already missing the warm tropics and sun. What better way to reminisce of beaches and clear warm water than to make a jerky with some coconut flavoring.

Lets bring back memories of knocking down some Bahama Mama coconut rum drinks while sitting on a white sand beach by making this coconut ground beef jerky! 

Choosing The Ground Meat

Start with a lean ground beef, 10% fat at the most. Using a leaner ground meat will allow the jerky to last longer when stored since fat goes bad before the meat. Therefor the less fat you have in the meat the longer it will last. If you plan on eating it right away, feel free to use a more fatty package around 80/20.

Whether you choose grass fed or regular ground meat is up to you, the fat content of the meat is really the main thing to be aware of.

Making The Marinade

I recently purchased some LorAnn cooking oil flavorings that can be added to recipes to really enhance certain flavors. I bought ten different flavors, you can choose from something like 75 total flavors that they offer. For this recipe I used coconut!

Whenever making ground jerky, I always use curing salt to prevent any potential bacteria within the meat. Since the meat is ground and will be mixed by hand (use disposable latex gloves) the potential for the introduction of bacteria is higher than using whole muscle meat for jerky.

In the picture above you can see I dissolved the 1/4tsp of curing salt in 2tbsp of water and 1tsp of the coconut flavor. Dissolving the curing salt in water allows it to more evenly be mixed into the ground meat.

Add the other ingredients to the curing salt/water/flavoring mixture and mix well. Then pour the marinade into a bowl with the ground meat and mix together well.

Make sure the meat and marinade is mixed together well and evenly so the flavor will be consistent throughout the whole batch. Remember to use your food safe gloves when mixing. Cover the bowl and place the mixed meat in the refrigerator for 1-8 hours to help the meat bind together. This will help the jerky strips stay together when forming them in the next step.

Related Page: Dozens of Great Tasting Jerky Recipes – Click Here

Forming the Jerky Strips

There are two ways to form jerky strips when making ground meat jerky. The first is using a Jerky Gun/Cannon, the method I used when making this recipe, or the second is flattening out the meat with a roller pin and scoring the meat with a knife. To see how to make ground jerky using the roller pin, check out my How to Make Ground Jerky Page.

If using a jerky gun, load the gun with meat making sure to prevent any air pockets within the meat.

To do this, push the lever that is found by the handle all the way to the front only leaving about 3 inches of room from the end you can see above. Fill that 3 inches of space with the jerky mixture and then pull that lever back another 3 inches.

Pulling the lever back is essentially pulling the piston towards the handle giving you more room for more jerky mixture. Continue doing this until the whole pound of ground jerky is added into the cylinder.

Keep a butter knife next to you when shooting your strips onto the dehydrator tray to cut the meat from the nozzle after you have finished a long strip. Then use that knife to score your strips into your desired individual jerky lengths. I chose to score mine at about 4-5 inches in length.

Drying and Testing The Jerky

As mentioned earlier, my Excalibur Dehydrator was used when making this ground beef jerky recipe. You can use a smoker or an oven as well if you choose.

The dehydrator is easy and quick. After ‘shooting’ the strips onto the trays, they were dried at 165F for 3 hours and 145F for 1 hour until they were finished.

Start checking the strips at about the 3 hour mark. Pull a piece out of the dehydrator and allow it to cool to room temperature for 5 minutes. Then bend the strip, if it bends without breaking in half or cracks just a little bit, it’s finished. The jerky should still feel soft to the touch and not too hard on the outside.

This coconut ground beef jerky has a great coconut flavor that has really worked out tasting great. The coriander and cinnamon also come through really well rounding out the flavor. The honey gave it a perfect sweetness which has countered the saltiness of the sea salt. It turned out tasting pretty darn good!

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

Old Pro Tips:

• Use Corn Syrup Solids to help bind the jerky together and make it pliable and not dried out too much.
• A jerky gun really helps when making a lot of ground jerky
• Adding Liquid smoke will give it a flavor as if it was dried in a smoker

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.

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0 from 0 votes

Coconut Ground Beef Jerky

Coconut beef jerky? Yes! These flavors really worked well together and created this great coconut flavored jerky.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 30 mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Coconut Beef Jerky, ground beef jerky

Type: Ground Beef Jerky

Flavor: Sweet

Servings: 5

Calories: 142kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Beef

• 1 lb Lean ground beef 10% fat or less

Marinade

• 2 tbsp water cold
• 1 tsp coconut flavor
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp sea salt finely ground
• 1 tsp cinnamon ground
• 1/2 tsp coriander ground
• 1/2 tsp basil leaves crushed
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional
• 1/2 tsp corn syrup solids optional

Instructions

• Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl
• In a larger bowl, combine the 1lb of ground beef with the previously mixed ingredients
• Mix the ground beef and seasonings thoroughly
• If using a jerky gun, load the gun with the ground beef mixture & shoot 4-5" long strips onto a dehydrator tray or on a baking sheet
• If not using a jerky gun, spread the ground meat on a baking sheet, cover with wax paper, and roll with a rolling pin until meat is 1/4" thick
• Slice the pan of beef into jerky strips 4-5" long and 1" wide
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used a dehydrator at 165F for 3 hours and 145F for 1 hour
• Ground jerky is finished when it first starts becoming dry to the touch. It should bend without breaking in half. If it cracks in half when bent a little bit, it was over dried

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Use no more than 90/10 ground beef if storing jerky for more than a couple days
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Refrigerate for 1-8 hours to bind the meat together
• Use corn syrup solids for better texture

Nutrition

Serving: 70g | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1107mg | Potassium: 314mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 2mg

Teriyaki is one of the most consumed flavors of beef jerky today, so it goes with out saying that you need a great teriyaki beef jerky recipe on hand for when those cravings hit.

