Somehow we got our hands on a couple of cans of limited edition Figgy Pudding Spam, and there was only one thing to do with something this rare: turn it into jerky. The Jerky.com Test Kitchen ran two versions side by side, one straight out of the can and one with a holiday spice dry rub, then let the taste testers decide. Last time we made our thin and crispy Spam jerky; this time we sliced for a little more chew. If you want a classic peppery jerky to snack on right now, try our Old Fashioned Peppered Beef Jerky.
How to make Spam work as jerky
Spam is already cooked, but it's soft and greasy. Three things make it work: structure (chill it so it slices clean), balance (figgy pudding is sweet and spiced, so a little black pepper helps) and texture (a mix of snap and chew). Go light on seasoning and spray the racks so nothing sticks.
Instructions:
Chill the Spam: Pop each loaf out of the can, pat the outside dry and set it on parchment paper. Freeze 45 to 60 minutes, until it's stiff on the outside but not rock solid. Ours went about 75 minutes and still sliced fine.
Slice it: How you slice decides how it bites. With a knife, use long strokes and keep the block cold; if it starts to smear, chill it again. A cheese slicer gave us much more even slices than hand cutting, and even slices dry more evenly.
Make the baseline: Lightly spray the racks and lay down half the slices with space between them, no overlap. We left these plain to taste the flavor on its own. You could add a few grinds of black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes to balance the sweetness.
Make the dry rub: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and black pepper until fully combined. Coat both sides of the remaining slices with a light, even layer and no clumps, then rack them with space between pieces.
Dry it: We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 167°F and started checking at 4 to 5 hours. If your dehydrator runs hot, drop the temperature a little and add time. Ours took about 7 hours total.
Check for doneness: Thinner pieces should snap; the rest should bend with some resistance and tear cleanly. There shouldn't be a squishy center. If there is, give it more time and check every hour. Let it cool before tasting.
New to making jerky? Our jerky marinade guide covers the basics that work for any flavor.
Taste test notes: The straight-from-the-can version was "a little tougher than I expected," with a little surface moisture and grease. The verdict: "Kind of immediate Christmas to it. I don't hate the flavor." One taster went from expecting to hate it to "I actually kind of want to go for a second piece," and the one-sentence review was "Surprisingly good." The dry-rubbed version came out clean and grease-free ("It smells good. Looks like a dog treat."). Asked what hit first, Kenny said, "Some sweetness that time." Another taster felt the rub "doesn't highlight the other flavor, it competes with it." The panel preferred the plain version: "That one's surprisingly good and simple." On a plane with pretzels or a cookie as the other options? "Yeah, give me the Spam."
Can I buy it? Figgy Pudding Spam isn't one of our flavors right now. Want first shot at new Test Kitchen flavors? Sign up to become an Official Jerky.com Taste Tester. You'll try new flavor drops first and vote on which ones stay.
Figgy Pudding Spam Jerky FAQ
Can you make jerky out of Spam?
Yes. Spam is already cooked, so you're drying it for texture. Chill it, slice it evenly, rack it with space between pieces and dry until it bends and tears cleanly.
Why freeze Spam before slicing?
Spam is soft and greasy. 45 to 60 minutes in the freezer firms it up so it slices clean and holds together on the racks.
Should I add a dry rub to figgy pudding Spam?
Our panel preferred it plain. The sugar and spice rub cleaned up the grease but competed with the figgy pudding flavor. A few grinds of black pepper is a lighter way to balance the sweetness.
How long does Spam jerky take to dry?
Ours took about 7 hours at 167°F. Start checking at 4 to 5 hours, then every hour.
What temperature should I dry figgy pudding 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: Old Fashioned Peppered Beef Jerky or Maple Pork Jerky, or browse all our beef jerky.
What's the weirdest flavor you want to see turned into jerky? Tell us in the comments!
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Test Kitchen RecipeFiggy Pudding Spam Jerky Recipe (Plain vs. Holiday Spice Rub)
Limited edition Figgy Pudding Spam, chilled, sliced and dried two ways: plain and with a brown sugar holiday spice dry rub.
Ingredients
Steps
- Pop each loaf out of the can, pat the outside dry and set it on parchment paper. Freeze 45 to 60 minutes, until it's stiff on the outside but not rock solid. Ours went about 75 minutes and still sliced fine.
- How you slice decides how it bites. With a knife, use long strokes and keep the block cold; if it starts to smear, chill it again. A cheese slicer gave us much more even slices than hand cutting, and even slices dry more evenly.
- Lightly spray the racks and lay down half the slices with space between them, no overlap. We left these plain to taste the flavor on its own. You could add a few grinds of black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes to balance the sweetness.
- Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and black pepper until fully combined. Coat both sides of the remaining slices with a light, even layer and no clumps, then rack them with space between pieces.
- We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 167°F and started checking at 4 to 5 hours. If your dehydrator runs hot, drop the temperature a little and add time. Ours took about 7 hours total.
- Thinner pieces should snap; the rest should bend with some resistance and tear cleanly. There shouldn't be a squishy center. If there is, give it more time and check every hour. Let it cool before tasting.
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