Traeger Beef Jerky
Our homemade Traeger Beef Jerky is the perfect jerky to start out with when you are getting into smoking! Full of big, bold flavors, easy to make, and lasts for a while in the fridge, this one is going to be a hit for all of the jerky fans in your life. Plus, beef jerky is so much cheaper to make at home than it is to buy in the store!
Traeger Smoked Beef Jerky
Howdy partner. It's time to saddle up and head on down the dusty trail. Don't leave the homestead without some sourdough in one saddlebag, and some beef jerky in the other.
Ever since man started killing animals and eating them, they've been trying to find ways of preserving them. Jerky, which is basically salt-cured dried meat, has been the most popular method forever. Drying it prevents spoilage, and salt curing it pulls the moisture out and prevents bacterial growth.
We LOVE this recipe so much. When its jerky day, magically the teenagers appear out of their caves and are waiting for the second it comes off of the smoker.
Modern man has very little actual need to preserve meat this way, but as we all know jerky is insanely delicious. There are multi-billion dollar companies whose main source of revenue is beef jerky.
While their products are fine to feed the masses and are easily accessible and available at literally every grocery and convenience store in the US, they lack the depth of beef and REAL smoke flavor that you can achieve by making it on a Traeger.
The only thing close to this stuff is going to come from an owner-operator at your local butcher shop. I've had some great jerky from places like that and will still eat it if offered, but I can't spend my hard-earned money on it when I can make it at home.
I have much the same feeling about prime rib. You may have tried our Traeger Prime Rib over the holidays. If so, hats off to you because it was the highlight of the season for me.
There is also our Traeger Tri-Tip to consider as well for your next cookout for the beef fans in your life. For chicken lovers, these Traeger Chicken Wings are always top of my list!
"Take a bow for coming up with one of the best marinades possible for jerky! I've made this SEVERAL times (currently smoking 8lb's on my Pit Boss) and it's my favorite recipe to use by far."- Brandon
More Easy Traeger Recipes here!
Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Sirloin Steaks - Or another cut of choice or prime meat.
- Soy Sauce - You can get away with low sodium soy here if you're trying to cut down. Use Tamari to keep it gluten-free.
- Brown Sugar - We prefer dark brown sugar for the extra notes of molasses, but light brown sugar works too.
- Pineapple Juice - Adds sweetness and some acidity to the marinade.
- Sriracha - For a kick of heat!
- Red Pepper Flakes - More heat. It is worth it!
- Hoisin - This adds umami and a bit more sweetness. We always have a bottle around! Works great in stir-fry sauces, too.
- Onion Powder
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Garlic
More Traeger Beef Recipes here!
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Choose a leaner cut of beef, (top sirloin, London broil, flank, etc.) fattier cuts will spoil faster.
- Make your cuts about ¼" thick slicing the meat across the grain.
- Marinate your meat after slicing for at least 6 hours, but not more than 24.
- Watch the edges of your grill for hot spots and move pieces away as needed.
- Never, and I mean never, use liquid smoke in the marinade. Unless you insist.
- Put it on smoke and leave it on smoke the whole time. (180 degrees)
- Make enough to share.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! In fact, we recommend it. A single batch isn't gonna last long. Your spousal unit will love it, as will your kids. You'll be a hero at work if you bring in a bag for everyone to share on break. I usually make three or four pounds at a time and it lasts for only two to three days, tops. I should probably follow my own advice.
I know beef can be pricey, but you don't need or want to use the fattier, pricier cuts to make jerky. Make sure to look for deals and coupons as ways to save as well. The cost of the rest of the marinade ingredients is minimal. If you try this recipe once, you'll be hooked for life and will have eaten your last bag of mass-produced, store-bought jerky.
The Traeger does many, many things well, and some things exceptionally well. Beef jerky is one of those things. Don't waste another $15-20 dollars on subpar mystery meat jerky ever again. Get your ingredients together, follow the recipe, and try your hand at making your first batch of easy, tasty, and affordable Traeger beef jerky.
I almost forgot to give this small warning. This jerky has some heat to it. There is Sriracha and crushed red pepper in the recipe. Like, a lot. If you can't take the heat, you can always reduce the amounts of each of those ingredients or omit altogether, just never admit to it.
I like it spicy. It warms my belly. A lot of the spiciness is offset by the slight sweetness, so you tender bellies just might be able to handle it anyway.