Well get ready, because this is that quick and easy recipe! This Teriyaki beef jerky has a sweet and salty flavor. Imagine soy sauce mixed with honey soaked into heavenly beef. Yeah, it’s as good as it sounds!!!

Original Post Date: March 15th, 2015  *Recipe updated with more pictures and step by step instructions*

Slicing Meat for Jerky

The first step to making this teriyaki beef jerky is choosing a lean cut of beef. I used Beef Bottom round when making this savory beef jerky. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by clicking here!

The second step is to trim the beef of all visible fat. Trimming the beef now will help the teriyaki beef jerky last longer when finished.

Fat spoils faster than the meat resulting in a shorter shelf life once finished and packaged. So get all of the fat off that you can now!

Slice the beef strips into a size of your liking. 1/4″ thickness is my go too thickness and whether I slice with or against the grain depends on how I’m feeling when making the recipe.

The way the jerky is sliced has a big effect on the consistency of the finished jerky. I have A LOT of information on slicing beef jerky, so when you are ready, check out my slicing beef jerky page to learn everything you need to know.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a TERRIFIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Making the Jerky Marinade

I have used Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade on steak and chicken, so it only makes sense to use it for some beef jerky. This is a very popular marinade that can be found at practically ANY supermarket.

The marinade is added to a bowl and then a couple more spices added. Since a dehydrator was used, adding liquid smoke gave the jerky a smoky flavor.

Once the marinade is mixed well, place the beef jerky strips in a ziplock bag and add the marinade.

Mix the strips within the marinade very well so they are all evenly coated. More importantly, marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours, not on the kitchen counter. Food Safety is very important, don’t leave raw meat out on the counter! Take the bag out of the fridge and mix the beef jerky strips around several times while marinating to further make sure the strips are covered evenly with the teriyaki marinade.

RELATED PAGE: ——-> Beef Jerky Recipes – CLICK HERE <——-

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess beef jerky marinade in a colander. We had this marinating for about 18 hours, the longer the marinade process the more intense teriyaki flavor the jerky will have!

After straining the teriyaki beef jerky strips in a colander, place paper towels down and lay the strips on top to soak up any more excess marinade. Pat them dry and get ready to start dehydrating!

A Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator was used when making this recipe, but you can use an oven or smoker if you prefer. Make sure to leave space in between the teriyaki beef jerky strips so air can flow around and dry the jerky evenly.

Put the dehydrator setting to 160F or 165, whatever the highest setting is, and dehydrate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, you can turn it down to 145F to finish it off.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of beef jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

This teriyaki beef jerky took 5 hours to be finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Beef Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing beef jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life.

One word, YUMMMMMM! This Teriyaki beef jerky was just fantastic. I really enjoyed the ease of the recipe and the tremendous flavor it packed.

I like to enhance the flavors of the garlic and onion by adding some extra, but these to are already incorporated into the teriyaki sauce. Like always, feel free to play around with the recipe so it suites your liking.

Old Pro Tips:

• Add apple, hickory, or mesquite liquid smoke if you want a smoky flavor
• Other brands of teriyaki marinade can be used
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Store in vacuum seal bags for 6 month shelf life

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4.08 from 28 votes

Kikkoman Teriyaki Jerky

This Teriyaki beef jerky has a sweet and salty flavor. Imagine soy sauce mixed with honey soaked into heavenly beef. Yeah, it's as good as it sounds!!!

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time6 hrs

Total Time7 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Jerky, teriyaki, teriyaki beef jerky

Type: Beef Jerky

Servings: 5

Calories: 147kcal

Author: Jerkyholic

Equipment

• Excalibur Dehydrator

Ingredients

Lean Beef

• 1 lb bottom round

Marinade

• 1/2 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke hickory

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Pick a lean cut of beef and trim off all visible fat. After trimming the fat, place the beef in the freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is hardening in the freezer, add all ingredients in a plastic bag or container with a tight fitting lid.
• After meat has hardened, but is not fully frozen, take out of freezer to slice. Using a sharp knife, slice the meat 1/4" to 1/8" thick with or against the grain.
• Add beef strips to your marinade and shake the container coating evenly. Allow 6-24 hours to marinate the jerky. Shake the container every couple hours to allow the marinade to evenly soak in to each piece of meat.
• Pat dry the beef strips on paper towels before placing in either a dehydrator, oven, or smoker.
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2 hours at 165F and 3 hours at 145F.
• The jerky will be finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. Allow to cool for several hours before storing in air tight containers.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Add apple, hickory, or mesquite liquid smoke if you want a smoky flavor
• Other brands of teriyaki marinade can be used
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Store in vacuum seal bags for 6 month shelf life

Nutrition

Serving: 70g | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1751mg | Potassium: 414mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

When ingredients blend together perfectly making a fantastic tasting beef jerky, you know the recipe is just right! Smokey Joe’s beef jerky is one of those recipes and NEEDS to be on the top of your ‘to make’ list.

Slicing Meat for Jerky

The first step to making beef jerky is choosing a lean cut of beef. This beef jerky recipe utilizes the great flavored beef bottom round. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by clicking here!

The second step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat.

That white fat is called the fat cap. Just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat in 1/4″ thick pieces. If you wrap the roast in plastic and put in the freezer for an hour or two, slicing even strips is easier. If you don’t want to freeze the meat to firm it up a bit, make sure to have a REALLY sharp knife.

Then slice the meat in strips to your liking. Slimmer strips sliced with the grain were used for this jerky recipe. Slicing with the grain gives the jerky a little more chew. Slicing against the grain would make the jerky a little more tender and easier to chew. This is a personal preference on how chewy of a jerky you like, so slice it the way you like it!

