Can you turn a can of corned beef into jerky that tastes like a deli sandwich? Katz's Deli in New York is one of Doug's favorite places to eat, and he has always wanted to capture that briny, peppery corned beef flavor in a portable jerky you can eat without a plate or fork. So the Jerky.com Test Kitchen cracked open a can of corned beef, froze it, sliced it and dried it three ways: plain, with a deli-style spice rub, and with brown mustard plus the rub. Watch the full video below, then give it a try. If you love deli flavor but want to skip the work, our All-Natural Pastrami Beef Jerky is ready to eat.
No marinade needed. Canned corned beef is already cooked and cured, so this recipe is all about firming, slicing, seasoning and drying.
Ingredients:
- Canned corned beef (we used one can)
- Ground coriander
- Black pepper
- Granulated garlic
- Ground mustard
- Smoked paprika
- Brown mustard, such as Grey Poupon, for brushing (for the mustard version)
- Cooking spray, for the racks
Instructions:
Open the can and firm it up: Use the key on the can to open it, then slide the corned beef out. It has very little structure, so set it on a rack and freeze it until it's firm enough to slice. Ours took a little over 2 hours to get "bricked up."
Slice it: A deli-style slicer like this OSTBA electric meat slicer works best. We started at the same setting as our crispy Spam jerky, but corned beef is even more crumbly than Spam, so we kept the slices a little on the thin side, but not paper-thin, so they wouldn't fall apart on the trays.
Spray the racks and lay it out: Spray your dehydrator trays with cooking spray first. We skipped this and wished we hadn't. The slices were hard to get off without breaking. Lay the slices out with none touching.
Mix the deli rub: While the corned beef is in the freezer, mix ground coriander, black pepper, granulated garlic, ground mustard and smoked paprika, then grind it fine. A small sifter makes it easy to sprinkle evenly.
Make your versions: Leave one tray plain if you want a benchmark. For the rub version, sprinkle the rub over the slices and gently rub it in so it sticks. Then place an empty tray on top, flip, and season the other side. For the mustard version, brush on a light layer of brown mustard as a binder, add the rub, then flip and repeat on the other side.
Dry it: We set our Cosori dehydrator to 158°F for 7 1/2 hours and kept an eye on it. It took just over 9 hours to dry all three trays. 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.
Test kitchen note: In our test kitchen videos we sometimes dry at a lower temperature to bring out more flavor and texture. We only do that with small batches we eat within a few days, not jerky we plan to store. If you're making jerky to keep, follow the USDA guidance: heat beef to 160°F (poultry to 165°F) before or during drying.
Taste test notes: The plain version was a miss. Tasters called the smell "fishy cardboard" and the texture "very gritty," though one said, "It really doesn't taste that bad to me. It's almost like a cracker." The rub version was "night and day" and "way more edible." One taster said, "Honestly, I'm not mad at this." It wasn't quite Katz's, but the mustard version was the clear winner: "The best one out of the bunch. There's no doubt. That mustard just adds so much to it." Doug added, "I would try this same rub and seasoning on like a beef jerky."
Corned Beef Jerky FAQ
Can you make jerky from canned corned beef?
Yes. Freeze the corned beef until firm, slice it, and dry it in a dehydrator. It crumbles easily, so slice it a little on the thin side, not paper-thin, and spray your racks so the slices release.
What seasoning makes corned beef jerky taste like a deli sandwich?
We used a rub of ground coriander, black pepper, granulated garlic, ground mustard and smoked paprika. Brushing on brown mustard before the rub made our favorite version.
What temperature should I dry corned beef jerky at?
The USDA recommends heating beef to 160°F before or during drying. The simplest way is to dry at 160°F. In the video we set 158°F, and it took just over 9 hours.
Do I need to marinate canned corned beef for jerky?
No. Canned corned beef is already cooked and cured, so it only needs slicing, seasoning and drying.
Rather skip the work? Try ours: All-Natural Pastrami Beef Jerky or All-Natural Black Pepper Beef Jerky, or browse all our beef jerky.
Let us know in the comments if you try corned beef jerky, and tell us which deli we should try next!
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Test Kitchen RecipeKatz's Deli Style Corned Beef Jerky Recipe (3 Ways, From a Can)
Inspired by Katz's Deli: canned corned beef frozen, sliced and dried into jerky three ways, plain, with a coriander and pepper rub, and with brown mustard plus the rub.
Ingredients
Steps
- Open the can, set the corned beef on a rack and freeze until firm enough to slice, a little over 2 hours.
- Slice on a meat slicer, a little on the thin side. Corned beef crumbles easily, so don't go paper-thin.
- Spray the dehydrator racks with cooking spray and lay the slices out with none touching.
- Mix and finely grind ground coriander, black pepper, granulated garlic, ground mustard and smoked paprika.
- For the rub version, sprinkle the rub on both sides and rub it in. For the mustard version, brush on brown mustard first, then add the rub to both sides.
- Dry at 160 degrees F (we set 158 degrees F in the video). Ours took just over 9 hours. If your dehydrator can't reach 160 degrees F, steam or roast the strips to 160 degrees F first.
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