Teriyaki Sweet Hot Beef Jerky

The Secret to Making Flavorful Beef Jerky

The thing with beef jerky is that the jerky strips require both a flavorful marinade and enough time to soak in all of those flavors.

When we started making our own homemade beef jerky, we were so excited to make it that we didn’t leave it in the marinade for long enough. After a 6 hour marinating time, and even after a 12 hour marinating time, our jerky just wasn’t very flavorful.

Now when we make jerky, we allow the jerky strips to marinate in the refrigerator for an absolute minimum of 24 hours, sometimes up to a week! Typically, around the 48-72 hour mark the flavors are fully infused and the jerky will be delicious.

As you experiment, you find the flavor level that’s right for you. The longer the marinade time, the deeper the flavors of the jerky and the better it is!

The UDSA has a great page with all sorts of facts about Beef Jerky that you can get to by clicking here. Great resource!

TOP TEN TIPS FOR MAKING The Best Beef Jerky

1. London Broil (Top Round) is the best meat to use for homemade beef jerky. Strips need to be cut between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. NO THICKER THAN THAT.
2. How you cut the meat determines the final result. Try to cut the jerky strips evenly, thinly, and against the grain.
3. Marinate, marinate, marinate. The beef jerky flavor combination that you choose and how long you allow the beef jerky strips to marinate really determine the final result. Marinating under 12 hours will most likely not give you the best flavor. You have to let the jerky strips absorb the flavors and this can’t be rushed. Try to move the meat around while the marinating and turn the bag. A zip top bag is a great tool to use when marinating as it is pliable and the meat can be moved around without opening the bag.
4. Be careful with salt. Salt seems to be the first thing to be absorbed and it can’t be removed. Too salty = bad. Use garlic POWDER and onion POWDER, not the salt versions.
5. Taste and smell your marinade. If the marinade is flavorful before adding the meat, the jerky will turn out great.
6. Marinate your beef jerky in the refrigerator. No one wants food poisoning!
7. A food dehydrator is a good investment. You can make beef jerky in the oven but it is harder to get a great end product and the process takes much longer.
8. If a recipe says that making beef jerky in the dehydrator will take 5 hours, start checking it at an hour and a half. Timing depends on temperature, thickness and moisture, not what a cookbook says.
9. Don’t be afraid to move the beef jerky strips and the trays around. Also, don’t be afraid to remove the thinner pieces that are done before the thicker ones. No one is perfect when cutting meat into strips. Check often!
10. And finally, don’t ever put marinated beef jerky into the dehydrator and go to bed, thinking it will be done in the morning. If you do this, you could end up with over dried jerky that will most likely be inedible. After all that marinating time, it is really sad to have to throw it out!

Preparing the Meat for Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky begins with a lean cut of meat, cut into long, thin strips against the grain.

We use London Broil, which is a fancy name for a smaller beef top round roast (eye of round). The meat should be lean and not contain bones.

We use between 1 – 2 pounds at a time, sliced into strips between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick, with any large fatty parts removed.

You can cut it yourself or ask the supermarket butcher to do it for you. Cut against the grain to make the jerky more tender. Once cut, set it aside until the marinade is ready.

What you’ll need to make Teriyaki Sweet Hot Beef Jerky

• London Broil – sliced into strips between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick against the grain, any large fatty parts removed. Top round roast or eye of round may be substituted.

• Brown Sugar – We use light brown sugar. You can also use dark brown sugar for a deeper, richer flavor.

• Teriyaki Sauce – this adds a richness and slightly Asian flavor in the background of the jerky. The same amount of Hoisin sauce or any flavor of barbecue sauce may be substituted.

• Cholula Hot Sauce – We prefer Cholula over all others but you can use any Mexican-style hot sauce such as Tapatio, Sriracha, Tabasco, or Frank’s RedHot. These have balanced flavor and a medium heat level.

• Liquid Smoke – adds a depth and a complex smoky flavor.

• Pantry Spices – Onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt & pepper.

How to Make Teriyaki Sweet Hot Beef Jerky

Teriyaki Sweet Hot Beef Jerky has a bold savory and sweet Teriyaki flavor and just the right amount of heat in the background. There are not very many ingredients in this flavorful jerky, and all of them are stuff you most likely have in your pantry. Combined, they create a marinade for another delicious and flavorful homemade jerky!

This can be made in the oven, but we prefer to use an electric food dehydrator. We have included oven guidelines on the recipe card just in case.

Slice the meat into strips against the grain, making them between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Trim excess fat, large gristle and connective tissue from jerky strips and discard. Set the jerky strips aside.

Create the marinade by placing all of the remaining ingredients into a large zip top bag. Stir or shake until well blended.

Add the meat and push it around to get it well coated.

Place the bag into the refrigerator and marinate the meat for at least 12 hours, moving the meat around in the bag and flipping the bag occasionally to ensure that all meat gets flavored.

Remove the meat from the marinade and lay it out onto paper towels.

Use other paper towels to blot off excess marinade from the tops of the strips.

Lay out on dehydrator trays, leaving space between for air flow.

Set the dehydrator to highest temperature (typically 160 degrees F). Begin checking jerky after 60-90 minutes. Flip the jerky around, rotate the trays, feel the jerky and remove it one it no longer feels spongy (or considerably LESS spongy than it did going in).

Once sufficiently dried, remove to resealable container or large zip top bag and allow to rest and cool before sealing.. Store in a cool place or the refrigerator for up to a month. Enjoy!