If you need more information on slicing meat for jerky, check out my slicing jerky page, it explains EVERYTHING.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Making the Jerky Marinade

Thirdly, put together a well balanced and great tasting marinade. Smokey Joe’s Beef Jerky is a super quick and easy recipe that blends well together and has a smooth finished taste. 

Start by mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag. You can see the parsley really gave some great color to this marinade. Use fresh parsley and garlic for even more intense flavor. 

Taste the marinade before adding the beef to make sure it is how you like it. If not, feel free to tweak the recipe! Once it is perfect, place the previously sliced beef into the marinade and mix the bag up really well to make sure the strips are covered evenly with marinade. 

If you are in a rush, a vacuum marinating machine works really well. About 1/2 an hour and your jerky will turn out like it marinated for 12 hours. Not bad! This Chef Elite is the one I own and use.

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander and pat the strips dry on paper towels. This beef was marinated for a total of 23 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Patting the meat with paper towels removes any excess marinade which speeds up the drying process and also prevents a “sticky” feel when the jerky is finished dehydrating.

A Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator was used when making this beef jerky recipe. I LOVE the Nesco dehydrators. They work great, are reasonably priced, and they last a long time!

Leave space between the jerky so it’s not touching, this allows air flow between pieces drying each jerky strip evenly.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. The jerky will harden slightly once it has cooled down, so not allowing a piece to cool before testing can result in over drying the jerky.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

This jerky took 5 hours to be finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Beef Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing beef jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life.

Smokey Joe’s Beef Jerky turned out tasting GREAT! The flavors blended together very well making a smooth tasting jerky with a great smokey flavor. Using fresh garlic and parsley will really give the jerky a fresh taste, making it that much better.

Old Pro Tips:

• Using fresh garlic and parsley makes a more intense and fresh flavor
• Use liquid smoke that does not include filler ingredients, such as Wright’s Liquid Smoke is the best.
• When finished, jerky will bend and crack but not break in half. Test for doneness after a piece has cooled for 5 minutes, not while warm.
• Store in ziplock bags or vacuum seal for longer storage. Check out my page on Storing Jerky for more information.

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Smokey Joe's Beef Jerky

When ingredients blend together perfectly making a fantastic tasting beef jerky, you know the recipe is just right! Smokey Joe's beef jerky is one of those recipes and NEEDS to be on the top of your 'to make' list.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time5 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Jerky, Smokey

Type: Beef Jerky

Flavor: Savory

Servings: 5

Calories: 19kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Bottom Round or Venison

Marinade

• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper fresh cracked
• 1 tbsp brown mustard
• 2 garlic cloves or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp parsley flakes freshly chopped
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp liquid smoke hickory

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well. 
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. You can also use a Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade and pat dry the beef strips with paper towels
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 5 hours at 165F.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Using fresh garlic and parsley give the recipe more of an intense flavor
• Use liquid smoke that does not include filler ingredients, such as Wright’s Liquid Smoke is the best.
• When finished, jerky will bend and crack but not break in half. Test for doneness after a piece has cooled for 5 minutes, not while warm.
• Store in ziplock bags or vacuum seal for longer storage. Check out my page on Storing Jerky for more information.

Nutrition

Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1091mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

When naming a beef jerky recipe after Firemen, you have to make it hot enough to set your mouth on FIRE! This jerky recipe does just that, so get a glass of milk to keep your mouth cool and let’s get to making some Spicy Hot Jerky!

Slicing Meat for Jerky

The first step to making beef jerky is choosing a lean cut of beef. This beef jerky recipe utilizes the great flavored beef bottom round. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by clicking here!

The second step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat.

That white fat is called the fat cap. Just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat in 1/4″ thick pieces. If you wrap the roast in plastic and put in the freezer for an hour or two, slicing even strips is easier. If you don’t want to freeze the meat to firm it up a bit, make sure to have a REALLY sharp knife.

Then slice the meat in strips to your liking. I went with skinny strips with the grain for this jerky recipe. Slicing with the grain gives the jerky a little more chew. If you slice it against the grain it would make the jerky a little more tender and easier to chew. This is a personal preference on how chewy of a jerky you like, so slice it the way you like it!

If you need more information on slicing meat for jerky, check out my slicing jerky page, it explains EVERYTHING.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Reader Comment: “Invest in a Weston Jerky Slicer….Been using this unit for years. Makes great 1/4″ thick slices that look like nice thick bacon strips.” – Dan

Making the Jerky Marinade

Thirdly, put together a well balanced and great tasting marinade. Fireman’s Beef Jerky is made with two types of hot peppers and liquid smoke to finish off the FIRE flavor!

I first made this marinade with only poblano peppers, but the heat wasn’t enough. That’s why I added several habaneros to really make this jerky HOT.

Start by mixing all the ingredients, minus the peppers in a bowl or blender. Since I am using whole peppers in this recipe, using a blender is the best way to fully incorporate them into the marinade. 

The poblano and habanero peppers can be added whole or sliced (do not remove seeds, only stem) to the other marinade ingredients inside a Vitamix blender. Blending the peppers REALLY makes the jerky so much more flavorful and spicy!

After tasting the marinade with only the Poblano pepper it was realized that it needed to be kicked up a notch. Adding some habaneros remedied this giving it some real spice.

Place the previously sliced beef in a ziplock bag and pour the blended marinade over the strips. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

If you are in a rush, these vacuum marinating machines do work pretty well. About 1/2 an hour and your jerky will turn out like it marinated for 12 hours. Not bad!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander and pat the strips dry on paper towels. This beef was marinated for a total of 20 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Patting the meat with paper towels removes any excess marinade which speeds up the drying process and also prevents a “sticky” feel when the jerky is finished dehydrating.

A Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator was used when making this beef jerky recipe. I LOVE the Nesco dehydrators. They work great, are reasonably priced, and they last a long time!

Leave space between the jerky so air can flow freely drying each jerky strip evenly.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. The jerky will harden slightly once it has cooled down, so not allowing a piece to cool before testing can result in over drying the jerky.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

This jerky took 5 hours to be finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Beef Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing beef jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life.

This Fireman’s Beef Jerky recipe has a spicy kick but a great strong beef flavor brought out by great ingredients and fresh peppers. The liquid smoke adds to the Fireman’s hot, spicy, smokey flavor I was going for with this recipe. If smoking your jerky, you can omit the liquid smoke.

Old Pro Tips:

• Adding habaneros to this recipe really kicks of the spice flavor. Only add 1 if you don’t want REALLY spicy jerky
• Use liquid smoke that does not include filler ingredients, such as Wright’s Liquid Smoke
• When finished, jerky will bend and crack but not break in half. Test for doneness after a piece has cooled for 5 minutes, not while warm.
• Store in ziplock bags or vacuum seal for longer storage. Check out my page on Storing Jerky for more information.

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

Print Recipe

0 from 0 votes

FIreman's Beef Jerky

When naming a jerky after Firemen, you have to make it hot enough to set your mouth on FIRE! This beef jerky recipe does just that, so get a glass of milk to keep your mouth cool and let's get to making some Spicy Jerky!

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time5 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Habaneros, Jerky, poblano peppers, spicy

Type: Beef Jerky

Flavor: Spicy

Servings: 5

Calories: 17kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Bottom Round or Venison

Marinade

• 2 Habanero stem removed
• 1 Poblano Pepper stem removed
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp liquid smoke hickory

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock bag. 
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. You can also use a Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade and pat dry the beef strips with paper towels
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 5 hours at 165F.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Adding habaneros to this recipe really kicks of the spice flavor. Only add 1 if you don't want REALLY spicy jerky
• Use liquid smoke that does not include filler ingredients, such as Wright’s Liquid Smoke
• When finished, jerky will bend and crack but not break in half. Test for doneness after a piece has cooled for 5 minutes, not while warm.
• Store in ziplock bags or vacuum seal for longer storage. Check out my page on Storing Jerky for more information.

Nutrition

Calories: 17kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1001mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

This Original Jerky recipe really does taste like good ol’ fashioned jerky you got from a small town smokehouse when you were a kid on a long road trip. Hell, it reminds me of my favorite smokehouse in between Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas’ Prasek’s Family Smokehouse. This place is good, seriously good!

Original Post Date: August 21st, 2015  *Recipe updated with more pictures and step by step instructions*

Slicing Meat for Jerky

The first step to making beef jerky is choosing a lean cut of beef. I used beef eye of round when making this beef jerky. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by clicking here!

Slice the meat with a very sharp knife either with the grain for a more chewy jerky or against the grain for a more tender jerky. a 1/4″ in thickness is just right.

Slice with the grain for a chewy jerky or against the grain for more of a tender chew. Wanting a little more chew, the meat was sliced with the grain when making this beef jerky recipe.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Not sure what way the grain runs? Need more information on slicing meat for jerky? I have put together a page on Slicing Meat for Jerky where you can find EVERYTHING you need to know when slicing meat for jerky.

Making The Marinade

This is a very traditional beef jerky and that calls for some pretty common but TASTY ingredients. Most of the ingredients you will already have in your pantry, so no need to break the bank at the grocery store.

Simply add all the ingredients into a bowl or ziplock bag and mix until they are well incorporated together.

Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

RELATED PAGE: ——-> DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE <——-

Drying The Beef Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. I marinated this beef for a total of 21 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Once you strain the jerky strips in a colander, lay out some paper towels and place the strips on the paper towels. The goal is to pat dry the strips removing any marinade that is still on the surface of the beef jerky strips.

Getting off the marinade on the surface will prevent the jerky from having that “sticky” feel when it is finished. This also speeds up the drying process. A double win!

A Nesco Snackmaster Dehydrator was used when making this jerky recipe. I LOVE the Nesco dehydrators. They work, are reasonably prices, and they last a long time!

Make sure there is space in between the strips so air can circulate around all the jerky and dry it evenly. This is not the time to cram a bunch of meat on one tray and have it overlapping. Give them space people!

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

This jerky took 6 hours to be finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Beef Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing beef jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life.

This Original Beef Jerky has a rich meat taste brought out by the simple ingredients and finishes with a nice pepper taste. The curing salt definitely adds to the smokehouse beef jerky flavor we are all accustomed to.

Not a fan of curing salts? Not to worry, you can leave out this ingredient if you choose. As I mentioned earlier, most of the recipes I make do NOT call for curing salt. Just make sure that you heat the meat to 160° to prevent any bacteria along with the possibility of becoming sick.

Old Pro Tips:

• Leaving the curing salt out of the recipe will alter the look and flavor of this recipe
• Use liquid smoke that does not include filler ingredients, such as Wright’s Liquid Smoke
• When finished, jerky will bend and crack but not break in half. Test for doneness after a piece has cooled for 5 minutes, not while warm.
• Store in ziplock bags or vacuum seal for longer storage. Check out my page on Storing Jerky for more information.

