Homemade Smoked Beef Jerky: It’s Easier Than You Think

Store-bought jerky can be expensive. These days it's cheaper just to make your own.

In fact, homemade beef jerky is much tastier than the stuff you get from the store (not to mention, healthier). And guess what...it’s easier than you think.

Today we’re going show you how to make perfect smoked beef jerky using some fantastic savory jerky recipes which will clearly be the pick of the litter.

For our demonstration, we will be using the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, but of course, you can pick any smoker of your liking. (If you don’t already own one, and are not sure which smoker to purchase, you should check out our electric smoker reviews here.)

Jerky has been a popular method for centuries, and nearly any meat can be made into jerky - but for this article, we will be primarily talking about beef.

So, without further ado, let's make some beef jerky!

History of beef jerky

Jerky is long, thin strips of meat that have been dried to prevent it from spoiling.

Jerky has been a staple for many cultures, and the earliest evidence of it was found in Egypt. Archeologists discovered that ancient Egyptians were drying mass amounts of meat (perhaps by laying strips of meat out in the sun) when they found dried foods preserved in tombs.

Meat in jerky form is not subject to decay or insect infestation and could have been stored for long periods–especially in a tomb. That's because drying meat deprives the bacteria that cause food spoilage of the moisture they need to survive.

The best meat for beef jerky in a smoker

If you're considering making some homemade beef jerky, you’ll want to keep these things in mind when shopping around for meat:

Do not buy old or expired meats.
Jerky will lose about two-thirds of its weight after drying, so you'll want to buy the correct quantity of meat.
Inspect each specific cut to find the one with the less fat

Bonus tip: Ask the butcher to slice the meat for you – some butchers will slice the meat to your specified thickness which saves a lot of time!

How to make beef jerky (in a smoker)

Making beef jerky in a smoker is one of the best ways to make beef jerky.

Generally, there is no adding liquid smoke, and all you need to do is let the wood infuse an intense flavor into your jerky.

Plus, making jerky in a smoker is as close to how it was done hundreds of years ago.

Here are the steps!

1. Start by purchasing a lean piece of meat, such as a beef eye of round roast. This is the most popular cut for making jerky because it is the most tender of the Rounds.

Tip: Fat will spoil and ruin jerky, so you'll want to pick a cut that has the least amount of fat is best.

2. Trim any fat from the meat. As mentioned above, fat makes your jerky spoil, so be sure to cut off as much as possible.
3. Now you'll want to wrap the beef in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 1-2 hours to partially freeze. Freezing makes slicing the meat at a consistent width easier.
4. With a very sharp knife, slice against the grain at around 1/8″-1/4″ thick for a more natural chew or with the grain for more chew.

Tip: You can skip the freezing stage and slice your jerky using a jerky slicer.

5. Move your slices of beef to the side and assemble your smoked beef jerky marinade.
6. Once you have finished making your marinade, place the beef slices in your marinade and make sure they are covered evenly.
7. Marinate the jerky in the refrigerator for about 6-24 hours.
8. After the drying process, cover the drip pan with aluminum foil to avoid cleaning up drippings.

Tip: It will make a mess if you do not put a layer of protection down. You can also set a small sheet of foil above the heating element to make clean up more comfortable as well. Use a small piece of foil to allow air to easily flow from the bottom of the smoker up and out of the top.

9. Dry the jerky strips on paper towels to remove any excess marinade and either lay your jerky pieces across the metal racks of the smoker or use toothpicks and hang your strips.
10. Place the top metal rack on the highest slot in your smoker, and hang your strips.
11. Open the top vent on the smoker 100% and dry for 1 1/2 hours at 170°F.

Tip: If you soaked your strips in a “wet” marinade, do not put water in the water pan when making jerky. However, if you used a dry rub to season your meat (without any liquid), then you can put a little water or vinegar in the pan during the one 1/2hrs.

12. Bring the temperature up to 180°F to 200°F and add a handful of wood chips to the smoker.If you are using a Masterbuilt electric smoker like us and aren’t sure what the best wood for smoking beef jerky is, check out our 19 Best Wood Chips For Masterbuilt Electric Smoker.

Tip: Before adding the wood chips, soak them in water for about 10-15 minutes.

13. Smoke at this temperature until the wood chips have quit smoking (about 30 minutes to 1 hour). A cloud of blue smoke should be coming out of the smoker if the wood is burning at the right temperature.

Tip: If the smoke is a dense white, increase the temperature of the smoker. This white smoke can give the meat a bitter taste and ruin the jerky.

