Homemade Bottom Round Roast Jerky
Here’s the best recipe for making your own oven-baked beef jerky, and you need zero special equipment to do it. Homemade Bottom Round Roast Jerky has just the right flavor combination of savory, smoky, and salty-sweetness…with a bit of kick added, if you prefer.
The Best Bottom Round Roast Jerky Recipe
What to love
- Make delicious homemade jerky in just a few hours – no dehydrator needed!
- Customize your jerky by tweaking the marinade to your personal taste.
- Have the best jerky for snacking at a much cheaper cost than store-bought.
WHY BOTTOM ROUND ROAST IS THE BEST MEAT CUT FOR JERKY
Bottom round roast is a great value in the meat case because it’s considered to be a cut of beef that is more on the “tough and chewy” side. That said, bottom round roast is the perfect cut of beef for making beef jerky that is very flavorful.
Because bottom round is a cut of beef that comes from the rear end of the cow, the muscle gets a lot of use. All this use by the cow is what makes the beef tough, but it’s also what makes it FLAVOFUL…making it even more perfect for making your own JERKY!
Ingredients needed
- Bottom round roast
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Dark brown sugar
- Spices: smoked paprika, granulated garlic (or garlic powder), kosher salt
- Cider vinegar
- Red pepper flakes
- Jalapeno, optional
HOW TO MAKE OVEN-BAKED BEEF JERKY STEP-BY-STEP
**PRINT THE FULL RECIPE FROM THE RECIPE CARD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST
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To make the roast very easy to slice thinly, place it into the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the roast and unpackage, placing it onto the center of a large cutting board. (The roast will feel frozen from the outside to the touch, but the interior will still be partially thawed.)
Using your favorite sharp carving knife or Chef’s knife, slice the roast across grain in about 1/4-inch thick slices. I always task my husband with this job – his big hands make short work of this job. 🙂
Prepare the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a gallon freezer bag; massage well to combine.
Add the sliced meat; seal the bag and massage the bag again, making sure all the marinade gets up and around each slice of the roast. Place the bag of meat and marinade into a mixing bowl, just in case there’s a leak.
Place the meat and marinade into refrigeration to marinate for at least 12 hours (preferably 18-24 hours), massaging the bag and it’s contents every so often.
Once the meat has fully marinated, line two large rimmed baking sheets (13×18 half sheet pans work great) with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack over the top of each one. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F.
Using tongs, remove the pieces of meat from the marinade, laying them on top of the cooling racks in a single layer, leaving space around each one.
Bake the meat for 3-4 hours, turning it over half way through the baking time and also rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom mid way through. At the half way point, the meat will begin to look more dull in color and the surface looks more brown than red. When you turn the jerky over at this point, you will see the rack marks on the flip side.
Continue to bake the jerky for the full 3-4 hours until the meat has turned dark in color and looks rather dried out. **To determine if the meat has baked into jerky, remove a piece from the baking sheet and let it cool to room temperature. It should be dry to the touch with a leather-like appearance on both sides, chewy in texture yet still a bit tender. (You know, how jerky is supposed to be!)
Let the jerky fully cool, then store in an air-tight plastic container, freezer bag, or glass jar with a lid. Jerky will keep at room temperature for 5-7 days or in refrigeration for up to 30 days. Jerky freezes well, too.
IS BOTTOM ROUND ROAST ONLY GOOD FOR MAKING JERKY?
Absolutely not! You can make delicious bottom round roast right in your oven or slow cooker that is perfectly tender and juicy….you just have to cook it “low and slow” to be successful.
HOW CAN I CUSTOMIZE THE JERKY MARINADE TO MY LIKING?
If you prefer a more spicy jerky, add more red pepper flakes or more jalapeno slices, then let the meat marinate longer, too. The beef will pick up more of the spicy flavors from the marinade the longer it has to rest in it.
Or, if you prefer a jerky that’s a bit more savory, add more Worcestershire or even a good shot of soy sauce. Like your jerky a bit more on the sweet side? Add more brown sugar.
Is smoky your game? I know lots of home cooks who add a touch of liquid smoke to their marinade to bump up the smoky flavor a bit, too.
Bottom line to customizing beef jerky: play around with your marinade to adjust the flavors as you prefer – it’s a fun challenge!