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

Print Recipe

4.18 from 29 votes

Original Beef Jerky

This Original Beef Jerky recipe really does taste like good ol' fashioned jerky you got from your parents when you were a kid.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time6 hrs

Total Time6 hrs 45 mins

Course: Beef Jerky, Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Jerky, original jerky

Type: Beef Jerky

Servings: 5

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Eye of Round or Venison

Marinade

• 1 1/2 tsp pickling salt
• 1/4 tsp Prague Powder #1 curing salt
• 1/4 tsp coriander ground
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke mesquite
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine the pickling salt, Prague Powder #1, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, liquid smoke, black pepper, sugar, and cold water in a medium size bowl or ziplock bag. Mix well.
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice 1/4" strips with the grain. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for evenly sliced strips.
• Tenderize the beef strips with a tenderizing mallet to prevent the jerky from being too tough.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels.
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 7 hours at 160 degrees.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Leaving the curing salt out of the recipe will alter the look and flavor of this recipe
• Use liquid smoke that does not include filler ingredients, such as Wright's Liquid Smoke
• When finished, jerky will bend and crack but not break in half. Test for doneness after a piece has cooled for 5 minutes, not while warm.
• Store in ziplock bags or vacuum seal for longer storage.

Nutrition

Serving: 70g | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 733mg | Potassium: 209mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 2.2mg

This beef jerky recipe with Texas Pete’s hot sauce tastes even better than it’s super cool name! I came up with Pistol Pete from the old television show Brisco County Jr. I then realized that the character was only named Pete, not Pistol Pete.

So maybe it’s from a guy we called Pistol Pete at a seafood restaurant I worked at when I was a teenager… Come to think of it, I’m not sure why we called him Pistol Pete… Anyway, it doesn’t matter, I like the name. Let’s check out Pistol Pete’s Beef Jerky from Texas!

I’m a big fan of hot sauces and Texas Pete Hot Sauce really put the final touches on this jerky. Who doesn’t like hot sauce?

Slicing Meat for Jerky

The first step to making beef jerky is choosing a lean cut of beef. I used beef Bottom round when making this beef jerky. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat for making beef jerky by clicking here!

The second step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat.

That white fat is called the fat cap. Just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Here I used a sharp knife to slice even 1/4″ pieces from the roast. Putting the roast in the freezer for an hour or two will help firm up the meat and make it easier to slice.

Then slice the meat in strips to your liking. I went with skinny strips with the grain for this jerky recipe. Slicing with the grain gives the jerky a little more chew. If you sliced it against the grain it would make the jerky a little more tender and easier to chew.

For more information on slicing meat for jerky, check out my slicing jerky page.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Making the Jerky Marinade

Pistol Pete’s jerky is made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. The only thing you might need to buy is the Texas Pete’s hot sauce. Feel free to substitute your favorite hot sauce if you already have it handy.

Add all the ingredients into a ziplock bag or bowl and mix really well.

Add the beef strips to the marinade and mix it around well making sure that all the slices of meat are covered with marinade. More importantly marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours, not on the kitchen counter. Food Safety first folks! Take the bag out of the fridge and mix the beef jerky strips around several times while marinating to further make sure the strips are covered evenly.

RELATED PAGE: ——-> DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE <——-

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. We had this marinating for about 18 hours, the longer the marinade process the more intense flavor the jerky will have!

After the jerky is strained, lay out some paper towels on the kitchen counter to pat the strips dry of any further marinade that isn’t soaked into the meat.

You can see the excess marinade on the strips above. That will slow the drying process down and can also leave a ‘sticky’ feel to the surface of the finished beef jerky. It’s better to remove that by patting dry with the paper towels.

A Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator was used when making this beef jerky recipe, but you can use an oven or smoker if you prefer.

If using a dehydrator, lay the jerky strips on your dehydrator trays leaving space between the meat for air to circulate for effective drying.

Put the dehydrator setting to 160F or 165, whatever the highest setting is, and dehydrate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, you can turn it down to 145F to finish it off.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

This jerky took 6 hours to be finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Beef Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing beef jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life.

This was a great tasting jerky. It was a little salty with the soy sauce flavor coming through. I’m a BIG fan of soy sauce flavored jerky! The spice is not overpowering, Texas Pete has a great flavor without crazy spice. This will definitely be a crowd pleaser and you WILL have people asking you to make more.

Old Pro Tips:

• Add apple, hickory, or mesquite liquid smoke if you want a smoky flavor
• Substitute any hot sauce that you desire or have on hand
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Store in vacuum seal bags for 6 month shelf life

Print Recipe

4 from 3 votes

Pistol Pete's Beef Jerky

Fantastic tasting beef jerky recipe having a salty/soy sauce flavor paired with the mild heat of Texas Pete hot sauce making it a HUGE hit!

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time6 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Jerky, spicy, Spicy Beef Jerky

Type: Beef Jerky

Flavor: Spicy

Servings: 5

Calories: 38kcal

Author: Will

Equipment

• Excalibur Dehydrator
• Colander

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Eye of Round or Venison

Marinade

• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp Texas Pete hot sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper course
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp basil fresh or dried flakes

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1
• 1 tsp liquid smoke hickory

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well. 
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. You can also use a Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry the beef strips with paper towels
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2 hours at 165F and 4 hours at 145F.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Add apple, hickory, or mesquite liquid smoke if you want a smoky flavor
• Substitute any hot sauce that you desire or have on hand
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Store in vacuum seal bags for 6 month shelf life

Nutrition

Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2598mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg

Teriyaki sauce is one of the most popular flavors when it comes to beef jerky. This recipe knocks the socks off any store bought teriyaki jerky I have ever tried.

Original Post Date: May 4th, 2016  *Recipe updated with more pictures and step by step instructions*

I used my Masterbuilt smoker when making this recipe, but this can be made in your oven or a dehydrator! Let’s get started!!!

Slicing The Meat

Choose a lean cut of beef, I used beef eye of round when making this jerky. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat to make beef jerky with by clicking here!

The first step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat. You can see the white fat in the picture below, just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat with a very sharp knife either with the grain for a more chewy jerky or against the grain for a more tender jerky. a 1/4″ in thickness is just right. 

