Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky
On October 04, 2022 (Updated May 16, 2024)
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My Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky is legendary! This post includes steps on how to make beef jerky and the best beef jerky recipe ever. I mean, really. This post is so full of beef jerky knowledge, it should probably be a book. We are going to be talking cuts of meat, slicing tips, marinating basics, and dehydrating vs. smoking.
Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky
This jerky is by far one of my most popular posts on the site. It’s equal parts sweet and spicy and you can adjust the heat to whatever level you prefer.
I’ve had friends and family rave about this jerky. It’s become a popular office treat or neighbor gift during the holidays. I cannot emphasize this enough. You’ll likely need to make a double batch because this jerky will not last long.
How to Make Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky
Alright folks, as promised let’s walk step-by-step through the whole process of making this awesome jerky. From selecting the right meat all the way to getting that perfect dried jerky, you’ll have a tasty snack in no time flat!
Step 1: Select the Meat
Let’s start with the best cuts of beef for jerky-making. I try to pick a nice roast with very little fat marbling. My first choice is an eye of round roast. After that, I think a top round, sirloin roast, or rump roast would also work well. These cuts do have a bit more fat/gristle, but a lot of times the price is right so I don’t mind.
This recipe calls for 2-3 pounds of eye of round roast. I easily got this from my butcher and asked them to cut the meat for me. Need to know more about slicing? Read on to the next section!
Step 2: Slice the Beef
Once you have selected your meat, it’s time to get that perfect jerky-thin slice. The first option is to ask your butcher to slice the meat for you. I recommend asking for a few sample slices to help you determine how thick or thin you want your jerky. I usually ask the butcher to set their slicer to an X for jerky.
If you are slicing your own meat at home, put your roast in the freezer for 30-60 minutes before slicing. The chilled meat will be easier to slice. Next, grab a sharp knife and get started. Try your best to slice the beef nice and even so all the jerky dries evenly.
At this point, you can choose whether to slice your meat with or against the grain. I prefer to slice my jerky against the grain, as it makes the jerky easier to chew and eat. I’ve got a bunch of little kiddos who would eat their weight in this Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky if I let them, and I don’t want to worry like crazy that they are going to be choking on unchewable chunks of jerky.
If you slice with the grain you get those nice long strands of jerky that you can tear off and work through. If you like that more stringy, tougher texture for your jerky, go with slicing with the grain.
Step 3: Marinate the Beef
Next, let’s chat marinades! My favorite part! There are a million jerky marinades out there, plenty that you can buy pre-made and just dump on your sliced meat and go. There are some good ones and some not-so-good ones, and I am mad every time I waste money on a pre-made marinade AND a big pile of meat.
The sweet, savory, heat flavors from this Dr. Pepper Jalapeno marinade are a perfect balance. The real basis for any great marinade, in my opinion, is a good combo of flavors. You’ll get all that and more from this marinade.
For this marinade, I want to emphasize the importance of the reduction step. Take the time to reduce the marinade properly. If you don’t, the final result can be a little bland. Also, this isn’t super spicy as prepared. If you want more jalapeño flavor, slice your jalapeños very thin or even add a third jalapeño to the marinade. Some readers have also substituted habanero peppers to up the spice factor.
Step 4: Dehydrate the Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky
The last step in making jerky is to dry it all out in a smoker, oven, or dehydrator. I have several smokers at my disposal and my favorite for jerky is my Camp Chef SmokePro pellet grill. I can maintain temperatures around 160-180 degrees F. This allows the jerky to slowly cook through while smoking.
Here’s how to smoke this tasty jerky:
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 170 degrees F. While the smoker is preheating, remove the jerky from the marinade and use a paper towel to pat off the excess marinade. Once dry, dust with additional black pepper, if desired (this gives it an extra kick of heat!)
- Smoke. Place the strips of jerky on the grill grates of your smoker and cook for 2-3 hours (or up to 4-5 hours depending on the thickness of the beef). Your jerky is done when it reaches 165 degrees F measured with a meat thermometer. The meat should be slightly pliable without breaking when you bend it in half.
- Steam. Once your jerky is fully cooked, remove it from the smoker and place it in a clean gallon-sized zip-top bag while it is still warm. Do not seal the bag all the way to allow the jerky to steam slightly to keep it moist.
- Enjoy. Dig in! Let’s hope you made a double batch because this stuff is addicting!
Alternative Dehydrating Methods
If you don’t want to make this jerky in the smoker, there are two other methods you can try out!
- Oven. If you’re without a smoker, you can still dehydrate your jerky in your oven by laying out your jerky on a cooling rack before cooking. Follow the same time and temperature listed in the recipe, but leave the door of your oven slightly cracked so the moisture can escape and your jerky can dry properly.
- Dehydrator. If you are using a dehydrator, follow the instructions provided with your machine. Every dehydrator works differently and the timeline will be unique to your machine.
Curing the Jerky
If you prefer to use curing salts in your jerky, use 1 level teaspoon of Prague Powder #1 or instacure #1 in the marinade recipe. The recipe If you cook the recipe as is, it will last in your fridge for up to two weeks in a zip-top bag (if you don’t eat it all before then). If you use curing salt, it will last up to two weeks on your counter.
