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.
Help! I can’t seem to find the recipe for the jerky and really want to make some. Need to know how much kosher salt and other seasonings. Thanks.
Hey Jennifer- you’re in the right spot! Just hit the “Read More” button and it will pull up the recipe! https://heygrillhey.com/dr-pepper-jalapeno-beef-jerky/
What flavor wood chips would you recommend
Hey Danny- I use a blend of oak, maple, and cherry. I think any one of those (or even hickory) would be great!
I used the recipe just as it was written except I added 1/2 Tbsp of soy sauce and a tsp of paprika. I smoked it with about 2/3 hickory and 1/3 jack daniels oak barrel chips. It turned out phenomenal. I had people who have been making jerky for years say it was the best jerky they ever had. Not bad for my first time ever making jerky. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
That is fantastic! I love that you made it your own too.
where did you get Jack Daniel oak barrel chips ?
Academy Sports carried in summer of 2017
I have made jerky MANY times with a very similar recipe (minus the Dr Pepper) but I always use a (very) little bbq sauce teased with a little vinegar and onion flakes. Jalapeño is too hot for spouse, so I split before marinating for her share to be milder. I figured out the hard way that mnarinating in a gallon size zip lock bag is the best way by far! I have an dehydrator that I have always used, and turn the jerky every hour or so to dry evenly. Thanks for the Dr Pepper tip, as my wife and daughters are Dr Pepper-a-holics
Sounds good! I hope you like the Dr. Pepper flavor!
love the cherry flavor addition, the addition of the cayenne or red pepper flakes to replace the jalapeno’s and smoking/cooking on a Traeger is hard to beat. Been using one for several years and I love it!
Smoked jerky really is the best! Those are all good substitutions too.
In the recipe itself you say to smoke for 2-3 hours, further down in the comments you say 12 hours? Please clarify.
It marinates for 12 hours, the smoking time is around 2-3 hours. Sorry for any confusion!
Don’t you wish everyone would read all of the posts. They could answer 99% of their stupid questions asked over and over again!!!
To be fair to them, it is practically a jerky novel up there. Haha
Agreed. It’s like a summer mix tape you listen to over and over again.
Thanks for the great recipe! Planning to try it today for sending to my son on deployment!!
I want to vacuum seal the jerky to send to my husband over seas. It takes almost 2 weeks to get a package over there. What do you suggest that I do to ensure freshness?
Hi Mariah! That is so sweet! I would recommend using a curing salt in the marinade. 1 level teaspoon will cure 5 pounds of meat. This will act as a preservative and extend then shelf life of the jerky so it will be good when it gets there. You can find instacure (also called Prague powder, pink curing salt, or cure #1) at most butcher shops or online. Amazon carries it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XUXTOU6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vHZUyb1EH5Z0A
My son is allergic to jalapeno peppers. Could you use red pepper flakes or chili powder in their place.
Absolutely! Red pepper flakes would be great if you wanted some heat. I would use 1-2 teaspoons in the marinade. If you don’t want the spice, you can skip the peppers all together.
Hey Grill,
Curious if this recipe can work in a oven. I don’t have a grill or dehydrator.
Absolutely! There is a section in the post above about using your oven. It works great!
Does it make a difference if you use fresh jalapeño or canned pickled jalapeño? Thanks!
Hey Rees- it will make a difference in the final flavor, but not a huge difference. If all you have is canned jalapenos-go for it! Just drain the jalapenos well and don’t include any pickling liquid in the marinade.
Can this be done on a regular grill?
I wouldn’t recommend it. It is really difficult to achieve and maintain low enough temperatures on a propane or gas grill. Also, they often have hot spots that would cause some of the jerky to burn. Your best bet would be to use the oven method.