The Best Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe
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This is the best homemade beef jerky recipe, and it’s easy to make without any special equipment.
After road tripping with my family and sampling jerky from gas stations along the way — and spending a small fortune on it — I resolved to come up with a good homemade beef jerky recipe. The good news is that beef jerky is surprisingly easy to make and doesn’t require any special equipment other than a standard oven, baking sheets, and wire racks. However, most homemade jerky isn’t nearly as tender as the store-bought kind. That’s because commercial jerky producers use special equipment and curing preservatives to make their signature jerky. Finally, after falling down an internet rabbit hole of pitmaster video tutorials, I learned the secret to making tender jerky at home: adding plenty of sugar to the marinade. The extra sugar not only helps preserve the meat but also locks in moisture. This recipe makes a salty-sweet, smoky jerky with a chewy yet tender texture, similar to the well-known brands.
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Beef Jerky
When making beef jerky, it’s important to start with a well-trimmed, lean cut of meat, as fat does not dry out and accelerates spoilage. An eye of round roast is ideal; it’s affordable, accessible, lean, and easy to trim. Before slicing, pop it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours; it will be much easier to cut.
The marinade contains soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, and unseasoned meat tenderizer. Meat tenderizer contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down meat tissue. You can find it in the spice section of your supermarket (I use McCormick).
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Slice the Meat
Slice the meat between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick with the grain. If the roast is too thick to slice easily, cut it in half horizontally before slicing.
2. Make the Marinade
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, meat tenderizer, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Whisk until evenly combined and the sugar is dissolved.
3. Marinate the Beef
Add the meat to the marinade and toss until all of the pieces are evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or transfer to a large ziplock bag) and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or overnight. Toss the meat (or flip the bag) once or twice to be sure the meat marinates evenly.
4. Dry Out The Meat
Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Place a wire rack over each pan. Preheat the oven to 175°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions.
Arrange the marinated meat on the wire racks in a single layer.
Bake, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom midway through, until the meat is dried out, 3 to 4 hours. To determine if the jerky is thoroughly dried out, take a piece out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature. It should be dry to the touch, leather-like in appearance, and chewy but still somewhat tender.
Store the jerky inside an airtight plastic container, Ziploc bag, or airtight glass jars. Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature for about one week.
video tutorial
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The Best Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe
This is the best homemade beef jerky recipe, and it’s easy to make without any special equipment.
Ingredients
- One 3-pound eye of round roast (see note), trimmed of fat and silver skin
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon unseasoned meat tenderizer (see note)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Slice the meat between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick with the grain. (If the roast is too thick to slice easily, cut it in half horizontally before slicing.)
- Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, meat tenderizer, black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder. Whisk until evenly combined and the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the meat to the marinade and toss until all of the pieces are evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap or transfer to a large ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or overnight. Toss the meat (or flip the bag) once or twice to be sure the meat marinates evenly.
- Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Place a wire rack over each pan. Preheat the oven to 175°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions.
- Arrange the marinated meat on the wire racks in a single layer. Bake, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom midway through, until the meat is dried out, 3 to 4 hours. To determine if the jerky is thoroughly dried out, take a piece out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature. It should be dry to the touch, leather-like in appearance, and chewy but still somewhat tender.
- Store the jerky inside an airtight plastic container, Ziploc bag, or airtight glass jars. Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature for about one week. Refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.
- Note: Pop the meat in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours before slicing; it will be easier to cut.
- Note: Meat tenderizer contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down meat tissue. You can find it in the spice section of your supermarket. (I use McCormick.)
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Ahh…the ongoing debate about cutting with or against the grain. I’d say it really depends on the meat and personal preference. With the grain will be chewier, but with some meats, against the grain will simply fall apart. I personally always cut against the grain…chalk that up to my bad teeth. My kids love either. When I’ve made this recipe, the meat hardly has time to cool before it’s all eaten (same thing happens when I smoke lamb bacon — my piranha kids swoop in and all my effort is gone in minutes).
If it’s your first time making the recipe and you aren’t sure — cut part with and part against the grain. Then you can compare the outcomes and choose what’s right for you.
Used eye of round, cut across the grain due to the fact I like that texture better. 4 hour bake, best jerky I have made. Next time I may up the red pepper. Thanks for the recipe.
