Smoked Top Round Beef Jerky
Smoked Top Round Beef Jerky gets smoked and dried low and slow in a pellet grill, leaving you with the beefiest, best homemade jerky that you've ever had.
Smoked Top Round Beef Jerky
There is nothing like homemade smoked beef jerky. Most of the stuff you find on the shelves in the market tastes like cardboard seasoned with teriyaki and has a texture more like shoe leather. Smoke your own beef jerky to truly enjoy what jerky should be.
This jerky balances sweet, salty, tangy, and a little sticky glaze from hoisin and brown sugar. Pineapple juice brings sweetness and helps with tenderness, and soy sauce gives that classic jerky backbone. A low smoker temp dries it evenly, and one mid-cook flip keeps both sides consistent.
You can tweak this recipe easily. For less sweetness, cut the brown sugar down a bit. For more heat, bump the sriracha and red pepper flakes. For a deeper savory punch, add a teaspoon of Worcestershire or a splash of sesame oil.
If you're slicing the roast yourself, partially freeze it first. A firm roast gives you thinner, more even slices, which means the whole batch finishes closer together.
Why You'll Love This Dish
- Big Flavor Without Store Prices - Homemade jerky hits harder and costs less per batch.
- Custom Heat Level - Make it mild or spicy with simple tweaks.
- Great Texture - Low smoke dries it evenly without turning brittle.
- Meal Prep Snack - Easy protein that travels well.
- Simple Ingredient List - Pantry staples plus a lean roast.
Try our original Traeger Beef Jerky Recipe!
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.
- Top Round Roast - Lean, beefy, and ideal for jerky; eye of round works too.
- Soy Sauce - Salty base that seasons deeply; low-sodium is fine if you prefer.
- Brown Sugar - Adds sweetness and helps glaze; honey can swap in with a little less.
- Pineapple Juice - Sweet tang and mild tenderizing; apple juice works, yet pineapple brings a brighter punch.
- Sriracha - Optional heat with a little tang; adjust to your spice level.
- Red Pepper Flake - Optional heat that lingers; skip for mild batches.
- Hoisin Sauce - Adds sweet-savory depth and a slightly sticky finish; teriyaki sauce is a decent swap.
- Onion Powder - Savory background flavor that rounds out the soy.
- Rice Wine Vinegar - Light tang that keeps the marinade balanced; apple cider vinegar works too.
- Minced Garlic - Strong flavor that holds up to smoke; fresh or jarred both work.
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.
- Marinate: Combine beef and all marinade ingredients in a gallon zip bag. Press out excess air, seal, and refrigerate 6-24 hours.
- Warm Slightly: Pull the bag from the fridge 1 hour before smoking so the meat isn't ice-cold.
- Preheat And Dry: Preheat smoker to 180-190°F. Drain marinade and pat slices very dry with paper towels or clean towels.
- Smoke: Lay slices on grates with at least ½-inch spacing. Smoke 4-5 hours, flipping once halfway, until most moisture is gone and the jerky splits when bent.
- Cool And Store: Cool 30-60 minutes, then refrigerate for storage.
More great BEEF recipes here!
Recipe FAQ
There are a lot of different options for cuts of meat to make into jerky. We use top and bottom round roasts pretty often, but we've also used sirloin roasts as well with great success.
I recommend top round here for a couple of reasons. First, top round roasts are relatively lean, so when you dry it for jerky is doesn't get super greasy.
Next, top round has fairly long muscle fiber, so slicing it thinly for jerky provides a nice piece of jerky that isn't crumbly. Top round might be difficult to cook, but for beef jerky, it is perfect.
As a last plus, the cut is typically one of the cheaper cuts of beef too, making it more economical for jerky which is a fairly expensive thing to buy and to make.
The low and slow long smoke to dry the beef will add plenty of great smoke flavor, but if you do want to get creative with the seasoning there are plenty of ways to bring on some additional flavor.
In this recipe and many of my jerky recipes, we marinate the beef for a day or two in a teriyaki-like mixture. Teriyaki is a big and bold flavor that adds a bit of sweet along with salty and permeates the beef perfectly.
You can also go with a few red pepper flakes in a bit of olive oil to help adhere it to the meat while it dries.
The time it takes to make smoked jerky depends on how thick you slice your beef and what type of smoker you use.
For this jerky, I used our Louisana Vertical Pellet Smoker. It works great, is amazing for great big batches of smoked jerky or smoked salmon, but if you don't have this particular grill, any pellet grill will work. We make jerky on our Traeger and our Camp Chef as well.
Depending on the thickness, expect the time drying to be anywhere from 4-8+ hours. A thick slice of beef might even take 12-15 hours, in some cases. Patience is a virtue, and beef jerky is the reward for your patience.
For smoked jerky, I recommend the sweet woods like apple, cherry, or alder. If you go with hickory or mesquite, they typically have a much stronger flavor, especially for really long smokes.
If you only have hickory or mesquite - smoke on. You'll still have better jerky than you can buy at the end.
Beef is by far the most popular meat for jerky. However, you can and should try other types of meats as well. Lamb, pork, turkey, or even fish all will work. Just keep in mind that they have different levels of moisture in the meat, so they will vary greatly in cook times.
In case you are wondering, yes, the meat is actually cooking during the drying process. It just cooks at a very low temperature.
We smoke our jerky at 180-190°. That's a bit higher than some, but I prefer it because I really like to keep some of the moisture in my jerky. But keep in mind that less-than-dehydrated jerky needs to be kept in the fridge, as the moisture is what can spoil the meat.
If you are looking for shelf-stable jerky, the process is a bit different.
Try our Bulgogi Beef Jerky!
More Jerky Recipes
This is the best instant-read thermometer on the market, and I've tried a lot of them. Accurate and fast results, which is paramount when pellet grilling.
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Smoked Top Round Beef Jerky
This homemade Smoked Top Round Beef Jerky is smoked low and slow on a pellet grill after being marinated overnight to make one of the best jerky recipes you'll ever have.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds top round roast, thinly sliced
- 2 cups soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons sriracha *optional, add if you like it a little spicy
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flake *optional, add if you like it a little spicy
- 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 smoking.
- Remove the bag from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking.
- Start up your grill according to factory directions. Preheat to 180-190°.
- Thoroughly dry the meat by draining all of the marinade and then laying out on paper towels or clean kitchen towels.
- Place your meat on the grill with at least a half-inch space between all the pieces. Leave on the grill for approximately 4-5 hours, turning once mid-cook. The length of time will depend on the thickness of your beef. You want almost all of the water to be evaporated, and for the meat to split if you bend it in half.
- 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:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 2500mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 41g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate.
