Peppered Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky is a great snack at home or on the road. You can find hundreds of varieties at your local grocery stores and gas stations, but did you know it’s really easy to make at home for a fraction of the price? 

This is my simple and delicious homemade Peppered Beef Jerky recipe.

If you’re looking for sweet and savory jerky, check out our Homemade Teriyaki Beef Jerky recipe, too.

Honestly, once you start making jerky at home, you’re never going to want to buy it from the store again.  

How to make peppered beef jerky in a dehydrator

Ingredients you’ll need

• Beef – Top Round Roast
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Rainbow peppercorns
• Black pepper – coarsely ground.

Equipment you’ll need

• Dehydrator – You could also use a smoker or a combination of a smoker and dehydrator.
• Knife – for slicing.
• Bowl
• Small whisk

What type of dehydrator should I use?

First off, I recommend investing in a quality dehydrator. While you can make beef jerky in the oven or on a smoker, the texture and flavor are immensely better in a dehydrator – plus, it tends to cook faster.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can check out our smoked beef jerky recipe for steps.

I use the MEAT! Your Maker 6-Tray Dehydrator. It’s affordable and fantastic quality, plus it’s lightweight and easy to move and store wherever you need to. 

What sort of beef should I use?

The key to beef jerky is to use lean beef. There are several different cuts you can use, but I generally like to use top or bottom round roasts and slice them into strips.

How long should I marinate the beef for?

Another key to good beef jerky is to let the beef marinate long enough to get the flavor down into the meat.

I typically like to marinate my jerky for 12 to 24 hours, but you can get away with 3-4 hours if you’re crunched for time. 

How to make Peppered Beef Jerky in a Dehydrator

1. Prep

Slice your beef into ¼” thick slices and your desired length.

You can make the strips as large or as small as you want, but keep in mind that they will shrink a bit in the dehydration process. 

Combine all of the marinade ingredients along with the beef in a bowl or container and give it a mix so that the meat is mostly submerged in the marinade mixture.

Cover the bowl or container and place in the refrigerator to marinate (see notes above for marinating times). 

Once you’ve let your jerky marinate, you can remove it from the marinade mixture and transfer it to your jerky trays.

Lay all of the beef strips on the tray. You want to make sure that there is a bit of space between each piece to let air circulate. 

2. Fire up the dehydrator

Set the dehydrator to 140°F.

Place the trays in the dehydrator and let the meat dehydrate for 3 to 4 hours.

You’ll know it’s done as the jerky has a slight bend and is no longer moist. 

After you remove the jerky from the dehydrator, sprinkle the coarse ground black pepper over the top.

3. Storing

Your jerky will stay good for about seven days if you store it in an airtight container.

You can store individual servings in separate containers or just store the whole batch in a resealable one to munch on throughout the week.

More smoked snack recipes

• Teriyaki Beef Jerky
• Smoked Beef Jerky
• Smoked Venison Snack Sticks
• Smoked Candied Nuts