Honey, molasses and ketchup make this a sweet, smoky jerky with a little mustard sharpness. American Lifestyle TV’s short tutorial builds the marinade in a bowl before coating thin beef. BULK keeps that flavor combination, fixes the beef weight and uses a clear heating checkpoint before drying.

Watch the original video

Video by American Lifestyle TV · Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

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

• 2 lb pre-sliced lean beef round, trimmed, about 1/8 inch thick
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup honey

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: Ketchup, liquid smoke and seasoning labels vary. Mustard powder contains mustard. Check all prepared ingredients for your own allergens.

How to make this jerky

Step 1: Start the sweet smoky base

Use lean beef already sliced about 1/8 inch thick and keep it refrigerated. In a clean bowl, stir together the liquid smoke, molasses and dark brown sugar. Break up any sugar clumps with the back of a spoon.

Step 2: Add garlic and dry seasonings

Stir in the minced garlic, sea salt, mustard powder and cracked black pepper. Mix thoroughly so the salt and spices do not collect in one part of the bowl. No curing salt is used in this adaptation.

Step 3: Finish with ketchup and honey

Add the ketchup and honey and stir until the marinade looks uniform. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl; thick honey and molasses can trap unmixed spices underneath. Keep the prepared marinade cold until coating the beef.

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

Molasses adds depth beyond the sweetness of honey alone. Ketchup brings a little tomato tang, while mustard powder and black pepper keep the coating savory. This is deliberately a sweet version, so use the stated quantities before deciding whether another batch needs less honey.

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

• Sweet Southern Honey Jerky - American Lifestyle TV — American Lifestyle TV
• 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 American Lifestyle TV. Photographs are timestamped source-video stills. Use the full written method for details.

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