More Jerky Recipes To Try
If you like this jerky recipe, you'll want to check out our other jerky recipes as well!
Pin For Later
Traeger Beef Jerky
This homemade beef jerky is cooked on the Traeger or other wood-pellet grill, and will have you whipping up batches on the regular because it is just SO good.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sirloin steaks or another cut of choice or prime meat (Sliced ¼" thick)
- 2 cups soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flake
- 2 tablespoons hoisin
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
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Instructions
- Mix all marinade ingredients into a one-gallon zip-lock bag along with the sliced beef. Seal the bag, making sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible. Put the bag into the refrigerator and let marinate for 6-24 hours before cooking. Remove the bag from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking.
- Startup your Traeger grill and put it on the smoke setting. If you don't have a smoke setting, 180-190° is ideal. Layout your meat on the grill with at least a half-inch space between all the pieces. Leave on the grill 4-5 hours turning once after 2 - 2 ½ hours.
- Remove from grill when finished and let cool for thirty minutes to an hour before putting it into the refrigerator for storage. Make sure to get some for yourself before it's all gone.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 309Saturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 2832mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 34g
I have 2 travelers and use them year round the temp was -20 and made 5 prime rib steaks on the teacher.put my favorite spices on them blacked Saskatchewan teacher beef rub and sea salt turn target on to smoke for 15 min turn the target to 200 degrees put a coat over hopper and barrel cooked for 1 hour turned steak over and cooked for another hour steaks were about 1.5 inches thiçthey were oerfect medium rare and could cut it with your fork. Try it guy you will love it
Only addition I made was 1tbs of curing salt. Amazing. Definitely a keeper!!
Love the recipe and I'm new to smoking . recipe seems straight forward and I will be giving it a go this weekend. My question at what temp should the smoker be set?? Did I miss that part
We set ours to "smoke", which typically keeps it around 140-160, or somewhere in there.
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Happy grilling!
@Nicole Johnson, lol gotem
I didn't see where you listed what your favorite pellet was for this receipt.
I don't know if I did. Any pellet would do well for this. I believe we mostly use Hickory for jerky though!
Good stuff! I want to make this soon. Question - does finished jerky need to be stored in the refrigerator?
Yup! Definitely store it in the fridge. Thanks!
How long does he jerky stay good in refrigerator?
I'm not actually sure! It never hangs around long enough to figure it out! I'd say a week is a reasonable amount though.
@Natalie, we vacuum pack it and then refrigerate it. It lasts a month for sure!
I can think of nothing as useless as a Pellet Smoker recipe which doesn't mention the pellets you use. I see this on so many sites. Cowards!
Orrrr maybe it is because the pellets actually don't matter as much as anyone wants to think they do, and anything will work here? Maybe?
When smoking Jerky its more about the long slow heat then the smoke. So that being said any Pellets will work !
@tom Thumb, cowards? yo yall people are crazy.
I love love love my Traeger. Can’t wait to make jerky on it. Thanks for the recipe !
Adapted due to impatience --- I wanted to try this out over the weekend and had no time to go to the store. {grin} I omitted the sriracha and swapped in ketchup (!) for the hoisin sauce as I had neither on hand. I used thinly sliced eye of round and top round sliced for milanese -- both are available in the Walmart meat department and spare me from having to use my abysmal knife skills. {wink} I used the Traeger Signature blend of pellets which is a combination of hickory, maple, and cherry hardwoods. The top round took just over 2 hours of smoking and the eye of round, which was slightly thicker, took closer to 3 hours. Delicious and on repeat for this week now that I've had a chance to get to the grocery store!
Sounds like it might be spicy. Can you comment about the spice level? I like spicy but would I be able to serve it to children?
It is pretty mild, and if you have anyone super sensitive you can omit the spicy parts too and it'll still be delicious. My kids love it as is though!
Thanks your recipe
You're welcome!
A temperature recommendation would have been quite helpful 🙂
180-190 is ideal. Updating the recipe too! Thanks!
@Nicole Johnson, just filled my ironwood 885 completely with this recipe
NICE!! That's going to be awesome!
I made this recipe yesterday, using a chuck roast that I sliced and it was excellent! I used Gourmet Mix pellets and had it set to 180 for around 4.5 hours (flipping the pieces over halfway through). Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be making more of this, it was delish!
