A chunky jalapeño pepper jelly coating turns beef bacon into a sweet-hot snack. This BULK adaptation fixes the source’s unspecified whole jar at one cup and fully cooks the beef bacon before a short drying finish.

Watch the original video

Video by Jerky · Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

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

• 2 lb beef bacon, sliced ⅛ inch thick
• 1 cup jalapeño pepper jelly
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Optional: 1 tsp dried jalapeño flakes

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: Soy sauce commonly contains soy and wheat. Check the pepper-jelly label and other packaged ingredients.

How to make this jerky

Step 1: Separate the beef bacon

Use pre-sliced beef bacon about ⅛ inch thick. Separate the strips, cutting very long pieces in half if helpful. Beef bacon is made from beef belly and contains much more fat than lean round steak.

Step 2: Prepare the coating base

Pulse the cold pepper jelly briefly in a blender to loosen it while retaining small pepper pieces.

Step 3: Mix the seasoning

Add cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder and optional jalapeño flakes. Pulse just until combined, scraping the bowl to distribute the seasonings.

Step 4: Coat and refrigerate

Spread the marinade across all surfaces of each strip in a covered nonreactive container. Separate folded pieces so no raw surface is missed. Refrigerate at 40°F or below for 24 hours.

Step 5: Fully cook before drying

Drain the bacon and discard 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, then transfer with clean tongs to clean drying racks. Dry at 145–155°F until the cooled sample has a chewy texture, checking often and blotting surface fat. The source photograph shows spacing before drying; the full oven-cooking step is an added BULK adaptation. The source hangs strips from skewers; BULK uses flat clean racks after oven cooking.

Step 6: Cool and keep refrigerated

Cool fully and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below in a clean covered container. Use within 4 days or freeze. This fatty cooked bacon snack remains perishable; drying and a bend test do not establish shelf stability.

Why this flavor works

Jalapeño pepper jelly provides fruit sweetness and chile heat. Cider vinegar and soy sauce balance the sweet coating. Similar slice thickness helps the coating and drying remain consistent.

Serving and storage

Serve small refrigerated portions as a rich snack. Use within 4 days or freeze; keep chilled between servings.

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
• The BEST Jalapeño Pepper Jelly Beef Bacon Jerky You Will Ever Try — 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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