The beef eye of round was sliced with the grain giving this jerky a little more of a chew. I still don’t have a favorite way of slicing meat. Sometimes I am in the mood for an easy chew and sometimes I like a tougher jerky.

I was just craving some long lasting chew and that’s why I went with the grain on this recipe.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Not sure what way the grain runs? Need more information on slicing meat for jerky? I have put together a page on Slicing Meat for Jerky where you can find EVERYTHING you need to know when slicing meat for jerky.

Making The Marinade

This simple recipe is made great by utilizing local honey and only a touch of sesame oil which brings together all the flavors.

Since I did not use any whole ingredients that needed to be chopped up into small bits, I did not use a blender and simply added all the ingredients into a ziplock bag and mixed well.

Next, add the beef strips into the ziplock bag and mix well to make sure all of them are evenly coated with the marinade.

Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

RELATED PAGE: ——-> DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE <——-

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. I marinated this beef for a total of 23 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Before adding the meat to your smoker, dehydrator, or oven; lay out paper towels placing the meat strips on top. Pat dry the strips to remove even more of the excess marinade. This step will help speed up the drying process and prevent the meat from being ‘sticky’ after it has finished drying.

After patting the strips dry, place them on your smoker racks, dehydrator trays, or oven rack.

If using an oven or smoker, you can pierce the strips on one end with toothpicks that way you can hang them from the racks. Make sure to place some aluminum foil underneath the rack to catch any dripping liquid for easy cleanup.

The all trustworthy Masterbuilt Smoker was fired up to give this Teriyaki Jerky some real smoke flavor. I decided against the mesquite in the picture above and went with some hickory chips. It provided a nice mild hickory smoke flavor. I love making jerky in a smoker, you just can’t replicate that real smoke flavor.

If you do make this in a dehydrator or oven, liquid smoke does give the jerky a nice smokey flavor. Definitely add some to your marinade in the previous steps to replicate that amazing smokey flavor!

I dried the strips for 1.5 hrs at 160°F then turned up to 200°F for 1 hr while hitting it with a handful of hickory wood chips. One handful of wood chips is all you need when smoking jerky.

After it gets that tasty smoke from the handful of chips, the temp is lowered back down to 160°F and finished off. Mine took another 8 hours to finish, bringing the total time in the smoker to 10.5 hrs.

You can see the jerky dries nice and even when hung from the smoker racks.

RELATED PAGE: DEHYDRATOR REVIEWS – CLICK HERE

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

When making jerky in a dehydrator or oven I find my jerky is normally finished around the 4-5 hour mark. When using a smoker it is closer to 6-8 hours.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

So, how was it? They turned out great! It had the perfect amount of spice for my liking and a great chew. So get some beef and give this Mexican heat beef jerky a try!

Old Pro Tips:

• Make sure the smoker is hot when adding the wood chips. If they burn at too low of a temperature it will give the jerky a sour flavor
• Use liquid smoke if using a dehydrator or oven
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Slice strips at 1/4″ thickness for a good jerky feel

For more in depth directions on how to Smoke your beef jerky, visit my page: How to Make Beef Jerky in a Smoker

Print Recipe

4.08 from 25 votes

Teriyaki II Beef Jerky

Teriyaki sauce is one of the most popular flavors when it comes to beef jerky. This recipe knocks the socks off any store bought teriyaki jerky I have ever tried.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time10 hrs

Total Time11 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Beef Jerky

Keyword: teriyaki beef jerky

Type: Beef Jerky

Servings: 5

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Eye of Round Roast or Venison

Marinade

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried ginger

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic powder, & dried ginger in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well.
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Slice with the grain for a chewier jerky. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for even sliced strips.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade.
• Pat dry the strips with paper towels.
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my smoker to make this batch of jerky.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Nutrition

Serving: 70g | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1330mg | Potassium: 257mg | Sugar: 11g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2.8mg

You Might Also Like:

BEST CUTS OF BEEF FOR JERKY

HOW TO MAKE BEEF JERKY WITH A DEHYDRATOR

THE BEST DEHYDRATOR FOR MAKING BEEF JERKY

SLICING MEAT FOR BEEF JERKY

So many flavors! Dark soy sauce and worcestershire meld beautifully with the white wine making this jerky a delicious snack to eat or store for later during this tough time the world is going through.

Right now the best thing to have while prepping for the future is protein that will last a VERY long time and tastes great! Let’s be honest, the second best thing to have right now is also alcohol. This recipe has you covered!

An excuse to buy some alcohol and you also get to make a fantastic tasting beef jerky to store for the future…. and eat some right away…

Slicing The Meat

Choose a lean cut of beef, I used beef eye of round when making this beef jerky recipe. Some stores may be low on meat, so check out the  best cuts of meat to make beef jerky with by clicking here! You can use MANY different cuts, you are bound to be able to find one of them.

The first step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat. You can see the white fat in the picture below, just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat with a very sharp knife either with the grain for a more chewy jerky or against the grain for a more tender jerky. a 1/4″ in thickness is just right. 

Slice even strips so they will dry evenly and be finished at the same time. You can wrap the roast in plastic wrap and partially freeze for 1-2 hours to make slicing easier.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky. If making more than 3lbs of jerky, having a slicer REALLY speeds up the process!

Not sure what way the grain runs in your cut of beef? Need more information on slicing meat for jerky? I have put together a page on Slicing Meat for Jerky where you can find EVERYTHING you need to know..

Making The Marinade

This Vineyard Mash Beef Jerky recipe does not have any whole ingredients, such as peppers, so using a blender is not necessary when mixing the ingredients. 

Simply mix all of the ingredients into a ziplock bag or bowl and add the previously sliced meat.