14. Lower the temperature back to 160°F and DO NOT add any more wood chips. Too much smoke will also ruin the jerky; 30 minutes to an hour of smoke is just perfect.
15. Leaving the wood tray door halfway open (after all the wood has finished burning) to allow airflow through the smoker also helps dry the jerky faster.
16. Continue to smoke at 160°F until your jerky bends and cracks but does not break in half. Periodically pull a piece out of the smoker and let it cool.
17. Check to see if your jerky is done smoking by bending it AFTER it has cooled down (let cool for 5-10 minutes, this helps not to over-dry).

If you're wondering how long to smoke jerky, well it all depends. Sometimes it can take a total of 6-15 hours, depending on the thickness of your jerky and the brand of smoker you have. With a Masterbuilt smoker, jerky takes typically between 7-9 hours to dry.

Voila! You've just made a great batch of smoked beef jerky.

Storing your beef jerky

Before storing your finished jerky, you'll want to make sure it is completely dried and cooled. If not, it will give off some moisture as it cools, and you don't want any condensation in your stored jerky.

If you're going to be making lots of jerkies and you want them to last a long time, you can buy a food-grade oxygen absorber and a vacuum sealer.

When stored this way, homemade jerky will stay fresh for 1-2 months in the pantry and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Tip: label the package with the type of jerky (including any spices) and the date you dried it.

If you are storing the jerky (in a cool dark place) inside a sealed container or plastic zip-top bag, it will last about one week. If stored in the refrigerator, it can last 1 to 2 weeks. Once you've opened the bag or container, the jerky should be eaten within a week.

Our top 10 best smoked jerky recipes!

For so long, beef jerky had a pretty bad reputation for being processed and salt-filled. However, nowadays, nutrition experts agree that homemade beef jerky can actually be a healthy snack.

Jerky recipes are especially convenient because they are compact and easy to carry. For this reason, beef jerky can be a perfect road snack and is a staple for outings like camping trips or long hikes in the mountains.

With that said, if you're looking for a snack that will keep you full for a while (and is packed with beautiful minerals like iron and zinc), these 12 savory smoked beef jerky recipes will do the trick.

So, fire up that smoker and let's begin!

1. SMOKED PEPPERED BEEF JERKY

This jerky is immersed in a beer, soy sauce, and a black pepper marinade, making it a tasty protein-packed snack.

What you'll need:

1 can/bottle dark beer
1 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp of brown sugar
One tbsp of curing salt
1/2 tsp of garlic salt
3-4 tbsp of coarsely ground black pepper, divided
2 lbs trimmed beef

Preparation

1. In a mixing bowl, mix the beer, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, curing salt, garlic salt, and two tablespoons of the black pepper.

2. With a sharp knife, trim any fat off of meat and slice the beef into 1/4-inch thick slices against the grain.

3. Place the beef slices into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade mixture over the beef, massaging the bag so that all the slices get coated with the marinade.

4. Now, seal the bag and refrigerate for several hours to overnight.

5. When ready to smoke, set the temperature to 180℉ on your smoker and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.

6. Remove your beef slices from the marinade and discard the marinade.

7. After discarding, dry the beef slices in paper towels then sprinkle beef slices generously on both sides with black pepper.

8. Set up the beef directly on the grill grate. Smoke for 4-5 hours or until the jerky is dry - but still chewy and somewhat flexible when you bend a piece.

9. To finish, let the jerky rest for about an hour at room temperature.

10. Press out any air from the bag and refrigerate the jerky until ready to be devoured.

2. Smoked Tennessee Beef Jerky

What you'll need:

Lean Meat

1 lb Top Round Beef Roast

Marinade

1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of cold water
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp of cane sugar
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp of Prague Powder Curing Salt

Preparation

1. Trim all fat from the beef, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for an hour or two to freeze.

2. While your beef is freezing, mix the soy sauce, water, cane sugar, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and curing salt in a bowl or ziplock bag and stir well.

3. Now, remove the meat from the freezer and slice 1/4 inch strips against the grain.

Tip: Slice with the grain for a chewier jerky or you can skip this part and use a Jerky Slicer for even sliced pieces.

4. Add your sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for roughly 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.

5. After your beef has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade.

6. Pat dry the strips with paper towels.

7. Dry with your favorite smoker at 160°F

Tip: After that 1.5 hours, fill the wood tray with soaked wood chips and bump the temperature up to 200°F. These chips can be smoked for about 45 minutes.

8. Lower the temperature back down to 160°F and leave the turkey to dry for another 4 hours, checking every so often.

9. Your jerky is done smoking when it bends and cracks but does not break in half.

Bon appetite!

