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This Mai Tai Beef Jerky has all the great flavors of this tropical drink. It will take you back to a memory of you sitting by the pool or on the beach soaking up some sun and having a refreshing drink.
I like these types of drinks probably more than my wife does. Pina Colada, Rum Runners, Hurricane, Blue Hawaiian, Mai Tai..... I love them all. Okay, I love them when I am on a vacation! Not something I would order at my local dive bar, but everything has a time and a place. So just like everything I like, I made a jerky out of it!
One thing I love about this jerky is that it utilizes Rum. Probably the most famous quote that has to do with rum is from Captain Jack Sparrow of the movie Pirates of the Carribean. After some crazed woman burned everything along with his rum (Elizabeth Swann); he replies: "Why's rum gone?!" Simple, yet straight to the point. A man that has priorities..
I bought a small small bottle of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum for this recipe. I did not have any Sailor Jerry left over from my last hunting trip... The recipe calls for two types of rum, a spiced rum and a coconut rum. For the coconut rum I used the most common and easy to find, Malibu Coconut Rum.
The beef eye of round used in this Mai Tai Beef Jerky was sliced with the grain of the meat and then dried in the oven. When sliced with the grain it will be harder to chew. If you want an easier chew, slice against the grain.
The meat was marinated for 18 hours and then the strips were placed on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet lined with foil. Place in the oven at 170° F and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. This jerky took 5 hours in the oven to finish to my liking.
The pineapple and orange juice gave the jerky a fantastic sweet taste. The rum countered that sweet taste and let you know that this recipe is made from an alcohol marinade. If you don't like a strong alcohol taste, this recipe is not for you! They turned out sweet but STRONG. You can always cut back on the rum or make it a virgin Mai Tai by using club soda in place of the rum if you prefer.
I really liked this recipe and was very happy with how they turned out. My wife thought it tasted too much like alcohol and was not a fan. Maybe I should have made a virgin batch for her... O well, more for me!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods
Ingredients
Lean Beef
Marinade
- 1 tbsp spiced rum
- 1 tbsp coconut flavored rum
- 1 tsp grenadine
- 3 tbsp pineapple juice
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Optional
- ¼ tsp Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1)
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat from the beef, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
- While the meat is in the freezer, combine the spiced rum, coconut rum, grenadine, pineapple juice, orange juice, and kocher salt in a bowl and mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips with the grain. Slice against the grain for an easier chew. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for even sliced strips.
- 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.
- Pat dry the strips with paper towels.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my oven at 170 degrees for 5 hours.
- 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
Try reducing the alcohol to burn off some of the alcohol. Of course your going to need more rum that what is called for here but you won't have all that alcohol taste.