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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!!!
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Why this beef jerky recipe works
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.
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. ¼" 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.
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 beef 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 beef 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.
How to store 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.
FAQ
No, you can omit the curing salt. It does however further prevent bacteria from growing, extend the shelf life of the finished jerky, and will give it a more 'jerky' flavor everyone is used to.
Spice!!! I love spicy! Add some whole peppers to the marinade and blend in a blender. I love habaneros and flavor wise they would be the best to add. Adding a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce would also give it a nice kick.
Yes, buy the low sodium teriyaki sauce if you are watching your salt intake.
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
Related Posts
Ingredients
Lean Beef
- 1 lb bottom round
Marinade
- ½ cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (hickory)
Optional
- ¼ teaspoon Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1)
Equipment
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 ¼" to ⅛" 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.
- I used my Nesco Dehydrator, the strips were placed on the dehydrator trays making sure to leave room between strips to allow unobstructed airflow. They were dried for 2 hours at 165F and 3 hours at 145F until perfectly finished.
- 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.
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
Original Post Date: March 15th, 2015 *Recipe updated with more pictures and step by step instructions*
Carl says
How does curing salt alter the taste? I have made a few of your recipes so far Bourbon, Jamaican and big rig and liked them all but left out the curing salt of course around here it only lasts a week or two at most
Will says
It’s hard to describe. It gives it a little sweet flavor. You will recognize it from store bought jerky taste. I would recommend trying to make some with it and see which you like best. Only buy a small amount, you only need 1 tsp per 5lbs of meat.
Mark Kp says
Not a big fan of this recipe. Not enough teriyaki flavor and too much pepper. My previous batch was Rig Hand and that was fantastic.
Will says
Thanks for the input. I would give my Teriyaki II Beef Jerky a try. That's a great teriyaki recipe you might enjoy.
Carl says
The Teriyaki Recipe is hands down the best marinade I’ve cam across in several years if the not the best. I home process deer for customers, one in particular wanted some Teriyaki Jerky. I found your web site and recipe and followed it all but the amounts of black pepper and liquid smoke, I cut back on them. In a small town the word got around about the teriyaki jerky and I haven’t made anything but it since. I’m in the neighborhood of 150lbs of finished cut deer jerky counting the 28 lbs in the dehydrators to date. I’ve pre-smoked a few batch’s for a couple of hours before finishing in the dehydrator. Very good! Thanks for sharing your recipes and adding a calculator at print to help regulate the ingredient amounts! First class all the way!
Will says
That's awesome Carl. Glad your customers are loving this recipe. It's hard to beat a good teriyaki jerky!
Carl Bailey says
Will are you using course ground black pepper or fine?
Will says
I use coarse black pepper
Eric Gorecki says
Only change that I made to this recipe was to cut the black pepper down to 1 tsp so the pepper flavor was less dominant, and it's a huge hit.
Emily says
Hi Will!
Huge fan of yours!!
I recently received the cuisineart dehydrator since my old one broke down. And I was wondering if you are familiar with this dehydrator as I’m trying to figure out if the medium or high setting is the way to go when making beef Jerky. Also, do you recommend using meat tenderizer seasoning in making beef jerky?
Thank you so much!
Will says
Thanks Emily! I have not used that dehydrator but most only go to 160°F on high, so I would use the high setting. You can use meat tenderizer, but don't include it in the marinade. Sprinkle it on right before dehydrating.
Mike Wilson says
Great recipe, and very simple. This was my first attempt at dehydrating anything, and it turned out fantastic. The only thing I'd do differently next time would be to dial back the salt just a bit as it seemed a bit overpowering.
Will says
Glad it turned out tasting great for you Mike. Definitely feel free to adjust the recipes to suit your taste. I LOVE salty jerky where my wife does not. We're a house divided....
Naimur Rahman says
Very good tutorial on Kikkoman Teriyaki Beef Jerky recipe. It is very charming for beef lover like me.
Brian says
Some of your recipes, for example thos one, have the nutrition info but the serving SIZE is missing. Recipies that I've found on here with serving size listed all seem to be 70g per serving. Is that true for all?
Will says
Thanks for letting me know Brian. I went on to this recipe and put in a serving size. I'll have to check my other recipes. 70g is about right for all the recipes.
Bonnie says
I have used this recipe several times, grandson asked for another batch, his favorite. I wanted to let you know it's a "keeper" at our house and thank you!!
Will says
I'm glad you guys like it!
Adam J Leder says
If i can only fond hickory liquid smoke should i use that or skip it all together, thanks! Used the basic jerky recipe and loved it ordered the book to support
Will says
Hickory liquid smoke give a great flavor! I would use that instead of omitting it all together. Thanks for ordering the book!!! Leave a review so I can see how you liked it!
Fred says
Will. Just made my first batch of jerky. After searching the internet for a easy recipe, I came across yours. After being patient for 4 1/2 hours I could not wait to try it. You hit it on the spot !!!! Everyone loves it. Thanks again for a simple process
Will says
Glad it turned out great Fred!
Sonny Edmonds says
Love your Jerky recipes Will!
I've made this my own with Pork Loin, Skip the Liquid Smoke, and to give it some kick, I add 1/2 tsp of ground Cyan Pepper to give it what I call Afterburn. That nice warm feeling in the throat.
Will says
Nice!
David Smith says
I have found that most grocery stores will slice your cut of meat w/o charge. Makes it very convenient to prepare the jerky w/o chilling the meat and cutting it at home.