I…love…jerky but I am super picky of my store bought yummies. I tend to have a more expensive palate than most. With this said, I gave making my own a try (with your help, of course). Excellent flavor. I am hooked already. I’m so excited to not have all the additives and such from store bought. Looking forward to trying with buffalo/bison (my favorite type of jerky). Also, looking forward to exploring more of your recipes.
I made this recipe and got only positive comments. Took it to my granddaughter’s softball game. Everyone seemed to like it. Went home with an empty bag. I wouldn’t change anything in the recipe.
Jenn, knowing that you perfect a recipe before you post it, and never having had anything other than a Five Star experience with any of your recipes, I can say undoubtedly this will be delicious!!
I made the marinade per your instructions, tasted it and tweaked it to my taste (a little more heat), and now the “with the grain” 😉 sliced eye of round is marinating in the fridge until tomorrow. I have high expectations for this batch because the recipe is yours and the marinade tastes delicious.
Thanks for all your hard work Jenn. And thank your family too, because I know you “encourage” them to sample your recipes until you get them perfect! 😃
Thanks for your kind words, Frank — I hope you enjoy the jerky! 🙂
Jenn the first batch came out great. Slicing with the grain for the true jerky chew is the way to go. As I said, I added more pepper flakes but, confession, I omitted some of the brown sugar. Bad move. 😬 I recognized that your recipe exactly as is with my little bit of extra heat would have been perfect.
Today I am in Portofino’s neighborhood. 😉 Publix had a nice cut of eye of round and Jenn’s recipe came to mind. It’s marinating now until tomorrow. Made to your specs with some extra pepper flakes, the marinade is much better tasting doing it your way. Oh and this time I sliced the meat 1/4” like your finished product looks. It’s 6pm now. I might have to get up at 6am to start the dehydration!! 😋 Thanks again for a great recipe.
I went completely by the recipe, but it was VERY tough. All other recipes I looked at said to cut across the grain. The jerky tasted great, so the next time I will try cutting across the grain.
I used your recipe ty
Has anyone made this in a dehydrator? Thanks!
Yes, I did it the other day. 150* for 5 hours. Came out fantastic.
Thanks!!!! That was my question also! I have some right now in my Dehydrator. I hope it comes out right! 🤞🏾
Amazing… added cayenne pepper and some franks red hot and it’s perfect … a blend of sweet and spicy that my tongue wants more of
Anyone use a sugar sustitute like Stevia or the like? Would love this to be a Keto friendly, sugar-free recipe. As is, my family loves it!! Just looking for a sugar-free option.
What if u use a dehydrator
Hi Jacob, Surprisingly, I found that the jerky turned out much better (and more tender) when made in the oven as opposed to the dehydrator, so I’d recommend sticking with the oven.
I don’t have a dehydrator and my family loves it as is. I was just curious if there was a substitute anyone used in place of the sugar. As I am eating a keto diet, I may do some experimenting.
I too do Keto for over a year now and I commend you on your choice. I’ve never been healthier in my life. I have made jerky every month since I started Keto and I use Swerve brown sugar. It’s erythritol and the lowest sugar alcohol on the glycemic index at just a 1, and it is a byproduct of sugar itself. It also does not have the digestive upset so common with all the other sugar alcohols. I use it in everything, including cookies and barbecue sauces too. I’m finding it a wonderful substitute. I vacuum seal my jerky into individual serving packages then freeze to get the best shelf life. I take out a few packages at a time and keep them ready in the fridge, but it thaws fast and sometimes it’s kinda yummy half frozen too. Therefore I don’t really have preservation concerns to worry about. If I ever needed to take it somewhere like on a hike or camping, etc, it will be shelf stable for that time period since I remove what I want to bring directly from the freezer before going.
Sugar has preservative and moisture retaining qualities that substitutes don’t have. You may get the same flavor, but texture and shelf life may well suffer.
I hear people all the time talk about how they want to cure meat but want to do it low-sodium or low-sugar. Curing and preserving meats is a science. It’s the osmotic pressure between the brining solution and the cells that cause the actual curing/preservation to take place. If you lower or change the salt and/or sugar in a solution, you are changing the osmotic pressures and the cure may well not be safe or effective.
If you use sugar substitutes, I would refrigerate the finished jerky and consume it relatively quickly.
