When the umami flavors of teriyaki sauce and beef jerky collide, the result is a mind-blowing snack you’ll want to get your hands on as soon as possible. These tasty morsels won’t be around for long once your friends and family discover them!
This Kikkoman teriyaki beef jerky hits the spot whenever you need a sweet, salty, savory treat. And it couldn’t be easier to make!
Kikkoman Teriyaki Beef Jerky Ingredients
- 1 lb of beef
- 1/4 tsp Prague Powder #1 curing salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke hickory
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade
- 1 tsp salt
How to Pick the Right Beef
In the meat aisle, you’re faced with a ton of beef options. But not all of them are right for making jerky.
When you’re making beef jerky, the leaner your cut, the better. Cuts like top-round, bottom-round, eye-of-round, and sirloin tip are among the best cuts of beef you can choose.
We also recommend buying your beef in bulk to save money. You’ll lose around ⅔ of your starting weight during the drying process, so if you want to make a pound of jerky, buy 3 pounds of beef.
We used one pound of sirloin tip for our Kikkoman teriyaki beef jerky. We bought ours thinly pre-sliced, which saves time and energy, but you can purchase whole cuts to save a bit of money!
Prepping the Beef
Trimming Extra Fat
Even our pre-sliced beef had a little fat on it, and if you buy a whole cut, you’ll definitely have some trimming to do.
Fat spoils much faster than beef, so if you don’t remove it, your jerky is more likely to spoil. Plus, who likes biting into a glob of fat when you’re chowing down on jerky, anyway?
Remove as much fat as you can from your beef. You’ll be glad you did!
Freezing and Slicing the Beef
If you bought pre-sliced beef, you could skip this step. But if you didn’t, you’ll need to freeze and slice your beef before moving on.
Put your beef in the freezer for an hour or two before slicing it. This makes the beef a little firmer and easier to cut into thin slices.
When you’re ready to slice, cut the beef against the grain. Try to keep your slices under ¼ inch thick to speed up the drying time later on.
Marinating the Beef Slices
Making that tasty teriyaki marinade couldn’t be easier. Just combine the 7 marinade ingredients in a container, then add the beef and mix until all the slices are thoroughly coated.
Then put the beef and marinade in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours; the longer you leave it, the stronger the flavors will be. We left ours in overnight.
Drying the Beef
When you’re satisfied with the marinade, remove the extra liquid by laying the beef on a paper towel for a few minutes.
You can use an oven or electric smoker to dry beef in a pinch, but you’ll get better results from a food dehydrator. It’s a cheap, easy-to-use an appliance that you can buy on Amazon or in stores like Walmart.
- 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.
Lay your beef strips on the dehydrator trays and dry them at 160 degrees F for 4-8 hours. Our slices were so thin that they only needed 4 hours, but if yours are thicker, they’ll need more time.
Once you reach the 3-hour mark, check your jerky for doneness every 30-45 minutes. This prevents overcooking and lets you remove the jerky at the perfect time.
Your jerky is done when you can bend a piece without breaking it. If it snaps, it was left in for too long; if it’s still floppy, it needs to stay in longer.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Kikkoman Teriyaki Jerky
Makes 5 servings Prep time: 30 minutes Marinade time: 8-24 hours Cook time: 4-8 hours
Cost to Make 7 oz. of Kikkoman Teriyaki Jerky
| Ingredients | Costs |
|---|---|
| 1 lb. beef — beef sirlion-tip steak — or your favorite cut (any could work) | $6.82 per 1 lb at Walmart |
| 1/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 curing salt | Between $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 teaspoon garlic powder | Between $4 and $5 for a 2.33 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.28 cents) |
| 1 teaspoon onion powder | $4 – 5 dollar range for a 1.73 oz. container ( 6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.38 cents) |
| 1 tablespoon liquid smoke hickory | $1.34 for a 4 oz. container at Walmart (2 tbsp per one oz. means that 1 tablespoon equates to 0.17 cents) |
| 2 teaspoon black pepper | $2.98 for a 3 oz. container at Walmart (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.17 cents or 0.34 cents per 2 teaspoons) |
| 1/2 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade | $12-13 dollar range for 2 pk 10 oz. each (1/2 cup or 4 oz. = $4.40) |
| 1 teaspoon salt | 0.01 cents per 1 tsp |
| Total Cost: | $12.41/~7 oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients) |
Kikkoman Teriyaki Beef Jerky Recipe
This Kikkoman teriyaki beef jerky is perfect when you're craving something salty, sweet, and delicious. Once your friends and family learn about these delectable treats, they won't be around for very long! And creating it couldn't be simpler!
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim the excess fat from the beef.
- If not using pre-sliced beef: freeze the beef for 1-2 hours, then slice against the grain into ¼ inch (or less) strips.
- Combine all marinade ingredients, then add beef and mix well.
- Refrigerate beef and marinade for 8-24 hours.
- Remove extra liquid from beef with a paper towel.
- Dry beef in a food dehydrator at 160 degrees F for 4-8 hours (less time for thin slices, more for thick slices).
Nutrition
Serving: 39.6g | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.2g | Protein: 27.7g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 674mg | Potassium: 381mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.5g | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 17mg
QUOTE:
"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."
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About the Author
Charles Joseph
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.