Best Beef Jerky Recipes
How To Make The Best Beef Jerky Recipe
When you want to make your own beef jerky at home, try one of these great beef jerky recipes. There is no real RIGHT WAY to make beef jerky, and everyone puts their own spin on what is quite a simple food to make. The great thing about beef jerky is as long as you have the core ingredients included you can then mix and match other ingredients to make your own custom beef jerky recipes.
Whether you like your jerky plain, hot or sweet there are plenty of recipes available online to help you get started straight away. We have made things easy for you and have collected a long list of beef jerky recipes that will keep you busy in the kitchen all day long. Feel free to substitute any ingredients to make your own custom recipe, or try a different meat other than beef such as snake, camel, buffalo, alligator, kangaroo to name a few.
To make jerky at home you can use a special dehydrator an oven, or a smoker – anything is possible! So check out the beef jerky recipes below and start making delicious beef jerky.
Classic Beef Jerky – Oven Method
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean topside
- 470ml Worcestershire sauce
- 470 ml Kikkoman soy sauce
- 470 ml teriyaki sauce (preferably thick and flavourful)
- 240 ml liquid smoke
- 120 ml Karo dark corn syrup; blackstrap molasses can be a good alternative
- 3T onion powder
- 3T garlic powder
- 3T brown sugar
- 3T sesame seeds
- 1T pepper
Preparation
Put meat inside the freezer for about an hour to make it easier for you to slice. Slice it with the grain as thin as you can, which is not less than one-fourth of an inch. If you are the lazy type or do not have that knife skills, you can request the butcher ahead and tell him the instructions on slicing the lean beef so it’s ideal for making beef jerky – about 6mm thick is ideal. You can also use a benchtop meat slicer which are available from most department stores.
Method
Get a large container and mix soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, teriyaki sauce and dark corn syrup.
Next, add garlic powder, onion powder, and brown sugar and sesame seeds. Add also 1t worth of cayenne pepper. If you want it spicier, you only need to add more.
Stir the mixture well and then drop the meat onto your marinade. Make sure the meat is fully submerged.
This step is optional, but you might want to try out a different marinade to go with your jerky. This is done by adding different notes, spices, and oils. You can even try adding beer, wine or soda to the base marinade. Don’t use everything right away and experiment with small slices until you find a flavor that is truly suited to your taste.
Next step is to close the containers where you are going to put the slices. Then put it in the refrigerator for at least one day.
Once the meat is marinated well, you need to dry it. Cover the oven’s bottom with aluminum foil as it will start to get messy.
Place the meat on the racks of the oven one next to each other. It is preferable that the racks are placed higher in your oven.
Set the temperature at 70 degrees Celsius or up to 80, if you are in a hurry. Crack the oven door open by stick a plastic or wooden serving spoon at the top of the door. The goal here is to dry the meat but not to cook it.
Let the meat dry for 3 hours then turn over each jerky. Do this for another 3 hours. At this point, it should be done.
Classic Beef Jerky – Smoker Method
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean brisket
- 470ml Worcestershire sauce
- 470 ml Kikkoman soy sauce
- 470 ml teriyaki sauce (preferably thick and flavourful)
- 120 ml Karo dark corn syrup; blackstrap molasses can be a good alternative
- 3T onion powder
- 3T garlic powder
- 3T brown sugar
- 3T sesame seeds
- 1T pepper
Preparation
Slice the meat to less than 1cm thickness for this recipe. Ensure your smoker is ready to go by ensuring there is a drip tray or something else to catch the marinade from your jerky as it dries.
Choose the wood chips you would like to use to add a smoky flavour and ensure they have been soaked in water before you use them.
Method
Create the marinade for your jerky by mixing the ingredients together in a large container. You don’t need to use liquid smoke as the smoking process will add the flavour you need.
Submerge the beef strips in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge covered for 24hrs.
When it is time to dry your jerky, pierce the strips with toothpicks or skewers so the can hang down inside your smoker. Place them hanging from the grill of your smoker, with enough space between strips for the air to circulate.
You can also sit the jerky flat on a grill, but this will give you less movement of the smoke inside the smoker. Place the beef high in the smoker.
For the first 1.5 hours, open the vent on the smoker and dry your meat at 75 degrees celsius.
After this increase the temperature to 85-95 degrees celsius and add some wood chips to the smoker to begin adding a smoky flavour. Let the jerky dry at this temperature until your woodchips stop smoking, about half and hour to an hour.