Just slaughtered and butchered our annual grass only fed steer: 6 trials of recipes later, this one is hands down is the best we have had. Super mild spicy with our peppers, so we are adding about double to get a medium/hot spice effect. Done on racks in a propane smoker/oven with oak chips. We use every cut on the animal except rib eye in jerky, we cut against and/or with grain depending on cut, it all works. I doubled the amount of meat in the recipe per amount of marinade, no problem there, and we make 30+ lbs. Love the sugar effect. No tenderizers used/needed for us. Nice job, Chef!
I have tried many different Recipes for jerky and this one the the BEST!!!! the only changes that I did was to give it more of a kick I added 3 TABLE spoons of peppers, Swapped the powered garlic with 1 Table spoon of minced garlic and 1 Table spoon of Siracha. Spend a few bones and get a dehydrator and you will have the most awesome jerky ever!
I made this as directed with eye round. The flavor was excellent, but it was so tough, I fed it to my dogs.
Will try again with another cut of beef, so disappointed 😞.
This is a great guide, thank you! I didn’t have any tenderizer but it’s made from pineapple or papaya extract so I blended up frozen pineapple with the marinade because that’s what I had on hand. You could also use pineapple juice. I also added fresh grated ginger because it is supposed to help tenderize. I followed some of the other suggestions in the comments (vinegar pre soak, adding apple cider vinegar to the marinade, add sriracha) and the jerky turned out great! It’s not tough, maybe a little crunchier than I would like though. It’s great overall, my family loves it. I will definitely be saving this for future use! Thanks for sharing!
Why did you say commercial jerky from the store and on the road is usually more tender?? I find the jerky I buy from the store and on the road is so CHEWY HARD AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT!! That’s why I looked for a tender jerky recipe! I’m going to try your recipe but if it turns out like the hard chewy jerky from the store I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF I WAS DISAPPOINTED!!
Hi Rob, I guess it depends on the jerky. Certain brand are more tender than others. That said, I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Can anyone figure out the nutritional breakdown of it? Made it last night and is delicious! Just dont know how much I can have
Tenderness is related to how dry you make it even more than the cur of meat. You can dry it a little less so that it is chewy but not hard. You should keep it refrigerated if you do. I make this recipe with “London Broil” which is usually round steak. I also use regular paprika as I don’t like a smoke flavor. I put it in my 40 year old dehydrator over night and love it.
Yery easy and delicious!!
Simple, yet very tasty recipe. Used with beef. Should also be good with venison. Thank you!
Excellent recipe! I used venison eye of round and gluten free soy sauce. I sliced it thinner than suggested, but I like the thicker pieces better, so I’ll change that next time. Flavor is spot on. Delicious and easy! Thank you for this one!
I’ve always wanted to try making beef jerky and I used your recipe as my first attempt. It turned out so perfectly! Fantastic recipe!
Wonderful results …cant wait to make another batch. Very easy and simple to yield such a delicious snack.
I have made this jerky several times now and I am hooked. I love it, and so does my family. Thanks for a very simple and great recipe!
Cut the brown sugar in half and added about 3/4 cup of organic ACV. Tenderized the meat and provided a move savory – less sweet jerky. The marinade recipe was a good place to start.
The recipe says cut meat with the grain. Shouldn’t it be against
The grain?
Hi Sue, Normally beef is sliced against the grain, but in this case I cut with the grain for the best jerky texture.
great recipe!
with or across the grain..done it both ways..its personal preference, wont affect the taste at all..across the grain may be a little less chewy to some;
The jerky was so tough I couldn’t eat it! I think cutting with the grain makes it tougher than across the grain. I’ll try it that way next. The marinade was very good.
Awesome recipe! I do have to say that if you add about 2 Tbsp of honey it makes it just a little better than it already is. Im so happy I found this recipe!
Made it..was delicious…didn’t get much, everyone else grabbed it first..made about 2lb..will make a larger quantity next time..thanks
Excellent!
Adding sugar? Thats a good way to injure your body over the years. Completely unnecessary and a sign of how screwed up our knowledge of nutrition really is.
Thanks for your worthless comment
I made this using the Sukrin Gold brown sugar replacement instead of regular brown sugar, and it turned out great! As with some of the other reviewers, I didn’t have the meat tenderizer, so I added ACV for a similar effect and the added savoriness. I’ve made this recipe several times now, and the picky kids keep asking for more. Home run, Jenn.
