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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
David & Dani Cook says
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.
Will says
Thanks! I'll have to give this one a try.
Randy says
Hey will!
How did you get the nutrition facts? Im in the beginning stages of making my own jerky
Will says
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.
gerzy says
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/
Will says
This recipe is not that spicy. I would try one of the recipes that has a hot pepper in it. Try
Denise says
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?
Will says
Definitely!
Sergii says
Hi Will. Thank you very much for all recipes. In your recipes you use 1 lb of meat. Does it mean that I have triple all ingredients if I use 3 lbs of meat? thank you
Will says
That is exactly what you need to do. The only thing that might not need to be tripled are peppers. You might only need to double the amount of peppers or put just a little bit more in. It's best to taste the marinade and slowly add additional peppers when using a recipe that calls for them. Otherwise, triple the recipe and go!
Sergii says
Thanks Will. This came out a bit spicier than expected. And I think I put too much of thyme. Wii adjust next time 🙂
Aaron says
Just got a Ninja Air Fryer for Christmas and am excited to start making jerky. So glad I found this site. I am gonna try the authentic Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk as a marinade. Will let you know how it turns out. Thank you for this website brotha.
Will says
Let me know how it turns out!
Chris says
Making this now. I'm not a huge fan of Jamaican jerk seasoning but the wife wanted it. Got to say it smells good.
Will says
O yeah, it will definitely make the house smell great!
Steve Damon says
I've got an entire 16 lb. turkey. I am in the process of using this recipe for Turkey jerky in my Magic Mill dehydrator. Can't wait!
Will says
Nice!
Steve Damon says
This recipe worked awesome on the bird! I made 4 lbs, lasted 2 days. Lol. Thank you!
Paul Ternahan says
Trying this out today, did add a bit more water than the recipe called for. The smell is incredible, so looking forward to the finished product tomorrow!
Kerry B. Marino says
Hi, easier way is to use Walkerswood Authentic Jerk Seasoning. Mix it with a little brown sugar, a bottle of lager, an equal amount of low salt soy sauce and marinate for 12-24 hours or longer, then dry.
Deyka says
I followed your recipe , firts time I made Beef jerky ever- jerky came awesome! Now I have the confidence to experiment my own. Thank you so much
Will says
That's great to hear! No problem Deyka.
Vince says
Good afternoon Will,
Ive been making some of your receipes now for over 6 months, Ive tryed Dragon Fire, Vinegar Horseradish, Jimmys Teriyaky but ive came back to this one now for the 3rd time as its a crowd pleaser. everytime I modify it a litle by sprinkling a diferent spice on it just before puting it in the Dehidrator. Canot thank you enought for sharing all these receipies you realy got me hooked on making jerky. I Have a cousin that loves Fireball cinnamon whisky so i told him id do something up for him. Any ideas of what would compliment that well? Thanks for your time and keep up the good receipes
Vince
Will says
Fireball Whisky is one of my favorite as well! I'm at work and don't have my spice bible book. I like to read through it and get great ideas for jerky recipes. I'll make sure to check it out when I get home and try to come up with something. I would also love to make a recipe with some Fireball!
VINCE says
By all means if you want to try something out. Keep me in the loop if you think or try anything
Thanks Will
Vince
Vince Provencal says
Good Day Will,
Hope all is good,
I can't believe you actually did the fireball recipe I had mentioned too you many months back for a cousin of mine that loved Fireball. I can't wait to get back home and try, I'm so pumped. Thanks for all that you do and keep sharing.
Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you and family.
Sincerely
Vince
Will says
Vince! I was looking through my comments for our conversation when I was writing this post earlier today and couldn't find it. I came up with some stuff and it turned out pretty darn good. I have this recipe flagged in my 'keep tweaking' list though. I really think with a little more trial and error this recipe can be even better! Thanks for such a great idea. I just edited my post and threw you the credit. I hope you don't mind that I used your first name on the post. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!
Vincent Provencal says
Ahahah Not a problem at all Will. I'm glad the idea inspired you, I will give this a try when I get home next week. Let me know if you ever tweek it and make it better. Keep up the good work
Cheers
Sincerely
Vince
Adam S says
I made a version of this with beef stock instead of water. Wow! I smoked it on my Yoder pellet smoker and it turned out awesome! I shared it at my office this morning and they all loved it and said they would pay good money for it.
Will says
Nice! You can start a little side gig selling jerky at work...
