Smoked Beef Jerky Recipe
Who doesn’t love a good handful of tender, smoked beef jerky?!?! If you’ve never made jerky yourself, homemade beef jerky is way easier than you think…and way tastier too! For me, jerky was a special childhood treat for Christmas, birthdays, and the weeks following hunting season. Give this smoked beef jerky recipe a try and you may wish you had done a double batch.
Good beef jerky starts with the meat. Choose a lean cut for this recipe. My favorites are the rump roast, or the eye of round cut. The brisket is a good cut too, just be sure to trim as much of the fat as possible. Too much fat makes the jerky harder to chew, and can cause the jerky to spoil quicker.
We are fortunate enough to raise our own grass-fed grass-finished beef on our homestead. We are continually learning new ways to use more of our animals after we sent them to freezer camp. We did our first batch of beef tallow earlier this year, and we are loving every bit of it.
Whenever I make this smoked beef jerky recipe reminds me of the good old days, when cowboys sustained days on the range with dried animal meats in their packs as a primary source of protein. Another reason I love this recipe is its simplicity. Just marinate the meat, over night, throw it on the smoker, and come back in two hours. Done!
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple. Prep takes the longest amount time. After that, it’s a two hour “set it and forget it” cook at 170 degrees, then it’s ready to eat.
- Easy to tweak recipe. Want more spice, double the amount of black pepper. Want A LOT more spice? Add sliced jalapenos or other hot peppers to the marinade. Think of this recipe as an “original” smoked beef jerky recipe. Add spice levels to your liking.
- A healthy snack. Kids (and adults for that matter) will keep coming back for more, if this jerky is left out. Stores well in a plastic bag or a sealed mason jar, but we’ve never had it around long enough to really “store” it at our house, lol.
Ingredients
Beef: Rump roast, Eye of round work best. brisket, flank steaks, and sirloin cuts will work too, but expect a slightly tougher jerky with these cuts.
Worchestershire Sauce: Enhances the flavor, and the vinegar in the sauce helps penetrate the marinade and. tenderize the meat.
Brown Sugar – Balances the saltiness of the worchestershire sauce, keeping the perfect balance of sweet and salty, but not too much of either.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Tenderizes the meat, helps the marinade penetrate deeper into the meat, and helps add a zesty flavor to the jerky.
Spices – Black Pepper, Garlic, Onion powder is our choice here. Simple. Feel free to play around with other spices of your liking to hit different flavor profiles that you prefer. Cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, ginger, red pepper flakes, or just about anything in your spice rack.
Smoked jerky marinade
STEP 1: Thin slice the meat(roughly 1/8 inch thick) and set aside. Add all marinade ingredients into a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until mixed well. After marinade is heated, set in the fridge and allow to cool completely.
STEP 2: add sliced beef to a container or a plastic bag, and pour cooled marinade overtop the meat. Put a lid on the container, or seal the bag, and put in the refrigerator for between 12 and 24 hours.
Smoking the Jerky
STEP 3: Preheat smoker to 170 degrees. After the meat has been marinated for 12-24 hours, carefully place the jerky on the smoker grates. Try not to let the pieces touch, as this will create uneven doneness on the pieces of meat.
STEP 4: Check for doneness at the 2 hour mark, flip individual pieces over if needed. Remove jerky pieces as they finish, and place in a plastic bag to cool down or on a plate for an immediate snack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most smoked meat recipes call for a 2 hour cook at a temp of 160-180 degrees. This can vary slightly depending on the size of your smoker, the thickness of your meat slices. I suggest using two hours as a baseline your first time, and at(or close to the) 2 hour mark, start checking the meat every 30 minutes until its done. Record this cook time and use of for your next jerky.
The best meats for beef jerky are lean cuts like rump roast, eye of round, bottom round, and sirloin tip roast. These cuts are usually low in fat, which can become rancid during storage. For best results, slice the meat against the grain into thin, even strips (about 1/8 inch) for a more tender, chewy texture.
No fear! A dehydrator works great, or even the good old oven will do the job. We LOVE our Excalibur dehydrator for jerky and other foods as well, like our peach fruit leather. Your jerky won’t have the “smoky” smell or taste, but the marinade will still provide the full flavor it was intended to. If you love the smoke flavor, add a teaspoon of liquid smoke to your marinade.
Tips & Tricks
- Make a lot at once to free up freezer space If you are like us and get your beef all at once from the butcher, managing freezer space can sometimes be tricky. Doing a giant batch of jerky can help free up some freezer space and provide a good shelf stable snack in the meantime. Use a vacuum sealer to store jerky you don’t foresee eating within a few weeks. It can be tricky to make sure all the moisture is removed so store jerky in the freezer if you aren’t sure it’s dry enough.
- Flash Freeze the meat for easier slicing Put thawed meat in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing, or if frozen, thin slice after meat has been at room temp for an hour or two. Consistent thickness in the meat will help the jerky turn get done at around the same time.
- If you don’t have a smoker, dehydrating works great too! We love our Excalibur dehydrator. A top ten appliance at our house for sure!
- For tender jerky put the jerky immediately in a plastic bag after removing from the smoker. This will trap the heat for a few minutes, softening the jerky just enough to be pliable, while maintaining the “dried” jerky texture we all enjoy.
If you made this Smoked Beef Jerky recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Smoked Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs sliced lean beef rump roast, eye of round, sirloin, flank steak
Marinade Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Water
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 4 sliced jalapenos optional
Instructions
- Thin slice the meat, ensuring any fat and silverskin are trimmed off. Set aside.
- Add all marinade ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat, stir occasionally, until liquid is heated and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- After the marinade has had time to cool, place the sliced beef in a ziploc bag or a waterproof container. Pour marinade over the beef, cover, and set in a fridge for 12-24 hours.
- Preheat your smoker to 170 degrees. Carefully add marinated meat slices to smoker grates, ensuring the meat strips aren't touching eachother. Let smoke for 2 hours.
- At the two hour mark, check for doneness. If done, remove jerky from smoker and place immediately in a plastic bag. Flip any pieces that need turned over to ensure doneness. Check every 30 minutes until all the jerky is fully cooked. The plastic bag helps soften the jerky without re-hydrating it, leaving it the perfect texture for eating.