Mix the strips around really well to make sure they are all evenly coated with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

If you are in a rush, these vacuum marinating machines do work pretty well. About 1/2 an hour and your jerky will turn out like it marinated for 12 hours. Not bad!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. I marinated this beef for a total of 18 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Before adding the meat to your dehydrator, oven, or smoker; lay out paper towels placing the meat strips on top. Pat dry the strips to remove even more of the excess marinade.

This step will help speed up the drying process and prevent the meat from being ‘sticky’ after it has finished drying.

I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this jerky. I love how easy it is to use a dehydrator, so that’s what I use to make most of my jerky.

If you want to use your oven or a smoker, you can see more information on drying on the jerky making methods page. This page will also have even more in depth directions on using a dehydrator.

After drying for 3 hours at 165°F and 1 hour at 145°F, the jerky turned out just perfect. The 3 hours were done on high to make sure the internal temperature reaches 160°F to kill any potential bacteria.

After the kill phase, I turned it down to finish it off. Turning the heat down will prevent the meat from becoming brittle.

RELATED PAGE: DEHYDRATOR REVIEWS – CLICK HERE

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature.

Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped or bent in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished.

90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. This is a MUST READ during these times of lock down and uncertainty.

Taste Test!

The Vineyard Mash Beef Jerky turned out tasting GREAT! I really enjoyed this recipe and will definitely make it again. The flavor resembles a traditional beef jerky with a subtle flavor of the white wine. The black pepper gives it a little kick, however not overpowering, just enough to let you know it’s there. ENJOY!!!

Old Pro Tips:

• Switch apple liquid smoke out for hickory or mesquite to suit your desired flavor
• I used a Pinot wine, but any white wine will work well
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Slice strips at 1/4″ thickness for a good jerky feel

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods

Print Recipe

3 from 4 votes

Vineyard Mash Beef Jerky

So many flavors! Dark soy sauce and worcestershire meld beautifully with the white wine making this jerky a delicious snack to eat or store for later during this lock down the world is going through.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Jerky, spicy, Wine jerky

Type: Beef Jerky

Servings: 5

Calories: 32kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Eye of Round or Venison

Marinade

• 1/3 cup white wine pinot
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper course
• 2 tsp liquid smoke applewood

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well. 
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. You can also use a Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade and pat dry the beef strips with paper towels
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 3 hours at 165F and 1 hour at 145F.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Switch apple liquid smoke out for hickory or mesquite to suit your desired flavor
• I used a Pinot wine, but any white wine will work well
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Slice strips at 1/4" thickness for a good jerky feel

Nutrition

Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1983mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

This jerky is SPICY and PACKED full of flavor from the soy sauce, cumin, honey and those great looking cherry popper peppers! YUM YUM YUM!!!

Who didn’t LOVE lighting and throwing cherry bomb’s, the fire crackers, when they were kids?! I loved blowing things up, pretty much every male from 8-20 years old loves playing with explosives.

Well when I came across peppers that were called cherry poppers, It reminded me of my childhood and I knew I had to use them in a jerky recipe! They did not disappoint either, this jerky is incredibly good! Enough talk, let’s get started…

Slicing The Meat

Choose a lean cut of beef, I used beef eye of round when making this spicy jerky. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat to make beef jerky with by clicking here!

The first step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat. You can see the white fat in the picture below, just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat with a very sharp knife either with the grain for a more chewy jerky or against the grain for a more tender jerky. a 1/4″ in thickness is just right. 

Slice even strips so they will dry evenly and be finished at the same time. You can wrap the roast in plastic wrap and partially freeze for 1-2 hours to make slicing easier.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Not sure what way the grain runs? Need more information on slicing meat for jerky? I have put together a page on Slicing Meat for Jerky where you can find EVERYTHING you need to know when slicing meat for jerky.

Making The Marinade

This recipe revolves around those amazingly spicy cherry popper peppers. I found these at my local Whole Foods Market.

Since I am using whole peppers in this recipe, using a blender is the best way to fully incorporate them into the marinade. The cherry bomb pepper was added whole (do not remove seeds, only stem) to the other marinade ingredients inside my Vitamix blender to make sure this jerky keeps that amazingly spicy flavor.

Blend until the pepper and the other ingredients are fully sliced thin and incorporated together. Look at those great looking seeds!

Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag and add the previously sliced beef. Mix the strips around really well to make sure they are all evenly coated with the marinade.

Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

If you are in a rush, these vacuum marinating machines do work pretty well. About 1/2 an hour and your jerky will turn out like it marinated for 12 hours. Not bad!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF GREAT TASTING JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. I marinated this beef for a total of 21 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Before adding the meat to your dehydrator, oven, or smoker; lay out paper towels placing the meat strips on top. Pat dry the strips to remove even more of the excess marinade. This step will help speed up the drying process and prevent the meat from being ‘sticky’ after it has finished drying.

Place the strips on your dehydrator trays, oven trays, or smoker rack to dehydrate/dry the jerky. 

I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this jerky. I love how easy it is to use a dehydrator, so that’s what I use to make most of my jerky.

If you want to try drying with a different method however, you can see more information on drying on the jerky making methods page. This page will also have even more in depth directions on using a dehydrator.

These were dehydrated for 4 hours at 160F and came out just perfect. Make sure the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F to kill any potential bacteria. The 4 hours at 160°F in this dehydrator does the trick.

Related Page: Dehydrator Reviews – Click Here

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

So, how was it? They turned out great! It had the perfect amount of spice for my liking and a great chew. So get some beef and give this Mexican heat beef jerky a try!

