Root beer gives this jerky a sweet spice base, while chipotle and paprika add warmth and color. Sportsman101 demonstrates a cooked root beer marinade, thin slicing, bag marination and drying. BULK scales the flavor idea to a measured 2-pound beef batch.

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Video by Sportsman101 · Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Starting batch: 2 lb raw lean beef; finished yield varies.

• 2 lb lean beef round, trimmed
• 1 liter regular root beer
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 3/8 tsp liquid smoke

Equipment: sharp knife, cutting board, kitchen scale, covered food-safe container, oven, oven-safe racks, thin-tip food thermometer, clean tongs, and an adjustable-temperature dehydrator.

Allergens: Soy sauce commonly contains soy and wheat. Check the root beer and spice labels for other ingredients.

How to make this jerky

Step 1: Start the root beer sauce

Combine root beer, soy sauce, chipotle powder, paprika, garlic salt and liquid smoke in a saucepan. Stir until the dry spices disperse. Keep the raw beef refrigerated while cooking the sauce.

Step 2: Reduce and chill the marinade

Simmer uncovered until the sauce has reduced to about half its original volume, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a shallow clean container, cool promptly and refrigerate until 40°F or below. Do not pour hot sauce over raw meat for overnight marination.

Step 3: Slice the cold beef

Trim visible fat and silver skin from the cold beef. Slice across the grain into even strips about 1/8 inch thick, briefly firming the roast in the freezer first if needed. Return the strips to the refrigerator until the marinade is completely cold.

Step 4: Coat and refrigerate

Turn the beef strips through the marinade until both sides of every piece are coated. Cover in a food-safe container and refrigerate overnight at 40°F or below, turning occasionally. Separate any slices stuck together so the coating reaches every surface.

Step 5: Heat to 160°F, then dry

Before drying, place the strips and marinade in a saucepan, adding enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and check with a thin-tip thermometer that the thickest strips reach 160°F internally. Work in batches if necessary. Drain with clean utensils and discard the used liquid. Arrange heated strips in a single layer on clean dehydrator racks, leaving air spaces between them. Dry at 145–155°F and check periodically. The dryer air temperature does not verify the temperature inside the meat.

Step 6: Check, cool and refrigerate

Cool a test strip before bending it. Look for a dry center and small cracks rather than a soft, wet middle; return moist pieces to the dryer. Cool the entire batch completely on clean racks before packing. Refrigerate finished jerky and freeze extra portions. A texture test does not establish a safe room-temperature shelf life.

Why this flavor works

Root beer brings vanilla and spice notes that are different from a cola marinade. Chipotle supplies a smoky chili edge, while paprika deepens the color. Reducing the sauce before marination concentrates the coating without adding another sweetener.

Serving and storage

Serve a small refrigerated portion with a simple lunch or fresh fruit, keeping the remainder chilled.

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

• How To Make Root Beer Jerky: Your Kids Will Love This One!! — Sportsman101
• USDA: how to make meat or poultry jerky at home
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: jerky

Original BULK adaptation based on the credited source recipe and video. Source footage and creator credit belong to Sportsman101. Photographs are timestamped source-video stills. Use the full written method for details.

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