I used this recipe guide and it was the best beef jerky I’ve ever had. (although I used a proper food dehydrator machine I had just bought the day before to kick it’s tires.
But I have to admit, finding a lean reasonably priced cut of meat was a tall order. My local Publix had a very limited selection, so I drove to the local Amish grocery store that always has top notch beef, even aged beef.
Detweiler’s Amish butchers were also struggling to meet the meat demand due to Memorial Day, but this retired soldier was making beef jerky hell or high water.
…….So I bought several pounds of tenderloin, as it was priced about the same as the lesser meats. Never seen that scenario.
I also made dog jerky with a lesser humongous steak I got at Publix. With that, I didn’t use a recipe as I wanted to make my neighbor’s dogs jerky with no spices, I did add a little sweet potato as that dog loves sweet potatoes. Next on my list is trying to see if I can make beef jerky my two cats will like, as I’m tired of giving them cat treats with to many preservatives and ingredients.
Superb flavor, But a little tough. I used bottom round. Any suggestions for my next batch?
Hi Susan, sorry to hear it was a little tough. For the best results, I’d stick with the eye of round. If you’re not able to find eye of round and use bottom round again, I’d cut it against the grain.
Family has been making jerky for 30 years.
London broil! I know expensive.
Side note.
Slice the meat against the grain.
Fill a tub or cleaned sink with cold water and vinegar, redwine or white. 1/4 or so to two gallons.
Place the sliced meat in the water and squeeze the meat getting all blood out of the meat. Repeat this step until all the blood is out. Two-three times.
London broil, when on sale, is about $3/lb. Can’t buy anything else cheaper! Plan ahead, and buy on sale. I even have the supermarket butcher grind it for burger. Makes a nice, lean, steak-like burger.
It is tough I believe because the instructions were to slice with the grain. You should always slice against the grain. Great recipe though, probably just a small oversight.
This jerky is the exception to the rule when it comes to slicing against the grain. When you slice it against the grain, it almost falls apart. The jerky has a better texture when sliced with the grain.
This is very true ! I am make venison as I am writing this if you cut across the grain it will surely fall apart on you , I always cut with the grain and never have any issues , I am using your recipe for the first time can’t wait it smells incredible I will post pictures when done 👍
I didn’t read all of the comments so somebody may have already mentioned this. But when you slice the meat WITH the grain, it can get pretty tough to chew. I always slice mine ACROSS the grain. It stays “chewy” but it’s still tender enough that you can bite pieces off fairly easily. People with teeth that are sensitive or those with dentures, might find it a little more enjoyable to eat this way.
WOW! This is sooooo tasty! I take a LOT of roadtrips with my family, (wife and son), and I KNOW what you mean about the almost outrageous price of jerky at gas stations! Your recipe(s) are wonderful! Thanks for the article; and thanks for the recipes!!!
-Paddy Ryan of Rockford,Illinois
April 13, 2022
I’ve never tried making jerky before but my family are definitely jerky lovers. I used moose meat (roast) instead of the beef and I’m really excited about the first batch! Everyone loves it 🙂
Love this recipe. Just a few words to novice chefs…make sure you have a sharp large knife. A nonslip cutting board…And I recommend double bagging the meat when it’s marinating. So far I’ve gone through 5 lbs of lean beef. I think this is a great gift idea for those jerky lovers!!!❤
Absolutely great!! The whole family loves it. I used a rolled roast, cut with the grain, made exactly as the recipe states and it was perfect. Thanks!!
I have just done a complete hind of sambar deer so multiplied marinade recipe by 4…. Superb!! so the variation to the standard recipe was I used only 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of fresh pineapple juice to substitute the meat tenderiser powder… All my neighbours line up after I come back from a hunt and after this recipe I have nothing but “When is the next delivery??” Absolute keeper this one….Regards from Melbourne Australia 😉
I’ve never made beef jerky before. Made it in my oven as mine has a dehydrate mode. Omg yummy & then some! Super easy recipe to follow! Very husband approved! I like that it doesn’t taste salty! This recipe is def a keeper!
I made this for our Superbowl party.
