Beef Jerky Hub
Because the Best Jerky Doesn’t Come from a Store
Chili garlic jerky strips beside a red pepper and Sriracha bottle

Chili Garlic Beef Jerky Recipe

By Charles Joseph · Updated
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There are a few things that make chili garlic beef jerky special. This beef jerky has a strong hot flavor that is perfect for those who love spicy food. The beef is tender and juicy, and the flavors are well-balanced.

There is a slight sweetness from the brown sugar, and the heat from the chili peppers gives this jerky a nice kick. It is definitely worth trying this jerky.

1. The Ideal Cut for Chili Garlic Beef Jerky

The ideal cut of meat for making beef jerky is any round roast. Roasts from the top round, bottom round, or the eye or round are perfect for this recipe. Although a London broil is typically a flank steak, it is also an excellent pick for jerky.

They are reasonably priced, wonderfully meaty, and almost fat-free. Most foods contain fat to enhance flavor, but the fat in beef jerky causes it to spoil faster. I like lean beef cuts like bottom round, eye of round, and for this recipe, I decided to use a bottom round cut.

Packaged bottom round beef roast
Bottom round provides the lean, sliceable base used for this chili garlic batch.
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2. Ingredients You Need

Most ingredients needed to make beef jerky at home are accessible pantry staples. Spices and sauces can be varied to achieve your favorite flavor.

Sriracha, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, red pepper, and curing salt
Garlic fans, here's your moment. Stir it through so every strip gets some of the good stuff.

And of course a beef. We need about 1 pound.

Raw beef on a scale reading 437 grams
A quick weigh-in keeps this chili-garlic mixture matched to your batch.

3. Prepping the Beef

Firstly, we need to remove all fat from the beef.

A knife trimming a pale seam from a beef roast
Trim away fat and any tough bits before slicing the beef.

Secondly, we must leave the beef in the refrigerator for about an hour. It helps with cutting, making it easier.

Cut the beef into thin slices with a sharp knife and mix it with a marinade.

A cook slicing beef into long, narrow strips
Aim for even thickness along each strip, including its ends.

To make the marinade, combine all of the ingredients in a container Use a measuring cup to acquire the correct proportions.

Dark liquid measured in a clear cup
Soy sauce, Sriracha and sugar each get a say. Measuring keeps the balance you like.

The meat must first marinade in a delicious sauce for several hours, ideally up to 24 hours, to produce the most delicious jerky possible.

Chopped garlic and chili marinade beside sliced raw beef
Stir the garlic through the liquid before adding the beef so it does not collect in one corner.

4. How to Make Beef Jerky in a Dehydrator

You should reduce the extra liquid by putting the beef on paper towels for a few minutes.

Glossy marinated beef strips draining on paper towels
Remove drips while leaving the chili and garlic coating on the meat.
Long chili garlic beef strips laid on a dehydrator tray
Lay curled strips flat so the warm air can reach them.

Using a dehydrator is the easiest method for creating Chili Garlic beef jerky. As soon as the thin beef strips are on the dehydrator trays, preheat the appliance to 160 – 175 Farangete.

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Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator
  • Dry your jerky evenly without the hassle of rotating trays.
  • Keep your oven free for dinner while your next batch of jerky dries.
  • Make a bigger jerky stash by expanding to twelve trays. Extra trays are sold separately.

The beef jerky is done when it feels dry to the touch and cannot be bent without cracking. The jerky needs to be at least 160 degrees inside and should bend slightly before breaking.

If it snaps suddenly, like a cracker, it is overdone. You should check the jerky periodically while it is cooking to see if it is done. If jerky is cut thin enough, it should cook in less than four hours.

Dried chili garlic jerky strips spaced on a white tray
Compare the thickest pieces as well as the thin edges when checking drying progress.

You’ll end up with 6.9 ounces ( 197 g. ) of Chili Garlic beef jerky.

Finished chili garlic jerky on a scale reading 197 grams
197 grams of garlic-and-chili goodness. Now you can plan a few snack portions.
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Recipe

Makes 5 servings Preparation Time: 30 minutes Marinade Time: 6 hours Drying Time: 5 hours

IngredientsCost
1 lb beef — bottom round (any could work)$9.15 per 1 lb. at Walmart
1/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 curing saltBetween $12 and $13 for a 2.5 lb. pack (96 teaspoons per pound means that 1/4 of a teaspoon equates to 0.01 cents)
1 garlic gloveBetween $0.4 and $0.5 per whole garlic at Walmart.
1/2 cup of soy sauce$1.52 for a 15 oz. container at Walmart ( 1/4 cup or 4 oz. = 0.40 cents )
1 tablespoon brown sugar$2.17 for 2lb. container at Walmart (31 tbsp. per pound means that 1 tbsp. equates to 0.04 cents)
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper$0.98 per 1.75 oz. container at Walmart (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.09 cents)
3 tablespoons of Chili Sauce (Sriracha)$1.76 for a 9 oz. container at Walmart (2 tbsp per oz. – 0.20 cents equates 0.30 cents per 3 tablespoons)
Total Cost:$10.39/6.9oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients)

Step-By-Step Instructions

Chili garlic jerky strips beside a red pepper and Sriracha bottle

Chili Garlic Beef Jerky Recipe

There are a few things that make chili garlic beef jerky special. This beef jerky has a strong hot flavor that is perfect for those who love spicy food. The beef is tender and juicy, and the flavors are well-balanced.

Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
5 hours
Marinade Time
6 hours
Course: SnackCuisine: AmericanKeyword: Beef JerkyServings: 5Calories: 202kcalCost: $10.39

Equipment


Ingredients


Instructions

  1. Freeze the beef for 1-2 hours. As a result, thin slicing will be less difficult
  2. Slice the beef very thinly against the grain
  3. Combine the marinade ingredients. Mix the sliced meat and marinade in a container and let it sit for the night. Make sure the meat is well covered before placing it in the refrigerator
  4. Remove the beef from the container and dry using some paper towels (drying with a paper towel will speed up cooking time)
  5. Place the jerky strips on the dehydrator trays in a single layer and dry them at 160 F. (This can also be done in the oven; or in an electric smoker)
  6. Dehydrate it until the beef jerky is dry and cracks when you bend it.

Nutrition

Serving: 39.4g | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.3g | Protein: 29.3g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1420mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 2.2g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 18mg

QUOTE:

"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."

-- Jeff Foxworthy

About the Author

In 2017, a good friend introduced me to the most amazing beef jerky I had ever tasted. And his source was from the most unexpected of places--a random guy in Thailand whom he had met while living there. Although I had been eating jerky since as far back as I could remember, I was genuinely blown away by the flavor. I realized the best beef jerky doesn't come from a store. This experience inspired me to create Beef Jerky Hub and put into writing all the things I've since learned about this amazing food. If you're interested, you can read more about my story here.