Homemade beef jerky on the grill is one of those projects that looks more complicated than it really is. Start with lean beef, slice it thin, give it time in a bold marinade, then let it slowly smoke and dry over gentle heat. This version uses the same whiskey, amaretto and cola marinade I first made in Belgium, inspired by a Jack’s Godfather cocktail. The result is smoky, peppery, slightly sweet and packed with beef flavor.
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What is beef jerky?
Beef jerky is made from thin strips of lean beef that are seasoned or marinated, then slowly heated and dried. As moisture leaves the meat, the flavor becomes more concentrated and the texture turns firm and pleasantly chewy.
That makes jerky a great fit for a smoker. You are not only removing moisture; you can also build a controlled layer of real wood smoke along the way. A pellet grill makes that especially easy, but a kamado or another covered grill can work just as well when you can hold a low, stable temperature.
More projects built around smoke and drying
Jerky uses lean beef, seasoning, smoke and controlled dehydration, but it is only one part of the wider charcuterie world. Discover sausage, bacon, lomo and more in my collection of homemade charcuterie projects.
What is the best beef for jerky?
For steak, marbling is usually a good thing. For jerky, you want the opposite: lean beef with as little visible fat as possible. Fat does not dry like muscle and can turn rancid faster during storage.
Good U.S. choices include eye of round, top round, bottom round and sirloin tip. A very lean roast can work too. Cut away surface fat and silverskin before slicing. The exact cut matters less than choosing a fairly uniform, low-fat muscle.
Chill the beef in the freezer until it is firm but not frozen solid. It is much easier to cut even strips about 4 mm / 0.16 inch thick with a sharp slicing or boning knife.
Should you slice beef jerky with or against the grain?
Both work, but the texture changes. Slice against the grain for shorter fibers and a more tender bite. Slice with the grain for longer fibers and a chewier strip that tears apart more dramatically.
I usually cut this version against the grain, but there is no single correct answer. Consistent thickness matters more than cutting direction when it comes to even heating and drying.
Whiskey, amaretto and cola beef jerky marinade
The twist in this beef jerky is the marinade. I originally based it on a Jack’s Godfather: a cocktail built around Tennessee whiskey, amaretto and cola. The cocktail name does not need to carry the whole recipe, but it still explains where the flavor combination came from.
Cola brings sweetness and caramel notes, whiskey adds warmth and oak, and amaretto gives a soft almond-like sweetness. Black pepper keeps the finish sharper so the jerky does not become one-dimensionally sweet.
Prefer it less sweet? Replace part of the cola and lemon-lime soda with water. That leaves the whiskey and amaretto recognizable while shifting the balance more toward beef, pepper and smoke. I would not simply add more salt to compensate.
Whiskey, sugar and salt all influence flavor, but this marinade does not make raw beef shelf-stable. Always marinate in the refrigerator—using a vacuum sealer speeds up flavor absorption—and store your finished jerky airtight in the fridge for the best shelf life.
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Beef jerky safety at low smoker temperatures
My method is straightforward: after marinating, I pat the strips dry and place them directly in a smoker at about 167°F (75°C). The meat heats and dries during the same cook[cite: 3]. The important point is that smoker temperature and meat temperature are not the same thing, so I check several of the thickest strips and make sure they reach 160°F (71°C) internally[cite: 3].
Because evaporating moisture can slow the temperature rise of the meat, I do not judge the heating step from the smoker display alone—using a reliable instant-read probe thermometer gives you the exact internal temperature of the thickest strips[cite: 3]. If the internal temperature stalls below 160°F (71°C), raise the smoker temporarily to about 194°F (90°C) until the thickest checked strips reach the target, then lower the heat again if they still need more drying[cite: 3].
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This is the method I use in Belgium, and similar direct-to-smoker methods are common in barbecue cooking. Current USDA home-jerky guidance is more conservative: it recommends heating beef to 160°F (71°C) before the dehydrating phase. If you prefer to follow that official U.S. protocol exactly, use their heat-before-drying method instead. The recipe below reflects my own smoker method.
How to make beef jerky on a pellet grill or smoker
I made this recipe on a Traeger pellet grill. It is one of the easiest cookers for jerky because you get steady low heat, constant airflow and enough grate space to spread the strips out without overlap.
If you want to understand the cooker itself before starting, my pellet grill guide covers temperature control, airflow, smoke character, pellets and the differences between pellet and charcoal cooking.
Arrange the strips in a single layer without overlap. Set the smoker to about 167°F (75°C) and let the beef slowly heat, smoke and dry. Start checking texture after about three hours. Slice thickness, airflow and moisture content can all change the timing.
With this sweet-savory marinade, I keep the smoke fairly restrained. Beef can handle oak, pecan, cherry or a moderate amount of hickory, but the goal is to support the whiskey-amaretto flavor rather than bury it.
Can you make beef jerky on a kamado?
Absolutely. The challenge is keeping the kamado low, stable and ventilated. Use a small fire, cook indirectly and avoid overshooting your target temperature. Once a ceramic cooker gets too hot, bringing it back down takes time.
Do not choke the vents so far that humid air stalls inside the cooker. Jerky needs airflow as well as heat. Spread the strips apart and use an extra rack if you are making a larger batch.
