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I know what you are thinking; "Vinegar Horseradish Beef Jerky, what the hell?!" That's what I was thinking when I made the recipe, but I just can't help but trying new and crazy recipes. P.S. - It turned out great!
I made this batch of jerky on the flavor recommendation from my wife. I try to probe her brain for crazy flavors to try when coming up with beef jerky recipes. I was hesitant, but this turned out really good!
A Beef Bottom Round Roast was used when making this batch. I sliced it at about ¼" with the grain for more of a chewier jerky. I am not sure why, but I feel like horseradish is a tough and robust flavor that needed to be paired with a tough jerky. My Excalibur Dehydrator dried this jerky to perfection in 4 hours.
I used prepared horseradish that I had hanging out in the fridge which gave this jerky a great flavor. I was surprised that it had more of a tangy flavor than a really potent horseradish flavor. My wife informed me that after heating and cooking the horseradish the taste becomes subtle and isn't as sharp as when eaten raw.
The subtle horseradish flavor turned out to work great as jerky. It wasn't spicy and would be a great jerky to take while hunting or hiking. I know this because that is exactly what I did! I took this jerky on an 8 day camping trip around the west. My wife and I left Colorado and went to Antelope Canyon, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Vegas, Zion NP, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon NP, & Canyon Lands NP. Well the jerky only made it to about the Hoover Dam... Ha.
This picture was taken at one of my camp sites. You can see I have my stove out about to cook up a little soup for dinner. I love camping!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
Ingredients
Lean Meat
Marinade
- 3 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon curing salt (optional)
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 marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky.
- 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 in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used myExcalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 165F.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Nutrition
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William Owens
Been lurking on your site for awhile. Wondering if you've ever repeated this recipe? IF so did you modify it at all? I was thinking about throwing a few fresh jalapenos in the marinade and smoking it. Smoked Horseradish and Jalapeno Jerky sounds great!
Will
I haven not tried it with different modifications. The jalapenos does sound good! Give it a shot!
Eric Roger
Hey Will, thanks for the recipe. I was looking for a basic apple cider vinegar recipe as Ray’s Own Jerky makes it that way. I’ll give it a shot with a block of red tuna, and I think I’ll substitute the horseradish for Sriracha. Just made a batch of venison jerky on the Weber Smokey Mountain with soy sauce and Worcestershire; it is good but a little pungent from the soy sauce, I think.
Will
Yeah, soy sauce can definitely over power a recipe if too much us used. Let me know how this turns out.
Anonymous
What is the serving size? It wasn't on the nutrition facts chart.
Will
There is no size, but this is calculated off 5 servings per finished product. The weight will change once dried, losing close to 50% of weight, so split the jerky into 5 servings once it is finished. I should be around 2 oz or so.
Dr. Bee
New to making jerky, but 2 batches of horseradish/vinegar whitetail jerky have produced raves from nearly everyone I’ve shared with. Great and simple to prep recipe!
Will
Great! I'm glad you found a recipe that you like. Keep experimenting and trying a bunch more, there are so many good ones!
Miklos
Q. Do you have to cook the horseradish/vinegar(and let cool) a bit before the marinade process?
As you mentioned....'My wife informed me that after heating and cooking the horseradish the taste becomes subtle and isn’t as sharp as when eaten raw.'
If so...how long? simmer for 10 min? Or is the dehydration the 'cook'?
Will
The dehydration is the cook. I did not precook the horseradish. Sorry for the confusion.
Jim Wingren
Just finished a batch of flank steak jerky on my Camp Chef pellet smoker after marinating it in this recipe for 24 hours, cooked on low smoke (about 150/165 degrees) for about three hours twenty minutes. Both my wife and I give it two thumbs up. But next time we are going to use a little more salt in the brine ( personal preference). But overall this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Will
Glad you guys liked it Jim.
Al HUMPHREY
About to make your horseradish jerky. looks good.
However I noticed you live in colorado. My Granddaughter Cynthia is in Denver and hikes a lot. She has gained some fame with her two hiking companions, Henry the Colorado Dog and her cat Baloo.
Search on "Henry and Baloo". With these two on instagram she has about 200,000 followers. Its a treat. Al
Will
I looked them up Al, she has some GREAT photos! Not sure how she gets that cat to lay on the dogs head. It's great!
Ginger
I didn't know what curing salt was so I started looking around. It is salt and sodium nitrite. The package that you suggests says on the package that sodium nitrite is a toxic chemical and should only be used in proportions in your curing recipe.
One of the reasons that I am wanting to make my own jerky is so I can reduce the amount of chemicals that I am consuming. Is there something that you can use instead of the curing salt or can you just leave it out and achieve the same results?
Love your website!
Will
Thanks Ginger! You do not have to use curing salt. Just make sure to heat the jerky to an internal temperature of 160F before you dry it. Check out my FAQ page for more information.
vince
I think vinegar horseradish sounds like a great combo, do not know about combining it with peppers though. Sounds like it might compete with the other flavors.
Will
I thought it turned out pretty good. That's the beauty of making jerky though, you can add or omit anything that does or doesn't appeal to you. The recipe alterations are endless!
Mike McCoy
I have making jerky using carolina reaper peppers, 1 pepper in 1 cup of liquid is good, 2 peppers seems to be the maximum for heat and flavor. Have you tried these peppers before?
Will
No Mike, I haven't used those peppers before. I will have to keep a look out for them. I think I need to start a pepper garden so I can have access to all the great hot peppers out there!
Kristen
I've had the Carolina reaper pepper in cheese. Nicknamed it Hell-cheese.