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Fire up that smoker and get ready to have some smokey flavored beef in about 7 hours! This Tennessee Smoked Beef Jerky is a packed with great flavor which is even more enhanced by the natural smoke.
My wife and I had made a trip down to my parents a couple of weeks ago to do some fishing and relaxing. I decided to take along my smoker and make some tasty jerky while we enjoyed the warm March weather. Well the weekend was a success! We caught some reds and trout and the jerky turned out great as well! Here is a picture of my father and I holding a couple of Redfish we caught.
If I had enough time I would have smoked up a couple fillets of Redfish too!
Slicing The Jerky
Before heading to my parents, I sliced and made the marinades for the jerky I was going to make. I used a pound of Eye of Round Beef Roast and trimmed as much fat as possible.
Slice the meat either with the grain for a tougher chew or against the grain for a more tender jerky.
Drying The Jerky
We drove down to Corpus Christi from Austin with the beef marinating in our cooler so it would be ready to smoke the next day. I started the smoker at about 2pm and had the temperature up to 160°F. The beef was drained and dried off with paper towels.
Toothpicks were pierced through one end so I could hang the meat to achieve an even dry. The meat was placed in my Masterbuilt Smoker WITHOUT smoke for the first 1.5 hours. This allowed the meat to "sweat" out some marinade and water weight.
*The Tennessee Jerky is the dark jerky on the right. (plain white toothpicks) I made two batches of jerky while down at my parents. The other one is Tequila Beef Jerky which also turned out quite well. I will post the recipe on the website soon.
After that 1.5 hours, I filled the wood tray with soaked wood chips and bumped the temperature up to 200°F.
The raise in temperature was to help get the wood chips smoking. If the temperature is left too low on my smoker, the chips won't produce a good smoke. I let these burn out and did not add anymore smoke to the jerky. These chips smoked for about 45 minutes.
The temperature was lowered back down to 160°F and the jerky left to dry for another 4 hours, checking every so often. (I don't have many pictures because it got dark out. I'll start smoking a little earlier next time...) How did it turn out? Really Good! The smoke flavor went perfect with the salty soy sauce. I really liked this recipe and LOVE making jerky in my smoker!
FAQ
It depends on whether you used curing salt or not as well as how you packaged it once it was finished drying. Check out my Storing Jerky page for everything you need to know about storing jerky.
Definitely! Pellet grills are great for smoking jerky. Set grill to 200F and smoke for about 3 hours. Check if it's finished and continue smoking until done.
I have found that in my electric smoker it takes 4-8 hours and only 3-5 hours when using a pellet grill.
Old Pro Tips:
- Marinate meat for at least 6 hours for the best flavor. 24 hours is recommended
- Applewood and Hickory wood works great for making jerky
- You want a clean blue smoke If a white smoke is coming from the smoker, increase the temperature of the smoker. This white smoke can create a bitter taste within the meat.
- Visit my Making Jerky with a Smoker page for more detailed instructions on how to make jerky in a smoker
- Start early and grab a couple beers to pass the time during the smoking stage!
Ingredients
Lean Meat
Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
Equipment
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 soy sauce, worcestershire, water, cane sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and curing salt in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Slice with the grain for a chewier jerky. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for even 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.
- Pat dry the strips with paper towels.
- I used my Masterbuilt Smoker to make this batch of jerky, with the instructions in the body of this post. You can also use a Pellet Grill to smoke jerky.
- If using a Pellet Grill. Set the temperature to 200F and let smoke for 3 hours. Start checking if it's finished and continue until done.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. Allow the jerky to cool for 5 minutes before performing this bend test. If you bend when it's warm, it will seem like the jerky is not finished when it actually is resulting in over drying.
Pro Tips
- Marinate meat for at least 6 hours for the best flavor. 24 hours is recommended
- Applewood and Hickory wood works great for making jerky
- You want a clean blue smoke If a white smoke is coming from the smoker, increase the temperature of the smoker. This white smoke can create a bitter taste within the meat.
- Visit my Making Jerky with a Smoker page for more detailed instructions on how to make jerky in a smoker
- Start early and grab a couple beers to pass the time during the smoking stage!
Nutrition
Francey says
Jerky, home-made, is wonderful. Being new at making this, my first couple of tries were somewhat brittle and over-dried, but the chew-ability and the flavor ... great exercise for the jaw and teeth, something we rarely get nowadays... and the chewed bits and flavor stays in the mouth for the longest time. I cannot imagine, over-dried or whatever, anyone throwing the resulting Jerky out because it isn't perfect... (or giving it to the dog)...
Frankly, I think that by discarding the less-than-perfect, you have missed out on terrific flavor and chew-ability. Whether overdone or perfect, Jerky sure is a great treat. Your explanations are certainly easy to follow and helped me greatly in learning how to make it. I learned not to add water or soak the hickory ... what I learned was... when dehydrating, removing the moisture, why add more moisture to the procedure...it only ends up coating the ceiling of the smoker..actually dripping,
and that was a surprise, to see just how much condensation had collected on the ceiling of the smoker when using additional water in the process...and how much moisture when you don't even add water.. I drilled holes in the cover to let the moisture escape and that helped somewhat.
Thanks for a very interesting site.
Scott says
I have been making jerky for about a year now (I sell it to to co workers) and have never used curing salt. The jerky is eaten very quickly because it tastes so good.
Galen says
I'm using a green mountain grill . How long should I keep it in there
Will says
Every grill, smoker, and dehydrator is different. I would start checking it at 4 hours. Pull a piece out, let it cool for 5 minutes and then bend it. It should bend and crack, but not break in half.
Jennifer says
Do you keep your masterbuilt up at 200 the entire time you are wanting smoke? I just got mine me am having a heck of a time getting good smoke even when the chips have started good when I turn it back down the smoke quits!
