Beef Jerky Recipe
Use your smoker to smoke beef jerky and you'll never go back to store-bought. This step by step guide will walk you through the whole process. There are two different marinade recipes included, sweet ginger and root beer sriracha.
Ingredients
- 3 lb eye of round roast
Sweet Ginger Beef Jerky:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 cans ginger ale
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2-3' knob ginger sliced
Root Beer Sriracha Jerky:
- 2 cans rootbeer
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sriracha
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Freeze 3 lb eye of round roast for 1-2 hours - until meat is firm, but not completely frozen though.
- Using a very sharp knife, or a meat slicer (we use a meat slicer) slice beef into approximately 1/8" - 1/4" slices.
- Mix desired marinade (from one of the options above, or one of your own creation) in a large bowl.Sweet Ginger Beef:½ cup soy sauce, 2 cans ginger ale,, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 2-3' knob gingerRoot Beer Sriracha:2 cans rootbeer, ½ cup Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup sriracha, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, and 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Transfer sliced beef to a large ziplock bag, and pour marinade into the bag.
- Remove as much air from the bag as possible., then seal. (Optional, double bag to avoid leaks.)
- Massage the bag, and really mix it up, to ensure all the beef is coated with the marinade.
- Place the marinating bag in the fridge overnight - for 18-24 hours. Flip the bag twice during the marinading time. Our trick is to do it once at bedtime and once in the morning.
- Preheat smoker to 180f.
- Remove beef from the bag, and dry with paper towels.
- Spread on smoker racks in a single layer. Smoke at 180f for 2-3 hours or until jerky is pliable but doesn't crack.
- Transfer to a fresh ziplock bag and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before sealing the bag. There will be built up condensation, that's ok, seal it in the bag, the jerky will reabsorb it.
- Store your beef jerky in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to a year.
Notes
* Each marinade batch will marinade up to a 4lb roast. Feel free to halve, or double as required.
* Lean cuts of beef work best for this recipe. Beef jerky needs to be very lean, and have very little fat marbling.