3. Smoked Jalapeño Beef Jerky

What you'll need:

4 lb of Eye of round
½ cup of Honey
½ cup of Soy sauce
3 tbsp of El Yucateco Jalapeño Hot Sauce
2 tbsp of Lime juice
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of onion powder
1 tbsp of Garlic powder
1 tbsp of Black pepper
Wood chunks for smoking, preferably apple or alder

Preparation

1. Preheat your smoker to 225°F

2. Store the eye of round roast into your freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

3. While your beef is freezing, get a bowl and mix all ingredients.

4. Now take out your beef and slice across the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices. When done, place the beef slices into the marinade.

5. Marinate for 6 hours up to overnight.

6. Take out your beef slices from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.

7. Place the jerky into the smoker and toss a few wood chunks onto hot coals for smoking — Cook at 225°F for 4 to 5 hours.

6. When done, remove the beef jerky from your smoker and serve directly.

Tip: sprinkle freshly shredded jalapeños on top of the jerky for an extra kick.

4. Dr. Pepper Smoked Beef Jerky

What you'll need:

2-3 pound beef eye of round roast thinly sliced against the grain

Marinade

2 cups of Dr. Pepper
Two jalapeños sliced
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
Two teaspoons black pepper
One teaspoon garlic powder
One teaspoon onion powder

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, blend all of the ingredients for the marinade.

2. Bring marinade to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Chill the marinade completely.

4. Transfer the sliced beef to a gallon-sized zip-top bag and pour in the marinade.

5. Rub the marinade into the meat and refrigerate for 8-12 hours, or overnight.

6. Preheat your smoker to approximately 170 degrees.

7. Now, remove the meat from the marinade and dry each strip thoroughly by laying on paper towels.

8. Transfer the strips to the cooling rack and smoke for 2-3 hours. Thicker pieces can take 4-5 hours.

8. Make sure to check your meat after the first hour to be sure your jerky is drying evenly.

Tip: If your jerky breaks after trying to bend it, then you've cooked it a little too long.

9. Place the finished jerky in a zip-top bag and place in the fridge until ready to eat.

5. Sweet and Spicy Smoked Beef Jerky

What you'll need:

1¼ lbs bottom round roast, sliced into ¼ inch thin slices
Three tablespoons sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
Three tablespoons of brown sugar
One teaspoon of garlic salt
One teaspoon of kosher salt
Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation

1. Trim fat from the beef and cut the steak across the grain into 1/4-inch slices and set aside.

2. Combine the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, brown sugar, ground dried red chili, onion powder until the brown sugar has dissolved. Pour mixture into a resealable plastic bag.

3. Add the beef to the bag and make sure it is well coated.

Tip: Release any extra air from the bag, seal the bag, and marinate the steak for 1-3 hours in the refrigerator.

4. Prepare the smoker at roughly 150 F.

5. Remove the beef from the marinade and lay the strips out on a sheet of foil. Spread out the pieces evenly.

6. Pop the meat in the smoker and smoke until the surface begins to blacken (roughly 3 hours).

7. Cover the steak strips loosely with foil. You may keep the smoke off while letting the moisture escape for another 1 to 2 hours of drying time in the smoker.

8. When your jerky is completely dry, it's done. Let it cool, then serve.

6. Tangy Bloody Mary flavored Smoked Jerky

What you'll need:

2 lb lean beef prepared in strips
1 cup of thick Bloody Mary mix
1/3 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of horseradish
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
2 tbsp of dried tomato powder
1/2 tbsp of celery salt
1/4 tsp of cayenne
1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning

Preparation

1. Place your beef, bloody Mary mix, Worcestershire, horseradish, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Seal the top, and then move everything around inside the bag to make sure it's well coated.

2. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.

3. Remove strips from the bag, and pat excess liquid off the beef with a paper towel, and then place on a foil-lined tray.

4. Next, you'll want to mix the celery salt, dried tomato powder, cayenne and cajun seasoning in a bowl.

5. Sprinkle each side of the beef with the dry spice mix, and place in the smoker.

8. Allow the meat to dry. The process will take roughly 7-10 hours, depending on temperature and the thickness of the beef.

Bam!

7. Kentucky Bourbon Beef Jerky

What you'll need:

Lean Meat

1 lb Beef Top Round

Marinade

1/4 cup of bourbon
2 tsp of liquid smoke hickory
1/4 tsp Prague Powder curing salt
1 tsp of molasses
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of cracked black pepper
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

1. Trim fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.

2. While the beef is in the freezer, combine the bourbon, liquid smoke, Prague Powder, molasses, brown sugar, black pepper, soy sauce, & Worcestershire sauce in a blender. Mix well.

