Apple juice concentrate, whiskey and warm spices give thick-cut bacon a sweet-savory coating. The source tutorial hangs bacon in a dehydrator; this BULK adaptation fully cooks it in the oven first and keeps the finished snack refrigerated.

Watch the original video

Video by Jerky · Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Starting batch: 2 lb raw thick-cut bacon; finished yield varies with fat rendering and drying.

• 2 lb thick-cut bacon
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
• ⅓ cup thawed apple juice concentrate
• ⅓ cup water
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1½ tbsp honey
• ¼ cup apple whiskey
• 2 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Equipment: sharp knife, cutting board, blender, covered nonreactive container, oven, rimmed baking pan, oven-safe rack, thin-tip thermometer, clean tongs, paper towels, and an adjustable-temperature dehydrator.

Allergens: Teriyaki sauce commonly contains soy and wheat. Check sauce and smoke labels for your allergens.

How to make this jerky

Step 1: Portion and separate the bacon

Cut the thick-cut bacon strips in half and peel every slice apart. Use similar thicknesses within one batch. This is a cooked bacon snack with a chewy dried finish; the fat keeps it perishable.

Step 2: Build the apple-whiskey base

Combine teriyaki sauce, thawed apple juice concentrate, water, brown sugar, honey and apple whiskey in a blender. This recipe contains alcohol; cooking is not a guarantee that all alcohol is removed.

Step 3: Blend in the warm spices

Add liquid smoke, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Blend briefly until the seasoning disperses and the sauce is evenly mixed.

Step 4: Coat and refrigerate

Pour over the separated bacon in a covered nonreactive container. Turn each piece until coated and refrigerate at 40°F or below for 24 hours. Never leave raw bacon marinating on the counter.

Step 5: Fully cook before drying

Drain the bacon and discard the raw marinade. Arrange on an oven-safe rack over a rimmed baking pan. Bake at 325°F until fully cooked and each strip reaches 160°F on a thin-tip thermometer. Blot rendered fat with clean paper towels and transfer with clean tongs to clean drying racks. Dry at 145–155°F until the cooled sample has your preferred chewy texture; check often and blot surface fat. The source hangs uncooked strips on skewers; its photo illustrates spacing only. The oven-cooking step is an added BULK adaptation.

Step 6: Cool and keep refrigerated

Cool fully and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below in a clean covered container. Treat this as cooked bacon: use within 4 days or freeze. Bacon fat does not become shelf-stable by drying, and a bend test does not establish safety.

Why this flavor works

Apple concentrate brings a clear fruit note. Whiskey, cinnamon and cloves round out the teriyaki glaze. Keep the pieces evenly sized so coating and drying remain consistent.

Serving and storage

Serve a small refrigerated portion as a rich sweet-savory snack. Use within 4 days or freeze; do not pack this bacon snack for unrefrigerated storage.

Keep the finished jerky refrigerated. Pack only fully cooled strips, keep hands and containers clean, and freeze portions you will not eat promptly. Moisture, thickness, and handling affect keeping quality; this home method does not establish commercial shelf stability.

A ready-to-eat option between batches

For a convenient jerky snack when you are not making a batch, explore BULK Texas Style Original Beef Jerky. Its seasoning and production process differ from this homemade adaptation.

Browse every published BULK jerky recipe.

Sources and further reading

• USDA: bacon cooking and refrigerated storage
• How to Make Apple Whiskey Bacon Jerky (Step-by-Step Recipe) — Jerky
• USDA: how to make meat or poultry jerky at home
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: jerky

Original BULK adaptation after reviewing the source video’s automatic captions and ingredient discussion. Source footage and creator credit belong to Jerky. Photographs are timestamped source-video stills. Use the full written method for details.

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