Alissa Nguyen’s Asian-style jerky begins in a pot, with ginger-poached beef folded through a palm-sugar sauce. Lemongrass, turmeric, star anise and gochugaru give the strips a fragrant golden coating. It is a cooked-sauce method rather than an overnight raw marinade.

Watch the original video

Video by Alissa Nguyen · Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Starting batch: 4 lb raw lean beef; finished yield varies.

• 4 lb lean beef round, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup water for the first poaching step, plus more as needed to cover beef
• 1 tbsp salt
• ½ lb fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 lb palm sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick (source allows 1–2)
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (BULK suggested amount)
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1½ tbsp gochugaru
• 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 8 oz lemongrass, tough outer layers removed and tender portions chopped
• 2 cups water for blending
• 2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder (BULK approximation of source’s heaping spoonfuls)

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

Allergens: Soy and commonly wheat in soy sauce; chicken bouillon can contain wheat, soy, milk or celery. Check labels.

How to make this jerky

Step 1: Poach and verify 160°F

Put the first cup of water, salt and ginger in a saucepan. Add more water as needed to cover the beef and bring to a boil. Poach the thin beef in batches until the thickest strips reach 160°F internally on a thin-tip thermometer. Reserve the cooked ginger and discard the poaching liquid. Keep cooked beef separate from raw meat and utensils.

Step 2: Blend ginger and lemongrass

Blend the cooked ginger with prepared lemongrass and the remaining 2 cups of water until smooth. Use only the tender lemongrass portions; remove tough outer sheaths before chopping.

Step 3: Build the palm-sugar base

Melt the palm sugar gently in a heavy pan, stirring and controlling the heat so it does not scorch. Have the measured spices ready to add. Use a pan large enough for the sauce and beef, or split the batch.

Step 4: Build the spiced sauce

Stir in cinnamon, star anise, crushed pepper, turmeric, gochugaru, soy sauce, bouillon and the blended ginger-lemongrass mixture. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Step 5: Coat, reduce and dry

Add the already heated beef and turn it through the sauce. Simmer and stir as the sauce reduces to a coating; remove cinnamon and star anise. Arrange strips on clean dehydrator racks without overlap. Dry at 145–155°F until the centers are dry, checking thicker pieces individually.

Step 6: Check, cool and refrigerate

Cool a test strip before assessing texture. It should bend with visible cracking and have no wet pockets in its center; return thicker or damp pieces to the dryer. Cool the whole batch completely, then refrigerate in clean closed containers. Freeze portions you will not eat promptly. A bend test checks texture, not pathogen destruction.

Why this flavor works

Palm sugar softens the warm spices, while lemongrass and ginger bring freshness. Turmeric colors the sauce and gives an earthy background.

Serving and storage

Serve a small portion straight from the refrigerator, or cut into bite-size pieces for a snack plate. Keep the remaining batch cold.

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

• My mom paid her “friend” $100 for this recipe — Alissa Nguyen
• 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 evidence and ingredient discussion. Source footage and creator credit belong to Alissa Nguyen. Photographs are timestamped source-video stills. Use the full written method for all ingredient and preparation details.

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