Like hot sauce heat? Try our Sweet & Spicy Beef Jerky.
Today in the Jerky.com Test Kitchen we're bringing you an exciting and mouthwatering Cholula beef jerky recipe that is super easy to make. If you're a fan of classic hot sauce and savory spices, this homemade jerky is perfect for you.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Eye of Round
1/2 cup Cholula Hot Sauce
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1T Minced Garlic
1T Granulated Garlic
1T Onion Powder
1t Salt
1t Black Pepper
Instructions:
Prepare the meat: In our test kitchen, we like to keep things simple and efficient. That's why we store pre-sliced eye of round in 2-pound bags in the freezer. When it's time to make jerky, everything is precut, and we don't have to mess around.
Combine the marinade ingredients: To begin, we'll mix the Cholula hot sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, brown sugar, granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Make sure to stir everything thoroughly for a consistent blend.
Marinate the meat: When working with pre-sliced meat, we always take extra caution to peel it apart. If you don't, the meat can stick together and won't get proper coverage. So, place the meat in the marinade, ensuring that everything gets covered. Mix it up thoroughly, aiming for an even color as an indication that the meat has absorbed all those delicious flavors.
Refrigerate the marinated meat: After mixing, seal the container and throw it in the fridge for about 43-44 hours. You'll notice the meat has a fantastic color, texture, and aroma when it's ready for the next step.
Dehydrate the meat: Lay out the marinated meat on the dehydrator trays, making sure there's plenty of space for air to flow all around. Try not to let any of the pieces touch. Since we're using 2 pounds of meat, we have ample tray space in our dehydrator.
Trim any excess fat: If you see fat hanging off, go ahead and trim it off, or leave it if you prefer. We don't mind a little bit of fat, but sometimes it can create a mess on the tray.
Set the dehydrator: Fire up the dehydrator and set the time and temperature based on your desired texture. In our test kitchen, we found that 140°F works best, and we set the timer for about 4.5 hours. Start checking regularly, as the total dehydration time may vary between 4.5 to 5.5 hours.
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 and enjoy: Once the Cholula beef jerky reaches your preferred texture, it's time for a taste test. This jerky has a mild heat, ranking around 5-6 out of 10, with an incredible hot sauce flavor.
Conclusion: Making Cholula beef jerky is a fun and easy way to enjoy a flavorful, homemade snack. If you love the taste of hot sauce, this recipe is definitely worth a try! Let us know in the comments below if you try this recipe, and what flavors you'd like to see in our test kitchen next. Happy jerky-making!
Rather skip the work? Try our Hot Beef Jerky.
Watch us make it
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Test Kitchen RecipeCholula Beef Jerky Recipe
This flavor was suggested to us in the comments of one of our video posts. I thought it sounded like a flavor profile that has some potential...so, as usual, we thought we'd take a stab at it and see how the first batch turns out. This is our first run at a Cholula Beef Jerky Recipe.
Ingredients
Steps
- Slice your meat into consistently sliced pieces to your preferences. I suggest between 1/8” to ¼”. Im using about 3/16” thick slices.
- Combine all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix them thoroughly. You want all of the dry ingredients to be fully dissolved into the liquids.
- Add your sliced meat to your marinade.
- Mix thoroughly…do not half-ass this step! Make sure all of your pieces of meat are fully covered in your marinade. This will ensure proper flavor coverage.
- Cover the marinating meat and put it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Longer is better (more flavor)!
- Once your meat is done marinating, lay all of the pieces on to your racks. Ensure that none of the pieces are touching as getting proper airflow completely around each piece of meat is essential for consistent drying.
- Put all of the racks in the dehydrator and set your time and temperature for your desired texture. I run this machine at 140 degrees for about 4 hours. Start checking it at about 3 hours so you can pull it out when it has the right consistency for you.
- After it’s done drying, let the jerky sit at room temperature for about an hour or so. This is when it takes it’s final texture form.
- That’s it! It’s time to enjoy your first batch of Cholula Beef Jerky! I suggest keeping notes about this recipe and what you liked and disliked about it…including what you might change the next time you make it. Was it too dry? Was it not dry enough? Was it too sweet? Whatever your feedback is on it…write it down so you can either duplicate it exactly next time or make the appropriate changes so the next batch can be even better for you. Don’t overlook this step!
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