Skip the expensive bag of fancy jerky at the store and try making your own beef jerky on the grill!
Recipe Difficulty: Intermediate
Cuisine: American
Course: Snack
Servings: 1 lb. finished
Prep Time: 7-12 hours
Cook Time: 4-5 hours
Total Time: 11-17 hours
TIPS FOR MAKING JERKY:
- Choose the right meat. Avoid very tough cuts like shanks or shoulder, but also skip the super tender cuts like filet or strip, and instead go for eye of round, top round or rump roast, sirloin or even flank cuts.
- Cut it properly. Place your meat in the freezer for 30 minutes to one hour to firm it up before slicing. Then cut into strips with a very sharp knife across the grain of the meat.
- Marinate your meat. You can try different flavor combinations as you wish - but make the flavor pop so your jerky isn’t bland! We recommend reducing your ingredients by heating them up together and then cooling before using as a marinade, to ensure concentrated flavor. Marinate for 6 hours to overnight, to really let the meat soak in that delicious flavor.
- Try adding smoke. Add your favorite woodchips to the process for a little added flavor.
- Low and slow. Making jerky is a process of drying the meat rather than cooking it, so it will take about 4-5 hours on the grill. We suggest putting a probe of a meat thermometer inside your grill to ensure the heat stays between 160 and 180 degrees – once it gets over 180, the meat will begin to cook.
Looking for a quick dinner using flank steak, try our Grilled Flank Steak Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. beef (eye of round, top round or rump roast, sirloin or flank cuts)
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 jalapenos, sliced
- 6 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
Instructions
- Freeze beef for 30 minutes to 1 hour, remove and carefully cut into ¼ inch slices against the grain.
- Mix all other ingredients together in a sauce pan; bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Let marinade cool completely. Add beef and marinade together in a container or plastic bag, then allow to marinate 6 hours to overnight.
- Pre-heat grill on high for 10 minutes; turn off heat and allow to cool until grate is just warm to the touch.
- If using woodchips, place them over one burner on low, but leave all other burners off. Arrange beef slices over the burners turned off.
- Position your thermometer probe inside the grill to monitor that the temperature stays between 160-180 degrees. Allow beef to dry slowly for 4-5 hours with the lid closed, opening only occasionally to rotate meat around the grate. Look for jerky that is firm but slightly bendable, and not soft – then it’s done!
- Remove and allow to cool. Jerky will keep about 3 days on the counter or up to 2 weeks if refrigerated.