This Vietnamese style beef jerky has several great flavors that will have your taste buds saying WOW!
My wife loves Vietnamese style beef jerky and buys some every time we go to get some pho at our favorite local pho spot. The main ingredient that is undeniably present in this type of jerky is the turmeric powder. This is the dominant flavor which lets you know exactly what type of beef jerky you are eating.
She has been asking me to make a Vietnamese style beef jerky for some time now. So…… Since Happy Wife = Happy Life; I made some!
I used a beef bottom round when making this jerky. It was sliced against the grain making large jerky pieces as most Vietnamese style beef jerky is. Some call these large pieces “elephant ear” beef jerky.
Another important flavor that is part of this jerky is the Lemon Grass and Garlic. I love using my Garlic Press shown in the picture above when adding real garlic to my recipes. Pressing the garlic really gives a strong flavor, more than if just finely chopped. You just can’t beat the flavor!
When making Vietnamese style beef jerky, you do not have the traditional “wet” marinade that is seen in most of my recipes. The “dry rub” is made of spices and a little bit of oil to help bind these ingredients and allow it to stick to the meat.
Coat each piece with the dry rub and then place in a bowl, cover with saran wrap, and allow to “marinate” in the fridge for 6-24 hours.
After marinating, place on a cooling rack and baking pan for the initial heat treatment and drying process. Bake in the oven with the door closed at 300°F for 10 minutes to bring the internal temperature of the jerky to 160°F. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 170°F, prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon, and continue drying until finished.
I dried for 2 hours, flipped the pieces of jerky, and then finished it off for about another 2 hours. You can read more about making jerky in an oven here.
My wife helped me stage this beautiful picture. She insisted on having her little plant in the picture to give it that little extra. Note: that plant is NOT part of the ingredients!
I love this Vietnamese Beef Jerky! It starts with a hint of the lemon grass which gives it almost a Thai flavor. Towards the end you will get a spicy kick your butt flavor start to creep in. If you want to sweeten this jerky up (it is not sweet), you can add a little more sugar.
If you have never tried this type of jerky, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of flavor it has!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
- 1lb Beef Bottom Round
- 3 tbsp minced lemongrass
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 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 ingredients of the dry rub in a shallow bowl.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain in large pieces for an easy chew.
- Coat both sides of each piece of sliced beef with the dry rub mixture and place in a bowl. Marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and place the jerky pieces on a cooling rack atop a lined baking sheet.
- Heat in a pre-heated oven with the door closed at 300F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and lower the temperature to 170F. Dry for about 4 hours, flipping the jerky pieces half way through the drying process.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Hi Will,
Thanks for posting all your information. I too love jerky and like to experiment. I live in Australia and the Vietnamese jerky I have tried is very soft and yet seems quite dry. My wife loves soft jerky and I wonder if you know how they get it so soft?
keep up the good work.
Regards
Derek
Hey Derek! I am going to try making another Vietnamese jerky in the near future. My wife also loves it. I believe the really soft Vietnamese jerky is that way because they boil the meat first. I still need to try some experimenting, but as soon as I get the process down I’ll post it on the site!