Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky Recipe: A Big Treat with a Little Heat!

Savory beef jerky meets sweet brown sugar and spicy red pepper in this palate-pleasing recipe. It’s easier than you’d think to put an Asian-fusion twist on this classic American snack — the secret is in the seasonings!

Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky Ingredients

• 1 lb. of beef
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp black pepper ground
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup water cold
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp ginger ground
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Choosing the Right Beef

When it comes to beef jerky, not all beef is created equal.

You don’t need to get super-fancy, but choosing the right cut will make a big difference in both your workload and the quality of your final product.

For this recipe, you’ll need 1 pound (450 grams) of lean beef. Go for a thick cut with as little fat as possible — it’ll make preparing the beef so much easier!

Top round London Broil is an excellent option, as it’s a thick cut with very little fat. We used it when making this recipe for ourselves.

Other suitable cuts include bottom round, sirloin tip, flank steak and eye of round.

Preparing the Beef and Marinade

Trimming the Fat

Even the leanest cuts of beef usually have a little fat on them.

But fat is the last thing you want when you’re making beef jerky. It alters the flavor of the jerky and causes it to spoil much faster than it would otherwise — bad news if you plan to store your jerky for later!

So before doing anything else, thoroughly trim all the fat from your beef with a knife.

Freezing and Slicing the Beef

Once you’ve finished trimming the fat, put your beef in the freezer for an hour or two.

Chilling the beef for a couple of hours stiffens it up a bit, making it much easier to slice. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the freezing step, but we highly recommend it if you’ve got the time.

When it’s ready, cut the beef into thin strips. Each slice should be no thicker than ¼ inch.

Slice the meat across or against the grain. This results in more tender beef jerky with a more pleasant texture; slicing with the grain will produce jerky that’s harder to chew.

Preparing and Using the Marinade

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a measuring cup.

Layer your sliced beef in a container or Ziploc bag, then add the marinade and mix well. Put the beef and marinade in the fridge for at least six hours; for the strongest flavor, leave it for 24 hours.

Stir or shake up the mixture periodically, as the marinade will settle over time.

Dehydrating the Beef

Remove the excess marinade from your beef slices by laying them on a paper towel and blotting them dry. This will speed up the dehydration process.

You can dehydrate your beef in a food dehydrator, an oven, or an electric smoker.

We recommend using a dehydrator as it’s easy to clean, efficient, and compact. I bought mine on Amazon

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

Arrange your strips on trays in a single layer and dry them using your preferred method. We dried ours at 160 degrees F for 6 hours, but your time could range from 4 to 8 hours.

Starting at the 4 hour mark, check your jerky every 45 minutes or so for doneness. It’s fully cooked when you’re able to bend a slice and see it break a little without snapping.

You’ll end up with around ⅓ of your starting weight in jerky. Our original pound of beef dried into 6.4 ounces of beef jerky (see scale below).

Or 181 grams (see scale below).

Recipe of Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky

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

Step-By-Step Instructions

A great balance of heat and sweetness makes this jerky very popular. Let’s cook it!

Sweet and Spicy

This delicious recipe combines savory beef jerky with sweet brown sugar and heat from red pepper. The trick is in the seasonings, and it's simpler than you might think to give this traditional American snack an Asian-fusion twist!

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

6 hours

Marinade Time

8 hours

Course: SnackCuisine: AmericanKeyword: Beef JerkyServings: 5Calories: 195kcalCost: $8.08

---

Equipment

DehydratorFood ScaleMeasuring Cup

---

Ingredients

• 1 lb beef; Top round London broil beef (any could work)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper ground
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ginger ground
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

---

Instructions

1. Trim the fat from your beef, then place it in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
2. Cut the beef into slices no more than ¼ inch thick, slicing against or across the grain.
3. Mix all marinade ingredients together.
4. Combine beef and marinade in a container or Ziploc bag, then place in the fridge for 6-24 hours.
5. Remove excess liquid from beef with a paper towel.
6. Dry the beef in a food dehydrator, oven, or electric smoker at 160 degrees F for 4-8 hours or until slices bend and crack without snapping.

---

Nutrition

Serving: 36.2g | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.2g | Protein: 28.8g | Fat: 6.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.3g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2.3g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 17mg

Read Next

Sweet Heat Sriracha Jerky Recipe

Sweet Heat Sriracha Jerky is a great snack to have on hand when you're looking for something satisfying and protein-rich. It is made with sriracha...

Read More

Honey Peppered Beef Jerky Recipe

Are you looking for a snack that’s both savory and spicy? Look no further than honey peppered beef jerky. I recently discovered this kind of beef...

Read More