Teriyaki Beef Jerky
On December 09, 2020 (Updated April 16, 2022)
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Teriyaki Beef Jerky is a staple snack in our pantry. Tender beef strips marinated in a sweet and tangy homemade teriyaki sauce are perfect for road trips, camping, and snacking. I prefer my jerky smoked, but I’ve included variations for using your oven or dehydrator as well.
Homemade Teriyaki Beef Jerky
Making your own beef jerky just can’t be beat, in my opinion. You get so much flavor when you dry the meat yourself, and you have more control over the final result.
When it comes to making your own beef jerky, it all starts with getting 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.
Slicing Meat for Beef Jerky
I own a meat slicer, and have sliced my own meat for jerky before. If you plan on slicing your own meat, I recommend putting your roast in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. The chilled roast will be more firm and you will get a much better result with more even slices. If you aren’t slicing at home, find a good butcher and buy your roast from them. They will be more than happy to do the slicing for you!
I slice my jerky against the grain. In my opinion, this makes the jerky easier to chew and eat. Some people prefer cutting with the grain because once it is dry you get those nice long strands of jerky that you can tear off and work through. I’ve also heard people mention that slicing with the grain can cause your jerky to fall apart, but I haven’t experienced that personally. In fact, all of the pictures for this recipe are of jerky that is sliced against the grain and it held up great with an awesome bite.
Teriyaki Beef Jerky Marinade
Once your meat is sliced and ready to go, it’s time to build the teriyaki marinade! With all good marinades, you need a balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. This has all of the right elements with a slight Asian inspired flare. I recommend marinating your jerky for 8-10 hours, but many people prefer to marinate for 24 hours (or even 48) to really strengthen the flavors. This will make the jerky quite a bit saltier too, so keep that in mind. Here’s what you’ll need to assemble for this marinade:
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1-inch knob fresh ginger
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
An optional addition is to add 1 teaspoon of Instacure #1 (also called Prague powder #1 or Pink Salt) to the marinade recipe. 1 teaspoon of cure will distribute through the marinade and cure up to 5 pounds of meat. Because this recipe calls for a 2-3 pound roast you can get away with using 1/2 teaspoon of cure. If you are making 5 pounds, double the entire marinade recipe and add 1 full teaspoon of the curing salt. The cure will extend the shelf life of the beef jerky and also make it shelf stable.
If you don’t use the curing salt, your finished jerky will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight bag. If you do use the cure, your jerky can last up to 2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight bag.
How to Make Teriyaki Beef Jerky
This jerky can be dried in a variety of ways, either in a smoker, oven, or designated dehydrator. Here’s how to get tasty jerky from each:
- Smoker. I have several smokers at my disposal and my favorite for jerky is my pellet grill. I can maintain temperatures around 160-180 degrees F the entire time. This allows the jerky to slowly cook through while smoking.
- 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 that has been set on top of a baking sheet. 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. I like to do this by placing a wooden spoon in the door to keep it propped open. It’ll just be missing that reddish color and smoky flavor.
- Dehydrator. If you are using a dehydrator, please read the instructions accompanying your machine. Every dehydrator works differently and the timeline will be unique to your machine. Most will dehydrate jerky in a few hours, very similar to using an oven.
The real secret, whether smoker, oven, or dehydrator, is to prep your jerky before drying. Removing the meat from the marinade and patting off the excess moisture is crucial for even cooking. I like to layer my jerky strips between paper towels and thoroughly pat dry. If you want a little extra something, now is a great time to dust with some additional sesame seeds.
More Beef Jerky Recipes
If you liked this recipe for teriyaki beef jerky, you’re sure to love these other tasty jerky recipes from Hey Grill Hey. They each bring their own tasty flavor, and you won’t be able to keep them around for long!
Teriyaki Beef Jerky Recipe
Teriyaki Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 pound eye of round roast sliced thin against the grain
Teriyaki Marinade
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger sliced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Marinate the beef. Transfer the sliced beef to a gallon sized zip top bag and pour in the ingredients for the marinade. Massage the marinade into the meat and refrigerate for at least 8-12 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat your oven or smoker. Preheat your smoker or oven to approximately 170 degrees F. Follow any preheating or preparation instructions if using a dehydrator.
- Smoke the marinated meat. Remove the meat from the marinade and dry each strip thoroughly by laying on paper towels. 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 may need to move pieces around on the grates if some are dying faster than others. You are looking for jerky that is firm and still slightly pliable, but not soft and squishy. If you bend your jerky and it breaks, you've cooked it a little too long.
- Steam the jerky, store, 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 2 weeks in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published in June 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
You nailed it!! This marinade is the bomb! Starts off teriyaki sweet and finishes peppery. Best jerky I have had. Thanks!
This was my first attempt at jerky. Followed the recipe to the T. Results were great.
Can this jerky be frozen for longer life?
Absolutely!
May I do Jerkey on gas grill with racks, I’ve no smoker but I’m a grill master.
Absolutely!
I do jerky on my gas grill regularly. I use baking cooling trays sprayed with some oil to keep the meat from sticking and I stack them and put wine corks in between to allow some space for airflow. I turn one burner on and throw a piece of apple wood (1” piece from an apple tree) and it slowly smoulders smoking the meat. I keep the heat around 150-160 and rotate the trays every hour or so. I want to install a fan to circulate air better to speed up the process.
Good recipe! i made some for my Fiance’s friend and her son asked if the meat was deer because beef doesn’t taste that good haha! I also made up a batch adding in some fresh pineapple slices with the pineapple juice for some sweetness (I dehydrated the pineapple along side the beef also) and it came out really well. It is a nice recipe as I usually have all ingredients on hand for other jerky marinades rather than having to go buy specific ingredients like other teriyaki marinades. Look forward to poking around your site more to see what else you got. Cheers from Salt Lake City!
I made a batch of this earlier this year and it turned out extremely well, so I’m making another batch to hand out at Christmas.
I asked several butchers about slicing an eye of round for me, but none use deli slicers on raw meat. The thinnest they could cut it is 1/4″, so I’ll need to slice it myself.
Hi Tracy, can you please share with me what this means? I’m not quite sure how many lbs total. Thx you for your time.
“1 2-3 pound eye of round roast sliced thin against the grain”
Hey Francine,
To answer your question about the quantity, you will need one 2 or 3 pound roast.
About the part where it tells you to have it sliced across the grain: an eye of round roast is a long, cylindrical cut. Just have it cut across the width of the roast. Anyone in a butcher shop or deli will know what you’re talking about if you get it cut before bringing it home.
Can I use this recipe in a cold electric smoker
Sure!
I just started making beef jerky a few months ago. I tried a few different recipes, then found the beef teriyaki recipe and I’m hooked! Just love it…..it’s the only one I have been making!
My wife and I have been making jerky for years.
We usually do 15-20 lbs of meat at a time.
We’ve stored and eaten ours at room temp up to
Couple months later. Alot more than 2 weeks.
I’ve used vacuum sealing and about a year ago started using oxygen absorbers. Only do a light vacuum with the absorber so it does it’s job. I send these to my kids in the military. You can also put in freezer for added longevity.
You say to slice it thin but don’t give a measurement. I am going to be doing eye of round and having the butcher slice it. How thick should I ask for? Thanks!
I usually have the butcher slice it at the “2” setting. Most of the time if you tell them that you’re making jerky, they’ll know exactly how thick to make it!