3. Take out the meat from the freezer and slice 1/4″ strips with the grain and tenderize with a meat mallet. Cut against the grain for a more natural chew.

4. Place your sliced beef strips in the mixture and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.

5. After the beef has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade.

6. Dry with your favorite jerky smoking method for roughly 6 hours at 160 degrees.

8. Vegan Smoked Jerky

Whether you're vegetarian or you're just trying to embrace eating less meat, then you'll love this vegan jerky snack!

What you'll need:

One block extra firm tofu pressed (wrap in a clean towel and place something with a heavyweight on top for at least 30 minutes)
One tablespoon of smoked paprika
One tablespoon of nutritional yeast
One teaspoon of cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Unwrap your pressed tofu and slice into thin strips.

2. Lay the tofu slices on a flat, non-stick surface (such as parchment paper).

3. Mix the spices in a bowl and sprinkle some of the spices on top of the tofu strips.

4. Gently pat the spices down with your fingertips.

5. Spread tofu strips on dehydrator racks with spiced side facing down.

6. Sprinkle the rest of spices on top and gently pat down with fingers.

7. Cover dehydrator and turn to high. Dehydrate until tofu is dry and chewy, about 3-4 hours.

Tip: Leave in for more extended time if you prefer a crunchier texture.

9. Spicy Ranch Beef Jerky

This spicy ranch beef jerky recipe has the precise amount of tang with a little spice!

What you'll need:

2 pounds of round sirloin or flank steak
3/4 cup of soy sauce
3/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
3 TBSP of ranch dressing seasoning
2 TBSP of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 TSP of liquid smoke
1/4 TSP of cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. Put beef in the freezer for 30 minutes for easy slicing.

2. Mix all your ingredients (with the beef) and refrigerate for 2 hours or, overnight.

3. Line slices of beef on racks and be sure not to overlap any slices.

4. Turn your smoker on and cook 6-8 hours depending on the thickness of beef.

10. Pineapple Beef Jerky Recipe

If you have a thing for sweet and salty snacks, then this recipe will be right up your ally.

What you'll need:

4 lbs of beef top round steak
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 Tbs of garlic powder
2 Tbs of liquid hickory smoke
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
3/4 cup of pineapple puree

Preparation

1. Cut your jerky meat into 1/4 - 1/8" slices and remove any signs of fat.

2. Add all the liquid ingredients in a small pot with your garlic powder and mix thoroughly.

3. Heat the mixture until it simmers then turn off the heat and add in the brown sugar while mixing at the same time. Let the ingredients cool to room temperature.

4. Mix 3/4 cup fresh-cut pineapple and 1/2 cup pineapple juice in a blender and liquefy.

5. Pour into your pot and stir it well.

6. Now place equal amounts of meat into two separate gallon size Ziploc bags and add your marinade to each bag.

7. Be sure to cover the meat with marinade completely. Marinate the meat for 24 hours.

8. Dehydrate your jerky in your smoker for 5-7 hours or until done

11. Lemon Pepper Beef Jerky Recipe

Preparation

3 lbs of beef top round steak
3/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar
One tbs of liquid smoke
Two tbs of lemon juice
One tbs of garlic powder
Two tbs of lemon pepper seasoning

Preparation

1. Cut your beef against the grain into 1/8" strips and removing any fat.

2. Get the soy, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke into a pot and heat until a simmer appears then turn off the heat. Add your brown sugar to the mixture and stir it until it fully dissolves.

3. After the liquid has cooled, add the lemon juice, garlic powder, and lemon pepper seasoning to the marinade and stir well.

4. Put your beef into a gallon size bag or container and add all the marinade to it.

5. Let the meat marinate for roughly 24 hrs.

6. Dehydrate your jerky for 6-8 hrs or until done.

That's a wrap!

Well, there you have it Fire Food Chefs. We hope you enjoyed this grand selection of smoked beef jerky recipes. The only thing we can't promise is you won't eat it all in one sitting.

As we've learned in this article, homemade smoked beef jerky is one of the most savory and convenient of all snacks. The best part, it's healthy for you, affordable, and very easy to make!

Jerky is the king of all road trip grub. It's not brittle or messy. It's chewy texture even gives you something to do while you're camping, hiking, driving or just about anywhere that requires portable snacking.

AND it's paleo, low carb, and can be vegan too. So everyone wins.

Thanks, and until next time!