Old Pro Tips:

• Use a blender to chop the peppers and incorporate them into the marinade for maximum flavor
• Taste the marinade after blending and decide if you want to add more pepper if you really want a SPICY jerky
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Slice strips at 1/4″ thickness for a good jerky feel

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods

Print Recipe

0 from 0 votes

Cherry Bomb Beef Jerky

This jerky is SPICY and PACKED full of flavor from the soy sauce, cumin, honey and those great looking cherry popper peppers! YUM!

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: banana peppers, beef jerky, cherry bomb, Jerky, spicy

Type: Beef Jerky

Flavor: Spicy

Servings: 5

Calories: 30kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Eye of Round or Venison

Marinade

• 1 cherry popper pepper whole
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup beef broth

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock bag. 
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. You can also use a Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade and pat dry the beef strips with paper towels
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 165F.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Use a blender to chop the peppers and incorporate them into the marinade for maximum flavor
• Taste the marinade after blending and decide if you want to add more pepper if you really want a SPICY jerky
• Use Prague Powder #1 to increase the shelf life of the jerky and help kill any bacteria
• Slice strips at 1/4" thickness for a good jerky feel

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1390mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

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This Mexican Heat Beef Jerky is made with spicy Serrano peppers and red pepper flakes to light your lips on fire and satisfy that spice craving.

Original Post Date: Janurary 12th, 2016  *Recipe updated with more pictures and step by step instructions*

Slicing The Meat

When I remade this recipe I bought a couple of packs of already thin sliced beef top round from my local grocery store.

This really speeds up the process because all I needed to do was slice them into 1″ wide strips as they were already sliced 1/8″ thick.

If you can’t find or want to start from scratch, grab a chunk of Beef Eye of Round. You can find a complete list of the best cuts of meat to make beef jerky with by clicking here!

The first step of slicing meat for jerky is to trim the cut of meat of all visible fat. You can see the white fat in the picture below, just trim that off BEFORE you start slicing the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat, so the more you get off now, the longer your jerky will be shelf stable.

Slice the meat with a very sharp knife either with the grain for a more chewy jerky or against the grain for a more tender jerky.

Slice even strips so they will dry evenly and be finished at the same time. You can wrap the roast in plastic wrap and partially freeze for 1-2 hours to make slicing easier.

I didn’t use it on this recipe, but a jerky slicer is a FANTASTIC piece of equipment to help get even strips when slicing jerky.

Not sure what way the grain runs? Need more information on slicing meat for jerky? I have put together a page on Slicing Meat for Jerky where you can find EVERYTHING you need to know when slicing meat for jerky.

Making The Marinade

I am a big fan of Serrano peppers, mainly eating them in picante and pico de gallo sauces. They are from Mexico and their spice is a little hotter than a jalapeno. What I like the most about them is that they are spicy, but pack a great taste as well. I love eating spicy jerky, but it has to taste good too!

Since I am using whole peppers in this recipe, using a blender is the best way to fully incorporate them into the marinade. The Serrano peppers were added whole (do not remove seeds) to the other marinade ingredients inside my Vitamix blender to make sure this jerky has a strong spicy flavor.

Feel free to adjust the amount of peppers to suit your spice preference.

Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag and add the previously sliced beef. Mix the strips around really well to make sure they are all evenly coated with the marinade.

Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the bag up several times to further make sure the strips are evenly coated. This makes sure the every piece of finished jerky has a consistent flavor.

Related Page: Dozens of Great Tasting Jerky Recipes – Click Here

Drying The Jerky

Once the meat has finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. I marinated this beef for a total of 18 hours before straining. The longer the marinade process, the more intense flavor the jerky will have! 

Before adding the meat to your dehydrator, oven, or smoker; lay out paper towels placing the meat strips on top. Pat dry the strips to remove even more of the excess marinade. This step will help speed up the drying process and prevent the meat from being ‘sticky’ after it has finished drying.

Place the strips on your dehydrator trays, oven trays, or smoker rack to dehydrate/dry the jerky. 

I decided to use my Excalibur Dehydrator when drying this jerky. The dehydrator is my favorite way of drying jerky and the Excalibur is my favorite dehydrator. This recipe will turn out well using other drying methods, you can see more information on drying on the jerky making methods page.

After dehydrating for 4 hours, these bad boys were ready to be eaten. Make sure the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F to kill any potential bacteria. The 4 hours at 160°F in the dehydrator does the trick.

You can also pre-heat the meat in an oven before drying if your dehydrator does not heat up to 160°F. Check out my page on jerky safety for more information on this process.

Related Page: Dehydrator Reviews – Click Here

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished. 90% of the jerky I make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

So, how was it? They turned out great! It had the perfect amount of spice for my liking and a great chew. So get some beef and give this Mexican heat beef jerky a try!

Old Pro Tips:

• Buy already sliced beef roast to avoid slicing yourself. It saves time!
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor
• Use a blender when using whole peppers or other whole ingredients for more intense flavors

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods

Print Recipe

3.29 from 7 votes

Mexican Heat Beef Jerky

This Mexican Heat Beef Jerky is made with spicy Serrano peppers and red pepper flakes to light your lips on fire and satisfy that spice craving.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time6 hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, Beef Jerky

Keyword: beef jerky, Jerky, Mexican Beef Jerky

Type: Beef Jerky

Servings: 5

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Beef Eye of Round or Venison

Marinade

• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 Serrano peppers Whole
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

• Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
• While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock bag. 
• Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for more chew.
• Add sliced beef to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
• After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade and pat dry the beef strips with paper towels
• Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my dehydrator and dried for 5 hours at 160 degrees.
• The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Buy already sliced beef roast to avoid slicing yourself. It saves time!
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor
• Use a blender when using whole peppers or other whole ingredients for more intense flavors

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 282mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2.8mg

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods

You Might Also Like:

Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator

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