What happens when you turn A5 Wagyu into Spam, then turn that Spam into jerky? The Jerky.com Test Kitchen found out, and ran a full head-to-head with homemade Spam jerky made from top round, brisket and tri-tip too. After the taste test, our panel agreed nothing beat the classics in our Hall of Fame, like our All-Natural Prime Rib Beef Jerky. Watch the full video below, then try it yourself.
The video doesn't give amounts. Our loaves follow Joshua Weissman's homemade Spam recipe, halved, so use his measurements and scale to the number of loaves you want.
Instructions:
Chill everything: Cube the meat and fat and chill it, along with the grinder parts, in the freezer (ours went about an hour and a half). Cold fat and cold parts keep the fat from smearing into a sludge as it grinds. Work fast with Wagyu, since its fat melts quickly.
Grind twice: For each loaf, cube the beef, smoked ham, prosciutto and pork back fat, then run it through the grinder twice: first the medium plate, then the fine plate, for a silky, even grind. For the all-beef A5 Wagyu loaf, swap in brisket for the ham, bresaola for the prosciutto and beef fat for the pork fat.
Make the Spam paste: In a medium bowl, whisk the kosher salt, sugar, nutritional yeast, potato starch, cornstarch, bay leaf powder and Prague Powder #1, then whisk in the ice water until smooth. Pour the slurry into the ground meat and knead with gloved hands until it turns sticky. That stickiness is protein extraction, and it gives Spam its texture. We based the loaf on Joshua Weissman's homemade Spam recipe, cut in half; the video doesn't give the amounts, so see his recipe and scale to your needs.
Pack the loaves: Fill loaf pans about 3/4 full and press down firmly so there are no air pockets, then vacuum seal each pan. We combined leftover top round, brisket and tri-tip into one mixed loaf we nicknamed the "Bri-Top."
Sous vide, then chill: Stack the pans in a large stock pot, staggered so water flows around each one, and cook with a sous vide set to 175°F for 2 hours per batch. Refrigerate overnight, then unmold. Expect some shrinkage and that classic Spam gel around the edges, especially on the Wagyu.
Slice: Slice the chilled loaves for jerky. A cheese slicer worked on regular Spam, but these loaves were so firm that a chef's knife was easier. Keep the slices consistent so they dry evenly. The Wagyu loaf was more crumbly, since much of its fat rendered out.
Season: Set the slices on a rack over a tray and coat both sides generously with the dry rub. The tray catches the extra seasoning so you can reuse it.
Dry it: We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 149°F and started checking at about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, watching closely because these lean loaves can flake and over-dry. The video doesn't give a total drying time.
Test kitchen note: We dried at 149°F after the loaves were cooked sous vide at 175°F. The USDA recommends heating beef to 160°F (poultry to 165°F) before or during drying. The simplest way is to dry at 160°F. If your dehydrator can't reach 160°F, steam or roast the strips to 160°F first.
For more on equipment, see our guide to jerky dehydrators. Want the canned-Spam version? Try our thin and crispy Spam jerky.
Taste test notes: The top round surprised everyone: "It still has that Spam texture, though," and "I was really expecting to hate this stuff... I'm really surprised that I liked it. I would go for seconds." The chili garlic tri-tip reminded one taster of pepperoni: "It's good, but it's rich." The barbecue brisket was the panel's least favorite. As for the A5 Wagyu with finishing salt: "That's grainy," but "the flavor of the meat I think is better than the other three... I'm almost getting like a buttery flavor." The umami-seasoned Wagyu split the room. The final verdict on Wagyu Spam jerky: "Pains me to say it, but no, it's not" worth it.
A5 Wagyu Spam Jerky FAQ
Can you make jerky out of Spam?
Yes. We sliced homemade Spam loaves, seasoned them with a dry rub and dried them into jerky. We've also made jerky from canned Spam; see our crispy Spam jerky recipe.
How do you make homemade Spam for jerky?
Grind chilled beef, smoked ham, prosciutto and pork back fat twice, knead in a slurry of salt, sugar, nutritional yeast, potato starch, cornstarch, bay leaf powder, Prague Powder #1 and ice water, pack it into loaf pans, vacuum seal, cook sous vide at 175°F for 2 hours, then chill overnight.
Is A5 Wagyu worth it for Spam jerky?
Not in our taste test. The meat flavor was rich, almost buttery, but the texture was grainy, and the panel agreed it wasn't worth it. Enjoy the Wagyu as a steak instead.
What temperature should I dry Spam jerky at?
The USDA recommends heating beef to 160°F (poultry to 165°F) before or during drying. The simplest way is to dry at 160°F. If your dehydrator can't reach 160°F, steam or roast the strips to 160°F first.
Rather skip the work? Try ours: All-Natural Prime Rib Beef Jerky or All-Natural Chipotle Bourbon Beef Jerky, both Hall of Fame flavors, or browse all our beef jerky.
Let us know in the comments which cut you'd turn into Spam jerky, and what we should try next!
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Test Kitchen RecipeA5 Wagyu Spam Jerky Recipe (Plus Top Round, Brisket & Tri-Tip)
Homemade Spam loaves made from A5 Wagyu, top round, brisket and tri-tip, cooked sous vide, sliced, dry-rubbed and dried into jerky.
Ingredients
Steps
- Cube the meat and fat and chill it, along with the grinder parts, in the freezer (ours went about an hour and a half). Cold fat and cold parts keep the fat from smearing into a sludge as it grinds. Work fast with Wagyu, since its fat melts quickly.
- For each loaf, cube the beef, smoked ham, prosciutto and pork back fat, then run it through the grinder twice: first the medium plate, then the fine plate, for a silky, even grind. For the all-beef A5 Wagyu loaf, swap in brisket for the ham, bresaola for the prosciutto and beef fat for the pork fat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the kosher salt, sugar, nutritional yeast, potato starch, cornstarch, bay leaf powder and Prague Powder #1, then whisk in the ice water until smooth. Pour the slurry into the ground meat and knead with gloved hands until it turns sticky. That stickiness is protein extraction, and it gives Spam its texture. We based the loaf on Joshua Weissman's homemade Spam recipe, cut in half; the video doesn't give the amounts, so see his recipe and scale to your needs.
- Fill loaf pans about 3/4 full and press down firmly so there are no air pockets, then vacuum seal each pan. We combined leftover top round, brisket and tri-tip into one mixed loaf we nicknamed the "Bri-Top."
- Stack the pans in a large stock pot, staggered so water flows around each one, and cook with a sous vide set to 175°F for 2 hours per batch. Refrigerate overnight, then unmold. Expect some shrinkage and that classic Spam gel around the edges, especially on the Wagyu.
- Slice the chilled loaves for jerky. A cheese slicer worked on regular Spam, but these loaves were so firm that a chef's knife was easier. Keep the slices consistent so they dry evenly. The Wagyu loaf was more crumbly, since much of its fat rendered out.
- Set the slices on a rack over a tray and coat both sides generously with the dry rub. The tray catches the extra seasoning so you can reuse it.
- We dried ours at 149°F and started checking at about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, watching closely because these lean loaves can flake and over-dry. The video doesn't give a total drying time.
Rather let us do the drying? Over 100 flavors, ready when you are.
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