That sounds amazing! Thanks!
Based on the marinade, I'm wondering, does this have a "teriyaki" taste?
I think that's a fair classification, but it is not as sweet as most teriyaki jerky that I've tried.
@Nicole Johnson, more like a smoky sweet heat asian flavor with some kick in my opinion! Take a bow for coming up with one of the best marinades possible for jerky! I’ve made this SEVERAL times (currently smoking 8lb’s on my Pit Boss) and it’s my favorite recipe to use by far. For those wanting some extra heat, instead add 1 tablespoon of Sriracha and red pepper flakes for each pound of meat. For example, I did 8 tablespoons of Sriracha and the pepper flakes and then followed the other measurements to a T!
Tom thumb is an A**
Thanks for the recipe.. This is my first time doing Jerky and I followed your recipe exactly. I'm a couple of hours in. One thing I'm nervous about is how do I know when it's done? The 4 to 5 hour window is a wide one and I don't want to overdue it.
Hey Jim! This comment got stuck in a moderation queue, sorry it took me so long to respond! I'm sure your jerky is done by now ;), but in case anyone else happens by - the timing really just depends on your specific meat and how thick it is cut. It is important to just keep an eye on it during the last hour-ish to pull it when it reaches the level of doneness you prefer for your jerky.
If I don't like soy sauce, what would be a good replacement in this recipe?
Ooof. I don't know. I think you'd be better off making a different type of jerky if you aren't into soy sauce. It is a prominent ingredient in all of our jerky recipes on the site right now. I've heard some people sub in coconut amions or tamari. I haven't tried those substitutions myself, though!
I just made the marinate and have my meat marinating over night. My only question is whether or not I should rinse the marinate off before smoking?
We don't rinse ours. Just pat it off with paper towels so it isn't soaked. Let us know how you like it!
@Nicole Johnson, Thank you Nicole! I will let you know, just patting it off now. I'm super excited!
@Dylan Hattula, Nicole, the Jerky turned out phenomenal! Everyone love it. I will be doing this again! Thank you!
So glad to hear that!!
Sorry, being a bit dense, but just checking, the temp is Fahrenheit?
Yup! All the temps here are in Fahrenheit. Thanks for checking!
How long will this jerky last in the refrigerator?
Depends on a lot of different factors. How much fat is in the meat. How dry it was when you pulled it off the smoker. How thick the slices were. We like to eat it all within a week, but I've had it last longer than that vac sealed.
Thanks for the recipe. I'll try these out.
Would you make any changes if you used ground meat?
I've never tried this recipe with ground meat, but I'd imagine there would be quite a few changes necessary. Ground meat absorbs liquid more easily than slices do. I'd try a recipe designed for ground meat. We're working on some, but they aren't quite ready yet. Thanks for stopping by!
We tried your recipe as is, and it was amazing! Our first time making Jerky!!
Thank you from BC ??
Awesome! So glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
I can adjust the smoker. Put it on skewers and threaded through the top rack grill so it’s all hanging - no flipping. Questions - I can adjust smoke 1-10, so ding 10. Would you do high smoke the whole time or just a few hours to get the smoke flavor? Doing 180 degrees planning on 5 hrs. Thanks can’t wait to try it!
It depends on how intense you want the smoke flavor to be. I love a lot of smoked, especially in jerky, so I'd probably opt for 10 the whole way. Let me know how it goes!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times and vacuum pack then freeze! We love it! Thank you
Awesome! So glad you like it. We like to freeze it like that too. Great idea!
I’m going to use my dehydrator, you please tell me a temp & time limit to dehydrate this jerky?
I cannot advise on time and temp for a dehydrator. I have not tested this recipe with a dehydrator. Sorry!
Wow...this came out so good! Reminds me of the jerky my dad used to make on his Little Chief smoker when I was a kid in the late 70's (which, until now, was the best jerky I'd ever had)!
I followed the directions as written (minus 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes), and it was perfect!
Can't wait to make again!
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
So I will preface that I am a vegetarian and have not personally tried this jerky. We got a Traeger last week and I decided I wanted to try making jerky so I can give it to my neighbors at Christmas. Everyone who has tried it, loves it! I do make the marinade as is, but I also add additional red pepper flakes to some of the meat for a super spicy version. Ty for the recipe!
Bruh
No cap