Will says
I only put smoke to the meat for about 30-45 minutes. So keep the temp up at 200F while the chips are burning (30-45 minutes), then turn it back down to 160F after they have finished smoking.
Julie Giffrow says
I’m going to try your recipe, sounds awesome!! Jerky is such a healthy sustainable snack for on the go, camping etc My late father made the best jerker and actually had people Buying it from him it was loved so much
Will says
You are totally correct, it is a great snack! Hopefully you can start making some jerky that's just as good as your late fathers... Thanks for stopping by!
Steve Mathews says
Tyler, I love this recipe. However, I do not have it on the smoker for more than 5 hours. It tastes great, has great texture but comes out damp. You have to lick your fingers when eating it. Not that it is a bad thing, but how can I keep it dry? PS, I cook it like you direct on cooking it on a smoker directions.
Thanks,
Steve
Tyler Miller says
I’m making my first batch in the morning. It’s in marinade Dr Pepper jalapeño one bag and the other is plain bbq . Not really sure what flavour of smoke . I think Apple or hickory. Any suggestions?
Will says
Hey Tyler, I might be a little late responding to your question. I like using Hickory with spicy jerky. Apple would be good on more sweet jerky. Let me know how it turned out!
Tyler Miller says
It turned out really good. I used the apple to smoke it. Next time I’m gonna do a few things different.
Tom says
I bought a Masterbuilt smoker and have been using your receipts for about three months. I thought jerky would be a lot cheaper this way but I was wrong. The jerky turns out so good I am having to give it to all my neighbors and friends. Every time they smell the smoker going I have visitors. At least I don't have to buy my own beer anymore! I'm doing five pounds of Tennessee jerky today.
Will says
Haha. That tends to happen.
J says
They turned out amazing! We did not have any Tequila, so i substituted with 2 tbsp of Tommy Bahama golden sun rum, and 1 tbps of Seven Crown whiskey. I did not have any woodchips, so i used hickory charcoal. I did almost set myself on fire, due to a stupid mistake. (Hair on arm is singed as well as leg. Also a minor burn, but not any worse than my many sunburns!!) But you always learn from your mistakes! I cant wait to try the recipe again, but with beef instead of pork! Thanks so much will!!
-J
Will says
Glad to hear you survived to share the story and eat the jerky! Hopefully the next batch won't be as dangerous! Haha
J says
LOL! I hope so too!!
J says
I have a new problem and wonder if you have dealt with it. I have a giant wasp nest in my smoker. I do not wish to use Raid as i dont want that mixed with the smoke. (it'll probably make us really sick. What do you recommend? I am also extremely allergic to bees, so that may cause another issue. Anyways, just wondering how you have dealt with it.
-J
Glenn says
Lighter fluid will kill them without being as strong of a smell. No need to light it, but if it isnt elctric and you're feeling squirrelly, why not.
Will says
I haven't had that problem, but Glenn has a good idea. Light em up!
Glenn says
I stumbled on this site because I'm trying to make my first batch of jerky ever. Using this recipe and it's marinating right now. Thanks for all the info, and wish me luck.
J says
Thanks Yall! That'll really help!!
J says
I love Jerky, but have never made it myself. I have wanted to make Jerky, so I have been looking for recipes. Living in Colorado myself, the high altitude tends to mess with recipes. I can't wait to make my own Jerky!
Have you uploaded the other Jerky recipe?
Also, is it possible to grill your Jerky? Seems like it would be fun!
-J
Will says
Hey J. I have seen people that use Traeger grills to make jerky, but I haven't personally. I haven't noticed the altitude messing with my recipes at all since I moved to Colorado a couple months ago. Let me know how your jerky turns out! Here is the link to the Tequila Beef jerky.
J says
Thanks Will! I will be making this within the next few days!
-J
Normy says
HI, i gone to try that recipe next week end. It's look very good. Want to know, 45 min smoking is It Anough ? and what kind of wood chips are you using?
Thanks
Will says
The jerky took about 7 hours to dry in total. I only put wood chips in and had smoke going to the jerky for about 45 minutes. I have found that too much smoke overpowers the flavor. Just a little smoke to give it flavor is best.
Dave says
Will, I used smoked paprika hot (Winco bulk section) in place of smoked paprika using the same amount, you don't really taste the spice until after you have ate a piece of jerky. It's not over powering at all. Love this recipe and the teriyaki II
Dave says
Used 2 heaping, packed, teaspoons of dark brown sugar, added 1/2 t. of onion powder, 1/2 t. of pepper, best and easiest recipe for smoked beef jerky I found. Making another batch tomorrow but going to use back strap molasses on a pound of meat. I did 5 pounds weighing out each pound, then mixing the brine for each pound. Thanks!
Paula says
Thanks so much! I live in rural North Dakota. So it's not easily accessible. Want to smoke tomorrow!
Paula says
Do you have to use the curing salt when smoking jerkey? I want to make some and have been doing some research. Great info on your site!
Will says
You do not have to use curing salt when smoking jerky. However, if you decide not to use curing salt; just make sure to heat the jerky to 160F at the beginning of drying to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. So have the smoker at about 170F and already hot when you put in the beef strips. Curing salt is great to use when you want to smoke at lower temperatures, but not needed as long as you heat your jerky to 160F first. Hope that helps!
Byron says
I would not chance this, use the curing salt!
it's worth it to not spend a night in the Hospital suffering from Botulism, and the thought of making your family and friends sick is frightening to say the least.
I have made many batches of jerky and sausages of all kinds with awesome results, I always use curing salt it is cheap insurance against food poisoning.
Enjoy with good health!
Guy beauchamp says
How thick did you cut it
Will says
I slice my beef jerky about a 1/4" thick. -Will