Could one of the crispiest, crunchiest jerkies we've ever made come out of a can of Spam? While testing thin and crispy jerky in the Jerky.com Test Kitchen, someone asked, "I wonder what would happen if we made this with Spam." So Doug and Joey found out. They froze it, sliced it paper-thin and dried it three ways: Original, Korean BBQ and a sweet and salty brown sugar version. Then they brought in our official taste testers to rank them. Watch the full video below, then give crispy Spam jerky a try.
Craving salty and crispy now? Try our Original Bacon Jerky.
No marinade needed. Spam is already cooked and seasoned, so this recipe is all about slicing and drying.
Instructions:
Firm it up in the freezer: Right out of the can, Spam is squishy and crumbles the more you handle it. Pop each block out of the can onto wax paper and freeze it until it's firm but not rock solid: cold inside and sturdy outside, "slicable, but not shatterable." Plan on 30-60 minutes, depending on your freezer. Ours took a little over 2 hours.
Slice it paper-thin: A deli-style slicer like this OSTBA electric meat slicer makes even, paper-thin slices easy. Take a few test passes. If the slices start tearing, you've gone a little too thin. More slicing tips are in our cutting and weighing guide.
Oil the racks and lay it out: Since this dries hotter and longer than regular jerky, spray your dehydrator trays with cooking spray so the slices release easily. Lay the pieces out "Tetris style" with none touching, so air flows all the way around each one.
Make the brown sugar version: Use one plate of the Original slices. Once they're on the trays, generously press brown sugar onto the top by hand, then flip and coat the other side. Mashing it down helps it soak in so it doesn't flake off, and it caramelizes as it dries.
Dry it hot and long: We ran everything at 167°F (in the Cosori dehydrators we use) and started checking at 4 hours. The Original took about 8 hours, and the Korean BBQ needed about 10 hours to get the same crunch.
Check for crispness: It's done when a piece breaks apart with a crisp snap, "almost like a potato chip." The brown sugar version gets a caramelized crust and a snap, but it won't get quite as crunchy as the others.
Taste test notes: The brown sugar Spam was the clear winner. One taster said, "I'll be honest, I threw the other halves of these two in the trash. I'm going to eat this whole thing." Another said, "It's hard to go wrong with the the sweet and the salty contrast there." Doug called it "meat candy." The Original came in second ("I like the savory saltiness that comes through in it"), and the Korean BBQ landed last for most tasters.
Want more thin and crispy jerky? Try our Thin & Crispy Beef Jerky Chips recipe in three flavors. Or try another canned meat: our Katz's Deli style corned beef jerky.
Rather skip the work? Try ours: All-Natural Maple Pork Jerky or Honey Pepper Bacon Jerky.
Let us know in the comments if you make Spam jerky, and tell us what weird jerky we should try next!
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Test Kitchen RecipeThin & Crispy Spam Jerky Recipe (3 Ways)
Canned Spam frozen, sliced paper-thin and dried hot into crispy jerky three ways: Original, Korean BBQ and sweet and salty brown sugar.
Ingredients
Steps
- Pop the Spam out of the cans onto wax paper and freeze until firm but not rock solid, about 30-60 minutes (ours took about 2 hours).
- Slice paper-thin on a meat slicer. If slices tear, go slightly less thin.
- Spray the dehydrator racks with cooking spray and lay the slices out with none touching.
- For the brown sugar version, press brown sugar generously onto both sides of some Original slices on the trays.
- Dry at 167 degrees F, checking from 4 hours. The Original took about 8 hours and the Korean BBQ about 10 hours.
- It's done when a piece breaks apart with a crisp snap. The brown sugar version gets a caramelized snap but stays a little less crunchy.
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