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Chipotle Bourbon Beef Jerky

Sweet Bourbon Flavors with a Warming Heat
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Prep Time15 minutes
Active Time3 hours
Marination Time16 hours
Total Time19 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Sirloin Tip

Chipotle Bourbon Marinade

  • 1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Honey
  • 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Orange Juice
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 1/4 cup Bourbon
  • 2 tsp Chipotle Pepper Powder
  • 2 cloves Garlic grated
  • 1 small White onion grated
  • 2 tsp Liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin

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 medium pot combine the marinade ingredients in the specified quantities. Ensure the powders are well combined.
    1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce, 1/4 cup Honey, 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp Orange Juice, 1/4 cup Water, 1/4 cup Bourbon, 2 tsp Chipotle Pepper Powder, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 small White onion, 1 tsp Black pepper, 1/2 tsp Cumin, 2 tsp Liquid smoke

Dealing with the Sharpness of the Alcohol

  • Bring the marinade to a slight simmer and then take off the heat and allow to simmer/steam. This will slowly remove some of the alcohol from the marinade.
  • Allow the marinade to cool and then do a finger test to see if the marinade is still too sharp.
  • Repeat this process of bringing to a slight simmer and then allowing to steam until you're happy with the taste.
  • This took me 30 minutes (15 minutes x 2 to cool and taste test).

Marinating the Jerky

  • Once the marinade has completely cooled, put sliced meat and marinade in a ziplock bag. Force out the air and then allow to marinate for 48 hours.
    The reason for marinating so long is because bourbon is expensive and I want to ensure as much marinade absorbs as possible.

Heat Treating the Beef Jerky Before Dehydrating

  • 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.
  • Preheat 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.

Notes

I pre-heat my jerky because I like to dehydrate at a lower air temperature. 
If you don't want to do this, just dehydrate at 160F the entire time.