More Beef Jerky Recipes
Looking for more delicious beef jerky recipes? Check out these other popular ones from the site!
Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky Recipe
There you have it! You made it through my jerky novel! You may very well now be an expert jerky maker. If you have any questions beyond what we talked about above, feel free to leave a comment here or jump on over to find me on Facebook or Instagram.
This post was originally published in February 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Beef Jerky
Video
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 pound beef eye of round roast thin sliced against the grain
Dr. Pepper Jalapeno Marinade
- 2 cups Dr. Pepper
- 2 jalapenos sliced
- 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. You should have just over a cup of marinade. Chill the marinade completely.
- Marinate the beef. Transfer the sliced beef to a gallon sized zip top bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the meat and refrigerate for 8-12 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat the smoker. Preheat your smoker or oven to approximately 170 degrees F. I recommend maple or cherry (or a combo of both!) for this recipe.
- Smoke the meat. Remove the meat from the marinade and dry each strip thoroughly by laying on paper towels or patting dry. Transfer the strips to the grill grate, jerky rack, or cooling rack and smoke/cook for 2-3 hours (depending on the thickness of your slices, some thicker pieces can take 4-5 hours). Check often after the first hour to be sure your jerky is drying evenly. You are looking for jerky that is firm and still slightly pliable, but not soft. If you bend your jerky and it breaks, you've cooked it a little too long.
- Steam and enjoy! Place the finished jerky in a gallon zip top bag while it is still warm. Don't seal closed all the way. The jerky will steam in the bag slightly and this step will make the jerky moist. The jerky will last 3-4 days on the counter or 2 weeks in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You can use an oven as well?
You can use the oven. I have instructions up in the blog post.
Come on people, read the article. All your redundant questions are answered there! I have made this and it is awesome. Adding another Jalapeno next time. Not very spicy!
Do you use a water pan when you make the jerky?
Can I use a dehydrator to make this jerky?
Yes you can!! Please refer to the instructions that came with your dehydrator as each dehydrator is different and varies on cooking times.
I’ve made this twice “as is” with the exception of reducing the salt and adding 1/4 tsp of #1 prague powder. I liked it enough to make it again after the first go round, and now a third time but found it still had a very subtle flavor compared to most jerky I prefer. So, this being the third time, I tried the cherry Dr. Pepper. I went half and half with regular DP, but increased the amount to a total 2.5 cups and still reducing to the almost a cup measure thinking this would concentrate a larger amount of flavor. Also, I tossed in a small palm full of brown sugar, maybe 1-2 Tablespoons, and used fresh jalapenos off the plant in the yard (good and hot when you hit a random seed chewing on this stuff) only to find a small increase in the intensity of the flavor.
I’m not looking to increase the salty worcestershire flavor, but the awesome flavor the Dr. Pepper has when reduced. Next time I’m going to try a full 3 cups or maybe more just to see.
Awesome jerky recipe, just know that its not a huge blast of flavor, but something that tames the heat of the jalapeno while keeping the flavor, while the sweet flavor of the Dr. Pepper is there with it.
Last thing, I use a dehydrator and every time I’ve made this a london broil (top round) sliced against the grain was the victim of choice.
Thanks so much for coming back and leaving your feedback, I really appreciate it! One day I hope you can taste this when it has been smoked.
I have an electric Masterbuilt smoker… You know the one that looks like a hotel fridge? I’ll try it. I have maple and cherry wood, so off we go. I just worry about “over smoking” anything. I want the flavor to be more than the smoke.
We’ll see see how it turns out!
Let me know how it turns out!
How many meat? 2-3 pound?
Yes, this was about a 2.5 pound roast.
Can I cook on Weber Gas Grill?
can you vacuum pack and freeze jerky to make it last longer? what steps should I take if I do this?
Yes you can. Make sure your jerky is fully cooled before vacuum sealing so you don’t have any moisture or condensation in the packaging.
I almost gave up on making beef jerky till i tried this recipe. I followed the recipe except that I used cherry dr. pepper instead off regular. I would not hesitate to try it with coke next time. I also smoked it on a Traeger, using the smoke setting. I also did the following experiment: I used two eye of the rounds and cut one against the grain and one with the grain. The cuts against the grain came out dryer and more flaky vs the cuts with the grain which were moister and more chewy. I prefered the cuts with the grain. Overall, this is a great recipe and it has all the flavors you would expect in beef jerky. I also used pink salt, which helps with the coloring but mostly prolongs the shelf life of the product. I would try slicing the Jalapenos a bit thinner next time for a bit more kick.
Thanks again for your recipe!
That is so great to hear Jack!! I’m thrilled you liked the jerky. I’ll have to try it with Cherry Dr Pepper next time!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and tips! We just got a Traeger and thought this would be a fun recipe to try. We decided to make a batch for our road trip and our first batch is finishing as we speak. We followed all the instructions exactly as written. It’s so good that we are running to the store to make two more batches before we leave! We don’t think the first batch will even make it out of town 🙂
That’s hilarious! We are totally guilty of snacking on the first batch straight off of the smoker. I’m so glad you liked it!!