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STORE BEEF JERKY SAFELY?
Homemade beef jerky will keep safely at room temperature in an air tight container for up to a week. Past that, store it in refrigeration to be safe.
CAN YOU FREEZE BEEF JERKY?
Yep! Beef jerky freezes exceptionally well if you store it in a well sealed container or wrapped well in plastic wrap and a good freezer bag. Any one of these prevents freezer burn.
HOW LONG WILL BEEF JERKY KEEP IN THE FREEZER?
If beef jerky is store properly, it will keep for at least 6 months in the freezer just fine.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SLICE THE MEAT AGAINST THE GRAIN?
Slicing meat against the grain means you are slicing across the direction that the muscle/protein fibers run. Slicing across the fibers of the meat shortens them, making the meat more tender and easier to chew.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M SLICING THE MEAT ACROSS THE GRAIN AND NOT WITH THE GRAIN?
Lay the piece of meat on a cutting board. Look for the lines of the meat to see which direction they are running. Turn the meat so the lines (fibers) of the meat are running horizontally on the cutting board, then slice ACROSS the grain of the meat into slices.
TIPS FOR MAKING BEEF JERKY THE BEST IT CAN BE –
- Always slice against the grain of the meat when you are cutting the roast into the slices that become the jerky. This really helps the jerky to be easier to chew and enjoy.
- Be sure to freeze the roast for 2 hours before you begin the task of slicing it. This makes SUCH a difference! You will be amazed at how much easier the roast slices thinly when you partially freeze it first.
- Use a sharp knife when slicing the roast so you can have slices that are all equal in their thickness. Be sure they aren’t thicker than 1/4-inch.
- Adjust the marinade ingredients until you find the flavor combination you like best.
MORE FAVORITE MEAT RECIPES TO ENJOY –
- HAM STEAK AND CREAMY POTATOES – Here’s a classic casserole that your family will love. Full of cheesy potato goodness and lots of diced ham steak, this 9×13 dish is pure comfort food that is quick to make.
- HOW TO COOK EYE OF ROUND ROAST – Eye of round is a simple boneless beef roast, and is what’s called a “whole muscle” cut of beef. It’s one of the best roasts sliced and served with gravy or for making Beef Wellington….and for leftovers, too.
- BIG MAC CASSEROLE – Here’s your new favorite ground beef hot dish! This easy casserole is made with browned ground beef in a sweet sauce that’s topped with American cheese and mini tater tots. It’s baked until hot and bubbly throughout and served with the delicious Big Mac “special sauce” we all know and love!
- ROAST BEEF WELLINGTON PACKETS WITH CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE – If you love beef, like my family does, then you will adore these cheesy roast beef puff pastry pies. To satisfy the hard-working appetites in my house, these meat-filled (and portable) “hand pies” hit the spot every time.
Homemade Bottom Round Roast Jerky
Ingredients
- 3 lb. bottom round roast
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 jalapeno, sliced and some of the seeds removed optional, for added heat and flavor
Instructions
- To make the roast very easy to slice thinly, place it into the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the roast and unpackage, placing it onto the center of a large cutting board.
- Using your favorite sharp carving knife or Chef’s knife, slice the roast across grain in about 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Prepare the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a gallon freezer bag; massage well to combine. Add the sliced meat; seal the bag and place into a mixing bowl. Place the meat and marinade into refrigeration to marinate for at least 12 hours (preferably 18-24 hours), massaging the bag and it's contents every so often.
- Once the meat has fully marinated, line two large rimmed baking sheets (13×18 half sheet pans work great) with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack over the top of each one. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F.
- Using tongs, remove the pieces of meat from the marinade, laying them on top of the cooling racks in a single layer, leaving space around each one.
- Bake the meat for 3-4 hours, turning it over half way through the baking time and also rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom mid way through. **To determine if the meat has baked into jerky, remove a piece from the baking sheet and let it cool to room temperature. It should be dry to the touch with a leather-like appearance on both sides, chewy in texture yet still a bit tender. (You know, how jerky is supposed to be!)
- Let the jerky fully cool, then store in an air-tight plastic container, freezer bag, or glass jar with a lid. Jerky will keep at room temperature for 5-7 days or in refrigeration for up to 30 days. Jerky freezes well, too.
Nutrition
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