A pellet grill makes low-temperature airflow almost effortless. A kamado can produce excellent jerky too, but managing a small clean fire takes more attention.
Can you make beef jerky in the oven?
Yes. Arrange the marinated, patted-dry strips on wire racks in a low convection oven so warm air can circulate around the meat. Monitor the internal temperature just as you would on the smoker, then continue until the texture is where you want it.
What you lose is real wood smoke. The whiskey-amaretto-cola marinade still works, but for me that subtle smoky edge is what turns it into barbecue jerky rather than simply dried beef.
How do you know when beef jerky is done?
Once the strips have reached the target internal temperature, texture becomes the best guide. Take one strip off the smoker and let it cool for a few minutes. Warm jerky feels softer and more flexible than it will once cooled.
Bend the cooled strip. Good jerky should feel dry and firm on the surface but still have some flexibility. The fibers can begin to separate and crack without the strip snapping cleanly in half. If it still feels soft or damp, give it more time. If it breaks like a cracker, it has gone farther than I prefer.
My strips at roughly 4 mm thick are often in the right zone around the three-hour mark. Thicker slices, a crowded smoker or different airflow can all shift that timing.
How should homemade beef jerky be stored?
Let the jerky cool completely before packaging so residual heat does not create condensation.
Because home-dried jerky can vary in thickness and final moisture, I store it airtight in the refrigerator. Freeze larger batches in portions if you want to keep them longer. Without measuring water activity, I would rather not promise a universal room-temperature shelf life.
This recipe started as a whiskey-and-amaretto experiment, but jerky is perfect for making your own. Change the smoke, cut with or against the grain, or tone down the sweetness and the result shifts immediately.
Made a batch? Tell me how it turned out in the comments. Which cut did you use, how long did it dry, and would you change the marinade? If the recipe worked for you, a star rating also helps other barbecue cooks find it.
View & rate the recipeRecipe: smoked beef jerky on the grill
Smoked Beef Jerky with Whiskey, Amaretto and Cola
Equipment
- Pellet grill, smoker, kamado or low convection oven
Ingredients
Beef Jerky
- 1 kg lean beef eye of round, top round, bottom round or sirloin tip; trim visible fat
Whiskey-Amaretto Marinade
- 120 ml cola
- 45 ml whiskey
- 30 ml amaretto such as Disaronno
- 30 ml lemon-lime soda
- 15 ml fine salt approximately 1 tablespoon by volume
- 7.5 ml freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Beef
- Trim visible fat and silverskin from the beef. Partially freeze until firm, then slice into even strips about 4 mm / 0.16 inch thick. Slice against the grain for a more tender bite or with the grain for a chewier strip.
Marinate
- Combine the cola, whiskey, amaretto, lemon-lime soda, salt and black pepper. Add the beef and coat thoroughly.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for about 3 hours under vacuum, or about 12 hours in a covered nonreactive container.
Smoke and Dry
- Remove the strips from the marinade and pat them dry. Arrange them in a single layer on the grill or smoker rack without overlap.
- Smoke and dry the beef at about 167°F (75°C). Check several of the thickest strips with a thermometer and make sure they reach at least 160°F (71°C) internally during the cook. If the internal temperature stalls below that, temporarily raise the smoker to about 194°F (90°C) until the target is reached, then lower the heat again if more drying is needed.
- Start checking texture after about 3 hours. Let a test strip cool for a few minutes, then bend it. The surface should feel dry and firm while the strip still bends and begins to crack along the fibers without snapping cleanly in half.
Cool and Store
- Cool the jerky completely before packaging. Store airtight in the refrigerator for a conservative home-storage approach, or freeze larger batches in portions.
Notes
Frequently asked questions about homemade beef jerky
What cut of beef is best for jerky?
Choose a lean, fairly uniform muscle with little marbling. Eye of round, top round, bottom round and sirloin tip are all good choices. Trim visible fat before slicing.
How thick should beef jerky be sliced?
This recipe uses strips about 4 mm / 0.16 inch thick. Even thickness matters because the strips heat and dry more consistently.
What temperature do you smoke beef jerky at?
I smoke and dry these thin strips around 167°F (75°C) while monitoring several of the thickest pieces. They should reach at least 160°F (71°C) internally during the cook. If they stall below that, I temporarily raise the smoker to about 194°F (90°C).
Does USDA recommend a different jerky method?
Yes. Current USDA home-jerky guidance recommends heating beef to 160°F (71°C) before the dehydrating phase. This recipe documents my direct-to-smoker method, so U.S. readers who want to follow USDA guidance exactly should use the official heat-before-drying protocol instead.
Can I make beef jerky on a pellet grill?
Yes. A pellet grill is especially convenient because it gives you steady low heat, airflow and plenty of rack space.
Can I make beef jerky in the oven?
Yes. Use wire racks in a low convection oven and monitor the meat temperature just as you would on the smoker. The main thing you lose is real wood-smoke flavor.
What is the Jack’s Godfather flavor?
It is the cocktail inspiration behind the marinade: whiskey, amaretto and cola. It is a flavor idea, not a separate jerky technique.
How long does beef jerky take on a smoker?
For thin 4 mm strips, start checking around three hours. Exact time varies with thickness, airflow, smoker load and moisture, so judge the cooled texture rather than the clock alone.