Reduce the smoker to 70 degrees and continue drying the jerky until it is done – this will take around 6-9 hours. Experiment with your smoker to see what thickness of jerky and length of time works best. Jerky is done when you can bend it with your hands and it cracks without breaking in half.
Classic Beef Jerky – Dehydrator Method
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean brisket
- 470ml Worcestershire sauce
- 470 ml Kikkoman soy sauce
- 470 ml teriyaki sauce (preferably thick and flavourful)
- 120 ml Karo dark corn syrup; blackstrap molasses can be a good alternative
- 240 ml liquid smoke
- 3T onion powder
- 3T garlic powder
- 3T brown sugar
- 3T sesame seeds
- 1T pepper
Preparation
Ensure your dehydrator is large enough for the amount of meat you have – if not, reduce the meat quantity and other marinade quantities accordingly.
Slice the meat into thin strips. The thinner the strips, the quicker the dehydration process will complete. Ensure you remove any fat as this will not dry properly and will not keep as jerky.
Method
Create the marinade for your jerky by mixing the ingredients together in a large container.
Submerge the beef strips in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge covered for 24hrs.
Lay the strips of beef on the trays inside your dehydrator. Ensure the beef pieces don’t overlap and leave room around each piece for air to circulate.
Every dehydrator is different, but crank yours to the highest setting. Dehydration can take between 4 and 20 hours depending on the capability of your dehydrator – so check often after the initial 4 hours. The jerky is done when you can bend it, causing it to crack and creak, but it doesn’t snap in half. If it snaps in half, it is too dry.
Once you have tried your dehydrator once, you should have a better idea of the length of time it takes – note this down for next time. Need a dehydrator? Check out our jerky dehydrator reviews.
Classic Beef Jerky – Dehydrator Method
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean brisket
- 470ml Worcestershire sauce
- 470 ml Kikkoman soy sauce
- 470 ml teriyaki sauce (preferably thick and flavourful)
- 120 ml Karo dark corn syrup; blackstrap molasses can be a good alternative
- 240 ml liquid smoke
- 3T onion powder
- 3T garlic powder
- 3T brown sugar
- 3T sesame seeds
- 1T pepper
Preparation
Ensure your dehydrator is large enough for the amount of meat you have – if not, reduce the meat quantity and other marinade quantities accordingly.
Slice the meat into thin strips. The thinner the strips, the quicker the dehydration process will complete. Ensure you remove any fat as this will not dry properly and will not keep as jerky.
Method
Create the marinade for your jerky by mixing the ingredients together in a large container.
Submerge the beef strips in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge covered for 24hrs.
Lay the strips of beef on the trays inside your dehydrator. Ensure the beef pieces don’t overlap and leave room around each piece for air to circulate.
Every dehydrator is different, but crank yours to the highest setting. Dehydration can take between 4 and 20 hours depending on the capability of your dehydrator – so check often after the initial 4 hours. The jerky is done when you can bend it, causing it to crack and creak, but it doesn’t snap in half. If it snaps in half, it is too dry.
Once you have tried your dehydrator once, you should have a better idea of the length of time it takes – note this down for next time.
Bourbon and Cola Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 1 kg lean beef
- 1 cup Coca Cola, or your favourite cola
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cup liquid smoke (optional if using smoker)
- 1 tbsp cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
Method
Use either an oven, dehydrator, or smoker for this jerky – if using a smoker, don’t use liquid smoke in your marinade. Follow the steps on the other recipes in this page to use the oven, smoker or dehydrator.
Slice your beef thinly – it will be easier to slice when frozen.
Combine the ingredients into a marinade. Ensure your beef strips are covered in the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight. If you use ziplock bags, you can remove most of the air so the marinade is more successful.
Once your beef is marinated, dry your jerky using one of the methods discussed above. This jerky is sweet and unique.
Sriracha Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean beef
- 2 cups rice vinegar
- 1 cup sriracha
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2tsp granulated ginger
- 1tsp garlic powder
- 1tsp salt
Method
Use either an oven, dehydrator, or smoker for this jerky. Follow the steps on the other recipes in this page to use the oven, smoker or dehydrator.
Combine the ingredients into a marinade. Ensure your beef strips are covered in the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight. If you use ziplock bags, you can remove most of the air so the marinade is more successful.
Once your beef is marinated, dry your jerky using one of the methods discussed above. This jerky is a combo of sweet, spicy and vinegary.
