Because the Best Jerky Doesn’t Come from a Store

Sesame-coated beef jerky strips beside blueberries

Korean BBQ Beef Jerky Recipe

By Charles Joseph · Updated Sun, Sep 20th, 2026 9:18 PM EDT

Copy URL

I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to make jerky, so when I came across a recipe for Korean BBQ Beef Jerky, I knew I had to try it. The end result was fantastic!

The beef was marinated in a sweet and spicy sauce, then dehydrated to perfection. If you’re looking for a new twist on traditional beef jerky, give this recipe a try!

Korean BBQ Beef Jerky Ingredients

Barbecue sauce, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, and brown sugar — Sweet sauce, ginger and sesame: a promising lineup for your next jerky batch.

1lb of beef
1/4 tsp Prague Powder #1 curing salt
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of BBQ sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp ginger ground
1 tsp sesame oil

And of course, beef meat.

Picking the Best Beef

Packaged thin-cut top round labeled Milanesa — Thin-cut top round reduces the slicing work; check for visible fat before marinating.

To make beef jerky, you need to choose a lean cut of meat. The more fat there is in the meat, the faster it will spoil. We used pre-sliced Top round thin cut because it contains very little fat and we didn’t have to work on cutting it ourselves.

If you want to use a different kind of meat, that’s okay too!

Weighing the meat helped me figure out how much jerky we will have after dehydrating beef.

Thin raw beef slices being weighed on a digital scale — Start with a weigh-in so you can follow this batch from beef to snack.

Or about 524 grams.

The raw beef slices weighed with the scale set to grams — Grams or ounces, your choice. Stick with one for an easy before-and-after.

Prepping the Beef

Removing the Fat

A knife trimming the edge of a thin beef slice — Even pre-sliced beef can need a little trimming along the edges.

The fat on your beef will spoil much faster than the beef itself.

So if you want it to last, take off as much of the fat as possible before you dry it into jerky.

Slicing the Beef

Thin beef slices being cut into narrower strips — Cut wide slices into manageable strips that fit the trays without folding.

Cut the beef the opposite way that the grain is when you are ready to cut. Cut them really thin so they can dry faster (no greater than ¼ inch thick).

Marinating the Beef

To make the marinade, mix all of the ingredients together in a container. Use a measuring cup to get the proportions right.

Dark sauce in a clear measuring cup — Get the sauce measured, then let the sesame and ginger join in.

To make a tasty Korean BBQ marinade: put the 9 ingredients in a container and then add the beef, and mix until all the slices are completely covered. Put it in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. The longer you leave it, the stronger the flavors will be!

Beef strips coated with sesame-studded marinade in a bowl — Turn the slices through the sauce to spread the sesame seeds across the batch.

Drying the Beef Jerky

Once the beef has marinated, you will need to drain it of any excess liquid. You can do this by placing it on a paper towel for a few minutes. The paper towel will absorb the liquid. That way, when your beef is ready for drying, there won’t be any more extra liquid on it.

Sesame-coated marinated beef strips on paper towels — Blot loose liquid gently so the sesame coating stays on the strips.

You can use an oven or electric smoker, to dry beef but you’ll get better results from a food dehydrator. You can buy one at Walmart or on Amazon. Lay the beef strips on the dehydrator trays and dry them at 160 degrees F for 4-8 hours.

Sale

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.

Buy on Amazon

Our slices were so thin that they only needed 4 hours, but if yours are thicker, they’ll need more time.

Check your jerky for doneness every 30-45 minutes to prevent overcooking. Jerky is done when you can bend it without breaking it.

Dry your beef jerky in the dehydrator at 160 degrees F for 4-7.5 hours. Our thin slices dried in 4.5 hours; thicker slices will need more time.

Sesame-speckled beef strips spread on a dehydrator tray — Leave space around the sticky strips to prevent overlapping pieces from drying together.

You’ll end up with around ⅓ of the beef’s original weight in jerky. Our pound of beef turned into 6.5 ounces ( 184 g. ) of Korean BBQ beef jerky.

You can make ⅓ of the original weight in beef jerky. We made 6.5 oz. ( 184 g. ) of Korean BBQ beef jerky out of 17.2 oz. of beef.

Finished sesame jerky weighed in ounces on a red scale — The final weigh-in tells you how much homemade jerky your shopping trip produced.

Finished sesame jerky on a scale reading 184 grams — 184 grams of sesame-speckled jerky. A smaller pile, with plenty of flavor to enjoy.

Recipe

Makes 5 servings Preparation Time: 30 minutes Marinade Time: 6-24 hours, average 7 hours Drying Time: 4 – 8 hours, average 7 hours

Ingredients	Cost
1 lb beef — Top Round Thin cut (Milanesa) (any could work)	$9.15 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)
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar	$1.57 for a 12.7 oz. container at Wallmart (2 tbsp per oz. = 0.12 cents)
1 cup of BBQ sauce	$1.97 for an 18 oz. container at Walmart (1 cup or 8 oz. = $0.55)
2 teaspoons garlic powder	Between $4 and $5 for a 2.33 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.56 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)
1/2 teaspoon ginger ground	$4 – 5 dollar range for a 1.64 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1/2 teaspoon equates to 0.20 cents )
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce	$1.00 for a 10 oz. container at Walmart (2 tbsp per oz. = 0.20 cents)
1/2 tsp sesame seeds	$2.96 for a 3.75 oz. container at Walmart (2 tbsp per oz. – 0.20 cents equates 1/2 tablespoon to 0.15 cents)
1 teaspoon sesame oil	$4 – 5 dollar range for an 8.4 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.08 cents)
Total Cost:	$10.94/6.5oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients)

Step-By-Step Instructions

QUOTE:

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

-- Jeff Foxworthy

Chinese Beef Jerky Recipe

Chinese food is a staple of the American diet. Second to only pizza as the favorite takeout dish in the United States, who would have ever thought...

Chinese-style beef jerky beside chopsticks, sesame seeds, and a small sauce dish

Thai Spiced Beef Jerky Recipe

Thai Spiced beef jerky is a popular Asian dish made with lean beef that's been marinated in a mix of spices and herbs, then dried or cooked in the...

Beef jerky strips scattered with herbs beside fresh cilantro

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.