Smoky Sriracha Beef Jerky Recipe: Sweet Heat!

Last Updated:
May 17, 2024

This beef jerky has a strong up-front kick of Siracha and additional from heat from cayenne.

It then tapers off and finishes sweet due to the honey and molasses.

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What Type of Beef to Use?

This recipe uses top round/London Broil.

london broil

Other cuts you could use:

  • Round tip
  • Eye of Round
  • Brisket Flat
  • Flank Steak

Slicing the Meat for Beef Jerky

The way you slice will depend on your personal taste preferences:

  • For softer jerky – slice against the grain.
  • For jerky with a “tug” – slice with the grain.

If you need help with identifying the grain direction, check out this article.

jerky grain direction examples

You also want to slice the meat to roughly 1/8 to 1/4″ thick.

This thickness ensures the meat can dehydrate at the same speed (roughly 3-5 hours) and so that the marinade can penetrate the meat entirely.

Sriracha Beef Jerky Marinade Ingredients

This marinade is for ~1 lb of meat. If you have more than 1 lb of meat, work in batches of 1 lb as apposed to scaling this recipe.

  • 1/3 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Honey
  • 1/4 Cup Molasses
  • 4 Tbsp Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 Cup Sriracha
  • 0.5 Tbsp Morton Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger Powder
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne
  • 1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1/4 Tsp Citric Acid*

*If you don’t have citric acid, use another tablespoon of lemon juice (total of 2 tablespoons).

Marinating the Jerky

In bowl combine the marinade ingredients in the specified quantities.

Add the sliced beef and marinade to either a ziplock bag or nonreactive container.

Marinate overnight (16+ hours) or for at least 2 hours.

Heat Treating the Jerky

The reason for heat treating is to kill microbes and because it will allow you to dehydrate at a lower temperature – which results in softer jerky.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then place oven-safe cooling racks on top.

Put your marinated beef jerky on the cooling racks.

Once oven is at 350F, place on the middle rack for 10 minutes.

heat treated sriracha beef jerky

While heat treating, set your dehydrator to ~130F.

Dehydrating the Beef Jerky

Once the beef jerky is heat treated, transfer the meat to your dehydrator trays and allow the meat to dehydrate for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, start checking for doneness.

Checking the Jerky for Doneness

Jerky that’s sliced to 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick will take 3-5 hours to dehydrate.

At 3 hours, take a few strips out of the dehydrator that you think are done. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes.

finished sriracha beef jerky held in Dylan Clay's hand

Once cooled, take a piece and bend/tear it.

If the jerky feels like rubber and the bend has visual queues of red/pink – it’s not done and needs to keep dehydrating.

Store in a Ziplock Bag

As the jerky starts to finish, transfer it to a ziplock bag with the top open. This will allow the meat to aerate and ensures steam doesn’t get trapped.

Once the jerky is completely cooled, zip the top and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Sriracha Beef Jerky Recipe

Slightly Sweet with a Sriracha Punch
Prep Time15 minutes
Active Time4 hours
Marination Time16 hours
Total Time20 hours 15 minutes
Course: Snack

Ingredients

  • 1 lb London Broil

Sriracha Jerky Marinade

  • 1/3 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Honey
  • 1/4 Cup Molasses
  • 4 Tbsp Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 Cup Sriracha
  • 0.5 Tbsp Morton Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger Powder
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne
  • 1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1/4 Tsp Citric Acid See notes

Instructions

Slicing and Marinating Jerky

  • Take 1 lb of lean beef and cut against the grain. Slice so that the strips are 1/8-1/4" thick.
  • In a bowl combine the marinade ingredients in the specified quantities. Ensure the molasses, honey, and salt are well combined.
  • In a non-reactive container or ziplock bag, add your marinade and sliced jerky. Massage the marinade into the beef.
  • Put in your refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours. Ideally, you'd marinate overnight for 16+ hours.

Heat Treat the Jerky

  • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Then place oven-safe cooling racks on top.
    Put your marinated beef jerky on top of the cooling racks, ensure that pieces aren't touching or overlapping.
  • Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
  • Once pre-heated put your jerky in the oven on the middle rack for 10 minutes.
  • While your jerky is heat treating, set your dehydrator to 130F.

Dehydrating the Beef Jerky

  • Once your jerky is done heat treating, place your beef jerky in your dehydrator. Ensure pieces aren't touching or overlapping.
  • Allow the jerky to dehydrate for 3 hours and then start checking for doneness.

Testing Beef Jerky for Doneness

  • After 3 hours take a few pieces of beef jerky out of the dehydrator and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  • Once cooled, bend the jerky. If at the bend you notice a "spider webbing" – it's done. If at the bend you notice the jerky is rubbery and has hues of red/pink, it's not done.

Storing the Jerky

  • Once done, place in a ziplock bag with the top open and allow the jerky to aerate for 30 minutes. Once aerated zip the top and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
dylan bio profile picture
Dylan Clay
Dylan Clay is a pitmaster based in New Hampshire, with over 17 years of experience in grilling, smoking, and dehydrating meat. Throughout this time, he has worked with nearly every cut of meat. In 2019, he launched the Barbecue FAQ website to share his extensive knowledge about all things meat, aiming to assist others in making better barbecue at home.

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