This recipe was very close to Jack Links. A solid recipe. Next time I will add a bit of sugar, salt, and liquid smoke to the marinade. Either way, this is a good, solid recipe.
Jerky is the ‘poor man’s’ biltong. I’m living in South Africa, the origin of biltong. I have a commercial dryer and make about 20kgs per week.
Besides the spices listed in the link, I add ground cloves and use brown vinegar as the intial rubbed coating.. Only sprinkle coarse salt on the meat, otherwise it’s too salty. MUST have fat for the taste!
How come it only lasts for a week? How does the commercial stuff last indefinitely?
Hi Robin, I believe that the commercial stuff lasts much longer as it likely has preservatives in it. Also while this may last for longer than a week, I always try to err on the conservative side from a food safety standpoint. Hope that clarifies!
Fantastic flavor with just the right amount of kick. Very good recipe. Top shelf!!
Love this recipe! A few changes I made: Used “London Broil” aka “Top Round” since I didn’t have access to “Eye of Round”. Marinated for close to 24 hours. Used “Liquid Aminos” in place of Soy Sauce (can’t taste the difference) for low salt alternative, only 13% daily value vs. 30+% in normal soy sauce. Low sodium soy sauce reduces it to only 23%. For less heat, reduced crushed red pepper flakes to 1/8 Tsp. Keeping the 1 Tsp recipe for those who want a hotter jerky. Lastly, made sure the measurement of smoked paprika was rounded spoon full. Smoked on wood pellet bbq/smoker for 4.25 hours on “Smoke” setting ~160°-180°. Best jerky I’ve ever tasted! Hope this helps. Enjoy!
This looks delicious! Would this be safe for pregnant women to eat?
Hi Selina, I would assume so, but that’s definitely not my area of expertise, so if you are unsure, I would definitely consult your doctor. 🙂
After trying numerable recipes for beef jerky, I have concluded that this is absolutely the ‘best’ recipe. My only change is to reduce the brown sugar to a half cup. Otherwise, it’s perfect!
I am an experienced cook and typically don’t measure anything when cooking (though I’m not a good baker). With that said, I follow Jen’s recipes exactly and have yet to be disappointed. This jerky was excellent. Tender, yet chewy and the sweetness and heat were well balanced. If you prefer less sweet or more heat, you could adjust accordingly, but note that Jen says the sugar locks in moisture and tenderizes. Thanks Jen! We did it again!
is there any other type of meat you can use for this recipe?
Hi Hallie, I haven’t tried this with any other cut of beef so I can’t say for sure — sorry!
You can use just about any cut of meat as long as it’s very lean. Even the leanest cuts of meat will still have some fat in it though. So trim off as much of that as possible. Fat in the meat will go rancid pretty quickly.
This was too spicy for me. I would make again and eliminate red pepper all together
I make jerky to an old family recipe very similar to yours except mine calls for a cup of water which I understand the water acts as a catylist to help deliver the marinade to the meat.
Oh my darn goodness! My first time making my own beef jerky and the taste is quite perfect. I’m still waiting for it to dry out but you know, I nabbed a piece. I divided the ingredients in half because I only wanted to spend no more than 10 dollars for the correct cut. The only draw back to doing this is the price. It would be great to be able to this with cheap and tough cuts of beef. This recipe I definitely must save. Thank you for the nice walkthrough.
I’ve been making beef jerky for years with different recipes. Finally found a keeper!
So many are salty, inspire of using los sodium & half the sale. Yours is mildly sweet with a little kick.
Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s hands down, the best. My only caveat is that it’s too sweet for my tastes. I cut the 1 cup of brown sugar down to just 1/2 cup and … viola! … it’s terrific!
Instead of using meat tenderiser use pineapple juice instead which has naturally occurring bromelain. It also gives a wonderful fruity taste to the jerky.
Thank you! I was just about to do a search for a substitute tenderizer.
Do you reduce the amount of brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness of the pineapple?
true with fresh pineapple, canned pineapple will only tenderize because of the acidity. Canned pineapple is usually heated after canning to kill germs and unfortunately kills the enzymes also.
Just wondering how much canned pineapple juice to use please ?
Hi, great recipe came out so well I have done it a few times. One variation I preferred was to cut the beef across the grain, use half a grated onion instead of the onion powder (as it’s all I had in the pantry) and leave out the meat tenderizer.
Thanks very much.