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This blend of 5 spices commonly used in Chinese cuisine create a beef jerky that is wonderfully sweet and spicy!
I have been wanting to make a Chinese 5 spice beef jerky recipe for some time now. The spice has been sitting in my cabinet just waiting for the perfect time to whip up some dried beef. Well the day arrived and it did not disappoint!
5 spice can actually be made up of several different ingredients, which surprised me. You would think that a spice which has a name so bold that it has the number of ingredients in the name, they would be universal. But, I guess not...
The Chinese 5 spice that was used for this recipe was made of star anise, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, & Sichuan peppercorns. Some ingredients of 5 spice might differ, but overall will give you a flavor that represents the 5 basic flavors of Chinese cooking - sweet, sour, bitter, salty, & savory.
What I like so much about this recipe, other than it's taste, was the minimal amount of ingredients. Since the Chinese 5 spice packs most of the flavor, I really didn't have to add much else. Above you will see the meat marinating in curing salt, 5 spice, and beef broth. That's it! (I did transfer the beef to a ziplock bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 22 hours)
Lightly pat dry with paper towels before drying. I used my dehydrator when making this Chinese 5 spice beef jerky. Three hours at 160° F and then an additional one hour at 145° F.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. Let me know how it turns out!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.
Ingredients
Lean Beef
- 1 lb Top Round London Broil or Venison
Marinade
- 1/4 tsp Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
- 1 tbsp Chinese 5 spice
- 3/4 cup beef broth
Equipment
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 Prague Powder #1, Chinese 5 spice, & beef broth in a medium bowl or ziplock bag. Mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for evenly sliced strips.
- 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 strain excess marinade. Gently pat beef strips with a paper towel if needed.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 3 hours at 160F degrees and an additional 1 hour at 145F degrees.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Nutrition
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.
Hey Will! This is a great use of Chinese 5 Spice. I just linked to your recipe from our spice shop. Thanks for the great idea!
Thanks!
Hi. I was very excited to try this recipe to use up some Chinese 5 spice that I had in the cabinet. I bought the meat and made the marinade. I let it marinade for a full 24 hours. I put it in my smoker and waited anxiously for it to be done. Hours later, Alas, there was jerky. I gave it a taste only to be very disappointed. I followed the recipe to a T but this jerky had no taste. I appreciate that you took the time to post these recipes and I will continue to try them from this site and report the results.
Sorry to hear that Donna. Not sure what happened, but I hope you do try some other recipes.
Your chinese five spice can be flat if it is too old...
Hi
In the directions under picture it says 1 hour @ 160* and 3 hours @ 145*.
On the green recipe card instruction 6 says the reverse.
Could you please clarify. Did not want to try it until I was sure which is right.
Thanks Jim C.
Thanks for pointing that out Jim! It is 3 hours at 160F and one more at 145F.
Hello, I am sorry if this has been addressed but I see the curing salt in the Chinese 5 spice recipe. Can this be eliminated? I want a natural product.
Thanks!
Arria
PS love the sight!!!
Thanks for the kind words Arria! Yep. You can omit the curing salt in any recipe, just make sure to heat the jerky to an internal temperature of 160F to kill any potential bacteria.