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Everyone loves Jerk Chicken, and everyone is going to love this Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky!
The other day I went with my wife in search for a little food truck she has been wanting to try near downtown Austin. It's a Venezuelan food truck called Four Brother ATX, it's know for their Arepas. Okay, I'm game - Let's roll...
Well, when we got to the food truck, there was another food truck right next to it pumping out an amazing smell. This food truck was painted the colors of the Jamaican flag and was called ATX Jamaican Grill. Uh, sorry Arepa lady, I'm sure you are good, but this jerk chicken is calling my name!
Inspired by this truck and the AMAZING jerk chicken I had that day, I decided to make a Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky.
I started with my favorite cut, Beef Eye of Round, and grabbed some island flavored spices in an attempt to replicate the oh so delicious jerk chicken I had from that food truck. (It came with rice and fried plantains too!)
After giving it my best shot, I would have loved to have some fresh Scotch Bonnet Peppers to add, in the marinade the strips went and they sat in the fridge soaking up all that Jamaican flavor for 18 hours.
It took 5 hours to dry the jerky with my Nesco Dehydrator, and it turned out Fantastic!
The Cayenne and Thyme add great flavor to this jerky. The flavor of the thyme comes across your taste buds first followed by the kick of the cayenne pepper a couple seconds later.
You can also tell that the jerky is finished here because when it was ripped in half, you can see the white fibers of the meat. This is a great way of telling when your jerky is finished.
I was extremely happy with how this jerky turned out. I can't say that it was a more authentic flavor than the food truck I ate at, but it is Damn Good!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
Ingredients
Lean Meat
Marinade
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Optional
- ¼ teaspoon Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1)
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 all the 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. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer.
- 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 Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2 ½ hours at 160F & 2 ½ hours at 140F.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Nutrition
Here's my combo recipe...
For the Jamaican Jerk Marinade
3 to 10 habanero or Scotch bonnet chilies, stemmed and cut in half
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 bunches scallions (white and green parts), trimmed and coarsely chopped
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
For the Beef Jerky
3 lbs. of meat (about 1360 gm)
1 to 2 cups Jamaican jerk marinade
Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky Instructions
For the Jamaican Jerk Marinade
To make the Jamaican jerk paste add all of the dry ingredients to a food processor and process to a coarse paste. Add the remaining liquid ingredients and process until the paste becomes spreadable.
For the Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky
Trim all the fat, gristle, and silver skin from the beef. Slice the beef into thin strips 1/8" to 3/8" thick, against the grain. Set the strips down in a large container like a bowl, flat tray, or sealable plastic bag.
Pour the Jamaican jerk marinade over the meat and mix well. Store the meat in the fridge for about 4 to 8 hours, or overnight.
Making Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 160°F / 71°C, or the lowest setting it will go.
Remove the beef slices from the container and layer the strips in a single layer on a baking tray, or drying rack on top of a cookie sheet. Make sure the beef strips don't overlap and have a little space between them to enable good air circulation.
Arrange the oven shelves leaving at least 4 inches of space from the top and bottom sources of heat to achieve even heating. Place the strips in the oven to start dehydrating them.
Making Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky in a Dehydrator
Preheat your dehydrator to at least 141°F / 60.5°C and up to 165°F / 74°C.
Place the strips in a single layer on the dehydrator trays. Be sure to leave some space between the jerky strips for sufficient air flow. If you are not using wire or mesh trays you may need to turn the beef jerky over once in the middle of the drying process.
Dry the beef jerky for 6 to 10 hours. If thicker strips of meat are used it may take longer.
Finishing the Jamaican Jerk Beef Jerky
To test the beef jerky remove a strip or two from the oven racks or dehydrator trays with clean kitchen tongs. Dried beef jerky strips should be chewy but still tender. When bent, it should be flexible enough not to break but it should crack instead.
Once the Jamaican jerk beef jerky is sufficiently dry, remove it from the dehydrator and let it cool for 30 to 60 minutes. If there is any oil or moisture on the beef jerky use paper towels to blot it dry.
Put the jerky in tightly sealed containers then refrigerate or freeze. The Jamaican jerk beef jerky will last in the refrigerator for a month or two and in the freezer for several months.
Thanks! I'll have to give this one a try.
Hey will!
How did you get the nutrition facts? Im in the beginning stages of making my own jerky
I have a plugin that takes the ingredients and turned them into nutrition facts for the website. They will be slightly high because it does not take into account the marinade that is strained before drying.
is ts recipe spicy? i am making a recipe for school cooking and want it spicy. if it is not, how do i make it so? Thanks/
This recipe is not that spicy. I would try one of the recipes that has a hot pepper in it. Try
Please delete my previous comment; Siri is an idiot.
I know what I’m asking is blasphemous, but do you think I could use a sugar substitute instead of sugar?
Definitely!