Jayson C says
Hi Will,
Thanks for putting together such an awesome resource for Jerky! I just got a dehydrater for my birthday and coming back from Jamaica of course I am interested in making some delicious Jerk flavored Jerky. My question is this, I would like to start with some traditional jerk seasoning and pineapple juice. Should I just mix that in with the ingredients already in this recipe or do you think it might go better with some different components?
Thanks Jayson
Will says
Congrats on the new dehydrator! I would just add it to this recipe. Try leaving out the water and substituting with about 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. Let me know how it turns out!
Joey says
I am jerky freak like you and make it all if the time. Some from my own head,some from modified recipes I find, but I made some with your jamacian jerk recipe and boy was it good. Have looked over several of your other recipes and will be trying them the weekend.
Will says
Nice Joey! Glad you found one you liked. I hope you find some others too.
Jen says
I used this recipe making my very first jerky yesterday and, boy, was it delicious! I used brown sugar and finely chopped onions. I will definitely be making this again, both with deer and chicken. My husband was thrilled. Thanks for a very informative site for beginners like me. Looking forward to making more of your recipes!
Will says
Glad you guys liked it Jen! Thanks for coming by and checking out the site.
Jim says
Great recipe, I did your original and my modification...by adding a btsp of crushed fresh ginger, 2 tbsp. lime jucice
and doubled the garlic ( I'm Polish, what can I say). Also, used dark brown sugar rather than granulated....
Give it a try!
Will says
I'll have to try that, sounds good! Thanks Jim!
Richard Orwig says
Hey will,Richard from Maryland; I made another 4 pounds of Jamaican jerk beef jerky.
To complement the scotch bonnet pepper sauce I used coconut water with the pulp instead water. With a few pinches of dry cilantro. I now have people asking to buy it from me; crazy isn't it, maybe I'll change my line of work. Stay safe and thanks again.
Will says
Nice! That's always a good sign your jerky tastes great! And a new Jerky Company began...
Tim Romero says
Will,
What's your curing component? One teaspoon to one pound of beef?
Seems too little. Please elaborate.
Thanks!
Will says
Always check the cure that you are using. I use Prague Powder #1 and it calls for 1tsp per 5lbs of meat. So if making 1lb of jerky, use a scant 1/4 tsp of curing salt. It does NOT take much! Just make sure to double check the instructions on the cure you buy as it could be different. You can use regular salt as well for taste, but this is enough to cure the meat.
Richard Orwig says
Hey Will, Richard from Maryland here. The jerky turned out great. I made 4 pounds worth using London broil, on sale for $2.99 lb. for that price I had to do 4 pounds. Besides family and friends,everybody wants some can't never make enough!! I Used the oven method at 160° and a door cracked open about an inch it took about five hours to make turning in between. In the future I'll try some of your other flavors of jerky. Stay safe on those oil wells.
SEE YAA!!!
Will says
Glad it turned out good! I'll do my best, thanks!
Richard Orwig says
Thanks for the recipe Will, just got back from Jamaica last week. Their jerk chicken was excellent. I did bring home some Jamaican scotch bonnet pepper sauce and Brown raw cane sugar. Looking forward to making my jerky today! I'll keep you posted on the results when it's done, sometime tomorrow. And a yell out for sandals resort!!
Thank you.Ya Mon. No problem
Will says
I sit on a well site in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma drilling for oil as I type this; I wish I was in Jamaica!!! I bet you had a blast. Watch out for those scotch bonnet peppers, those are ridiculously hot! Can't wait to hear your results. Thanks for stopping by...
David says
I just made this and put a thin coat of BBQ sauce on it before putting in the dehydrator, VERY tasty... Thanks for the recipes, I made 4 different types tonight
James Whittaker says
Just tried this I had a lot of meat on my london broil cut so I did the marinade twice just so it would actually be in a puddle to sit. Looks and smells already! I'll let you know how it is 2 days from now haha!
Will says
Nice man! Definitely let me know how it turns out...
Larry says
I'm doing this now and I used 2 pounds of romp roast. The marinate is dry (after adding half cup of water) is this how yours sat in the fridge as well? Want to make any adjustments to it ASAP if needed.
Thanks!
Will says
Hey Larry! So the water is there to just make the marinade stick to the beef better. It shouldn't be completely dry, but should be moist and have some liquid in the bag. Add a little more water if needed and don't forget to mix it around every couple hours so all the meat gets marinated evenly. Let me know how it turns out!
Jodi says
It's next to impossible to find fresh scotch bonnet peppers (long story why...) but we sell Spur Tree scotch bonnet sauce. It's a perfect substitute. Jo to pimentowood.com or call us at 612-868-JERK
We'd love to try your jerky!!!!