This homemade Coca-Cola Smoked Beef Jerky is so simple and has an amazing flavor from spices, Worcestershire, and yup Coca Cola! You are going to be surprised at the flavor; it is so intensely good, and you would never know there was coke in the ingredients.
Looking for some other great recipes for the outdoors? Why not check out this ultra-tasty Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars recipe? They would be perfect to pack for a hike along with this jerky!
This is not the traditional beef jerky recipe using soy sauce and liquid smoke, nope! This beef jerky recipe is different, and it shows in the final result! I have tried many different variations of the old soy sauce recipe and never found one I was head over heels for, so I changed up the recipe and boom.
Your friends are going to love how good it tastes! I made a batch for my daughter and her friends, and they couldn’t stop raving about it! I was so happy with the final product; I know you are going to be, too!
If you are looking for some other amazing recipes for your smoker, why not check out this incredible Smoked Mississippi Pot Roast? Maybe you are in the mood for great steak; if so, you have to try this Italian Marinated Smoked Steak; the flavors are out of this world!
HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE
Masterbuilt Analog Electric Smoker
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE Coca-Cola Smoked Beef Jerky?
As you can see, it only takes a handful of ingredients to prepare this superlative beef jerky! Just a hint of flavors that work with the smoke of the smoker to let the flavor of the beef shine through!
INGREDIENTS
- Eye of round beef roast – thinly sliced against the grain.
- Coca-Cola – Use real Coca-Cola, not a knock-off cola product.
- Kosher salt – I always use Kosher salt for cooking. Regular table salt is for de-icing your sidewalk!
- Worcestershire sauce – Difficult to pronounce for some, but adds great flavor!
- Fresh ground black pepper – Don’t use preground black pepper; fresh ground has so much more flavor!
- Garlic powder – I prefer garlic powder to granulated garlic for this recipe, but you could use either.
- Onion powder – It adds just a little more depth of flavor to the jerky.
You can choose another cut of beef if you like just make sure it is very lean. I find the Eye of Round roast is nice and lean and relatively inexpensive.
HOW TO MAKE Coca-Cola Smoked Beef Jerky
Add the Coca-Cola, Kosher salt, Worcestershire sauce, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer uncovered for 10 – 15 minutes. You are looking for the liquid to reduce by about 1/2.
Place the marinade in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely. If you are in a rush, you can add a couple of ice cubes to the marinade to help it cool a little quicker.
While the marinade is cooling, you can slice the beef. You are going to want the beef thinly sliced against the grain.
Place the sliced beef into a large resealable plastic bag. Once the marinade has completely cooled, pour it over the sliced beef. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to smoke the beef jerky, preheat your smoker to 170 degrees F. I like to use cherry wood to smoke this Coca-Cola beef jerky.
Remove the marinated beef slices from the plastic bag and lay them on some paper towels. Pat the slices dry and discard the marinade.
Transfer the slices of marinated beef and place them directly on the grates of your smoker. You can also place them on a cooling rack and put the cooling rack into the smoker if you like.
How long does it take to smoke jerky?
It will take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours to smoke your beef jerky. However, this is only an estimate. Depending upon the thickness of your beef slices, it may take more or less time.
You are looking for the jerky to be stiff yet pliable. If it snaps or breaks when you bend it, you have overcooked it. I recommend checking your jerky after an hour and a half and monitoring the progress after that. It may actually take 3 or more hours to smoke your jerky, depending upon the thickness of the slices. The key is to not rush the process!
Once your jerky is smoked to the right texture, place it in a clean, resealable plastic bag. DO NOT seal the bag; leave it open. This will allow the jerky to cool. This step also introduced a little bit of moisture back into the jerky. Once it is cooled completely, you can seal the bag.
PRO TIPS:
- If you place the roast in the freezer for 20 – 30 minutes before you try to slice it, you will be able to cut thinner slices.
- A meat slicer makes quick work of producing thin slices of the roast. This is a handy machine and a good investment that I use more often than you might think.
- If you are slicing the roast with a knife, make sure it is very sharp. Otherwise, you will end up tearing the meat rather than slicing it.
- Make sure you keep your smoker temperature as close to 170 degrees F as you can. Remember, you want to slowly remove the moisture from the beef. You do not want to cook the beef.
- Do not use Diet Coke in this recipe; you have to use real Coca-Cola.
Making beef jerky is amazingly simple, and once you get a taste for homemade jerky, I promise you will never buy store-bought jerky again!
Coca-Cola Smoked Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2- pound beef eye of round roast thinly sliced against the grain
Marinade
- 1 1/2 cups Coca-Cola do not use diet cola
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the Coca-Cola, Kosher salt, Worcestershire sauce, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. The mixture should be reduced by about 1/2.
- Place the marinade in the refrigerator to cool completely, you can add 2-3 ice cubes to the marinade to help it cool if you are in a rush.
- Place the beef slices into a large resealable plastic bag. Once the marinade is completely cooled, pour it over the beef slices and seal.
- Gently massage the bag to ensure that all the beef is coated with the marinade. Place the bag in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
- When ready to smoke, preheat your smoker to 170 degrees F. I like to use cherry wood for this beef jerky.
- While the smoker is preheating, remove the marinated beef slices from the plastic bag and pat dry using paper towels. Discard the marinade.
- Transfer the slices to the grill grates of your smoker or place them on cooling racks and place them in the smoker.
- Smoke the jerky for 1 1/2 – 2 hours; it may take more or less time to smoke your jerky, depending upon the thickness of the beef slices. You are looking for the jerky to be stiff but pliable; if it snaps or breaks when you bend it, you have overcooked it. I recommend checking it after 1 1/2 hours and monitoring its progress after that. It may take 3 or more hours to smoke your jerky; don’t rush the process.
- Place the smoked jerky into a clean, resealable plastic bag; do not seal it, and allow the jerky to cool. This step introduces a little moisture back into the jerky. Then seal up the bag.
- Store the jerky in a sealed plastic bag. It will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 2 – 3 days on the counter.
Leave a Reply