Every month the Jerky.com Test Kitchen creates a flavor nobody has tried before, and our Official Taste Testers vote to keep it or kill it. This one is a wild one: orange liqueur beef jerky. Citrus meets beef with a boozy twist, sweet, savory and garlicky with a kick of ginger and chili. If you love booze-inspired jerky like our All-Natural Chipotle Bourbon Beef Jerky, watch the full video below, then make it yourself.
Ingredients (2 lb test batch):
- 2 lbs beef (top round, sliced about 1/4 inch)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/4 tbsp honey
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 1/4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp orange curaçao
- 2 tsp cognac
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
Instructions:
Mix the marinade: Whisk the brown sugar and honey (for sweetness and that sticky sheen) with the soy sauce and teriyaki (the savory backbone), orange juice (brightness) and rice vinegar (tang). Then add the orange curaçao and cognac for the boozy citrus twist, plus the chili garlic sauce, fresh garlic, ginger and a touch of liquid smoke.
Slice the beef: Slice the top round between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Consistency is everything: slices that are too thin crisp up like chips, and uneven slices dry unevenly. An OSTBA electric meat slicer makes even slices easy.
Marinate: Toss the beef in the marinade until every surface is coated, then cover and refrigerate. We let ours soak a full 24 hours in these marinade containers.
Rack it up: Lay the strips on the racks with a little space between each piece so air flows evenly all the way around.
Dry it: We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 158°F, started checking at 3 hours and pulled it at about 5 1/2 hours. Your time will vary with slice size and how full the racks are.
Check doneness: Bend a piece. It should bend and crack, with white fibers showing, but not snap in half. Chewy, not tough.
Test kitchen note: We dried at 158°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.
Want a simpler citrus jerky? Try our classic orange beef jerky recipe. To build your own flavors, see our beef jerky marinade guide.
Taste test notes: Right off the racks it had a glossy, sticky sheen and a strong orange aroma. One taster called it "a mixture of beef jerky and like an orange popsicle," and another noted, "I get the ginger... I don't think it's overpowering." The panel agreed it could use "a pinch more salt," and the heat was mild: "There is a little bit there like on the back end, but it's not enough to scare most people away." The vote: keep it. "It's bold. It's citrusy. Definitely a one of a kind drop." And the last word: "I think it's my favorite sweet jerky we've done in a long time."
Where can I buy it? Orange Liqueur won the Keep It vote, but it isn't in stock right now. Since our Taste Testers voted to keep it, it could come back any time.
Want a say in the next flavor? Sign up to become an Official Jerky.com Taste Tester. You'll try new flavor drops first and vote on which ones stay.
Orange Liqueur Beef Jerky FAQ
What is orange liqueur beef jerky?
It's a Jerky.com Test Kitchen flavor: beef marinated in soy, teriyaki, orange juice, orange curaçao and cognac, with garlic, ginger and chili garlic sauce. It tastes sweet, savory and citrus-forward with a mild kick.
What orange liqueur works in jerky?
We used orange curaçao plus a splash of cognac. Both go into the marinade before the beef soaks for 24 hours.
How long should I marinate orange liqueur jerky?
We marinated ours in the fridge for a full 24 hours so the citrus, soy, garlic and ginger soaked into every slice.
How do I know when the jerky is done?
Bend a piece. It should bend and crack, showing white fibers, but not snap in half.
What temperature should I dry orange liqueur beef 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.
Is orange liqueur beef jerky spicy?
Only a little. Our panel picked up a small kick from the chili garlic sauce on the back end, enough to balance the sweetness without scaring most people away.
Rather skip the work? Try ours: All-Natural Chipotle Bourbon Beef Jerky or All-Natural Maple Bourbon Beef Jerky, or browse all our beef jerky.
Should we keep it or kill it? Cast your vote in the comments, and tell us which cocktail we should turn into jerky next!
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Test Kitchen RecipeOrange Liqueur Beef Jerky Recipe (Test Kitchen Flavor Drop)
Top round marinated 24 hours in soy, teriyaki, orange juice, orange curaçao, cognac, garlic, ginger and chili garlic sauce, then dried into sweet, citrusy jerky.
Ingredients
Steps
- Whisk the brown sugar and honey (for sweetness and that sticky sheen) with the soy sauce and teriyaki (the savory backbone), orange juice (brightness) and rice vinegar (tang). Then add the orange curaçao and cognac for the boozy citrus twist, plus the chili garlic sauce, fresh garlic, ginger and a touch of liquid smoke.
- Slice the top round between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Consistency is everything: slices that are too thin crisp up like chips, and uneven slices dry unevenly. An OSTBA electric meat slicer makes even slices easy.
- Toss the beef in the marinade until every surface is coated, then cover and refrigerate. We let ours soak a full 24 hours in these marinade containers.
- Lay the strips on the racks with a little space between each piece so air flows evenly all the way around.
- We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 158°F, started checking at 3 hours and pulled it at about 5 1/2 hours. Your time will vary with slice size and how full the racks are.
- Bend a piece. It should bend and crack, with white fibers showing, but not snap in half. Chewy, not tough.
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