Maple Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean beef
- 2tbsp molasses or dark corn syrup
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 4tbsp sugar
- 1tbsp liquid smoke
- 2tsp salt
- 2tsp pepper
- 1 cup water
Method
Use either an oven, dehydrator, or smoker for this jerky. Follow the steps on the other recipes in this page to use the oven, smoker or dehydrator. If you use a smoker, exclude the liquid smoke from the recipe.
Combine the ingredients into a marinade. The water is added to make the marinade go further, as there aren’t many other liquid ingredients. Be sure to use real maple syrup, and not maple-flavoured syrup.
Ensure your beef strips are covered in the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight. If you use ziplock bags, you can remove most of the air so the marinade is more successful.
Once your beef is marinated, dry your jerky using one of the methods discussed above. This jerky is sweet and meaty.
Red Wine Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 2 kg lean beef
- 2 cups red wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp chilli powder
Method
Use either an oven, dehydrator, or smoker for this jerky. Follow the steps on the other recipes in this page to use the oven, smoker or dehydrator. Ensure your beef is cut into thin slices.
Combine the ingredients into a marinade. This marinade is runny and will stain, so be careful. Marinate your beef strips in a ziplock back or glass container.
Once your beef is marinated, dry your jerky using one of the methods discussed above. This jerky combines the classic ‘red wine and beef’ flavours to great effect.
All about Beef Jerky
What most people know about beef jerky is that it is meat wherein its moisture is taken out. This is through the process of dehydrating food. In the past when refrigerators were nonexistent, the people remove moisture or the water content of the food to preserve its flavor and have a longer shelf life. It also concentrates the flavor. It is not true that heat is required to dehydrate the food. However, low humidity is the main force that completes dehydration, not heat. Warming first the air that surrounds the food aids in making it completely dry. But when air does not move, the food will remain wet. So when you dehydrate the food in your kitchen, make sure that the air can circulate freely around it.
Many hunters and campers in the world create their beef jerky out from the best beef they can get their hands on. However, the recipes vary, even if they are using the same basic recipe. What you’ll learn from here is intended mainly for home cooking and not for what hunters create to bring with them.
Hints and Tips when making Jerky
- Try and evenly cut your slices the same thickness, this will ensure even drying
- Trim all the fat as this will avoid the jerky going rancid
- Marinate your jerky for a minimum of 24hrs per 6mm of thickness
- If storing for a long period, try and include oxygen absorbers in the packets
- Keep jerky out of direct sunlight and store in a cool environment
- Avoid using marinades with too much sugar as the sugars will form a coating and prevent full dehydration
- Add vinegar and salt to your marinade to assit with curing and preventing of mold
Using a dehydrator to make jerky
Using a dehydrator is one of the most common ways to make beef jerky. They are cost effective and easy to use and allow you make a lot of jerky within 24 hours. There are 2 main types of dehydrator on the market
- Round – heat and airflow comes from the base and rises up past the trays of meat
- Horizontal – heater element is at the rear and trays are laid flat
Both work well and depending on the amount of jerky being dried may require the trays to be rotated.
With meat, it’s advisable to get the temperature above 60degrees c to kill any bateria, once this temperature has been reached and maintained for longer than 15 minutes, you can turn the temperature down if desired. Most dehydrators will come with a digital temperature display, however if not, you can also use a meat thermometer to monitor the internal temp.
Dry rub or wet marinade?
What type of marinade you use is really up to you and your preference. Personally we like to use a wet marinade that is quite thick. This ensures every piece of meat is covered with the marinade resulting in maximum flavour. If using a dry rub it’s advisable to cover each piece and then lay on top of each other. This can be quite time consuming though if making a large batch.
What is the best type of meat or making jerky?
This is a very popular question and will often start arguments amongst diehard jerky fans. The most commonly used cuts of beef include Topside, Silverside, Round. Typically budget cuts are used and ideally the leaner the better. Grassfed whilst often more expensive is much leaner and is our preferred cut to use. As far as different meats, well the world is your oyster. Jerky can be made from a wide range of different meats including:
- Beef
- Goat
- Kangaroo
- Salmon
- Venison
- Crocodile
- Emu
- Camel
What you need to make jerky at home
Making jerky at home is pretty easy and you only need a few things;
- Meat
- Sharp Knife
- Bowl/Large container
- Ingredients/spices/mix
- Dehydrator/oven/smoker
By following the recipes at the top of this page along with the hints and tips mentioned earlier you will be able to make your own jerky in your kitchen. Remember if you are looking to sell your jerky, you will require a license. Please check with your state for the latest requirements.