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Looking for a rough and tough beef jerky made for a REAL man? You just found it. Bourbon + Beef Jerky = A Super Manly Beef Snack!
When I think of Beef Jerky, I think of a meat snack that is made for the rough and tough man. I eat most of my jerky while working on a drilling rig in South Texas. It just feels right tearing into a dried tough piece of meat in order to give you enough protein to make it through the day.
I don't know about you, but what is more manly than making your beef jerky with bourbon? Nothing, that is the obvious answer to this question.
I was contacted by Skillset Magazine and now have this recipe featured in one of their publications. This magazine is about guys, guns, fighting, and everything else a real man needs to know about living an Alpha lifestyle; like making great jerky!
This recipe has a little bit of everything to make a sweet and strong tasting jerky. Go ahead and bust out the blender to really get the brown sugar and molasses mixed well.
I used beef top round cut with the grain and tenderized with a meat mallet for this recipe. It's a manly jerky, you have to go with the grain to make it tough!
Make sure to drain the meat after marinating it for 6-24hrs. Do not pat these dry with a paper towel as you might see in other recipes. Let them drip dry and dehydrate them however you want. I used my dehydrator for this recipe, but you can use an oven or smoker as well.
If you like bourbon and meat, you will LOVE this Kentucky Bourbon Beef Jerky!
So grab your favorite bottle of bourbon and get to work.
Ingredients
Lean Meat
- 1 lb Beef Top Round or Venison
Marinade
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 2 teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)
- ¼ teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
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 bourbon, liquid smoke, Prague Powder #1, molasses, brown sugar, black pepper, soy sauce, & worcestershire sauce in a blender. Mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips with the grain and tenderize with a meat mallet. Cut against the grain for an easier chew. 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.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 6 hours at 160 degrees.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Nutrition
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Hi. Thanks for the recipe! Can regular salt be used?
You can definitely just use salt instead of curing salt. The finished jerky won’t last as long when stored, so keep that in mind.
Does the alcohol ‘cook out’ of the jerky during the dehydration process?
Most of the alcohol evaporates and cooks out of the jerky. It will definitely have the flavor but minimal alcohol. Best to eat at home and not on the job though… can’t be too careful!
The directions on the beach book day don't dehydrate meat soaked in alcohol. Is there a reason, because I'm doing it as I write. Whoops????
I believe this probably has something to do with a fire hazard and covering themselves legally. Hazard being having evaporated fumes from alcohol and an appliance running. I don't believe it poses much of a threat and have never had any issues myself. If you are worried though, I advise you to take their recommendation. <---covering my butt too 🙂
Thanks
I’ve made jerky using this recipe and it’s delicious!!! I’m now curious if I can swap out the whiskey with rum for a slightly sweeter, yet manly, jerky?
Curiosity might get the best of me and I’ll have to try to make it this weekend with some venison I have... what are your thoughts on using rum over whiskey?
I think it will turn out pretty good. Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out!
Can you ground up the meat and marinade it and shoot it out of a jerky gun?
Yep. You can totally do that!