If you love beer and jerky, Kings County’s Smoked Beer Jerky is a must-try. This flavorful beef jerky comes from Brooklyn, New York, and delivers a smoky, savory bite with a subtle beer note.
The Kings County Jerky Co. began in 2009 and quickly moved from a home kitchen to a larger operation while keeping a focus on all-natural ingredients. Their smoked beer version uses a straightforward marinade with a dark or smoked beer to add depth.
The ingredient list is simple and familiar: soy sauce, Worcestershire, cracked black pepper, a touch of honey, and onion powder, plus a dark or smoked beer. The original recipe suggests a Schlenkerla smoked beer; if you can’t find that, a dark ale like New Belgium 1554 works well and complements the meat nicely.
This version adapts the original 2.5 lb recipe down to a 1 lb batch and adjusts the marinade quantities proportionally for home cooks who want a smaller batch. Marinating for around 6–8 hours lets the flavors penetrate the meat, and drying for several hours produces a chewy, flavorful jerky. You can dry the meat in an oven, dehydrator, or smoker—use whichever method you prefer.
Personal note: I brought a batch of this jerky with me on a recent trip to New York for wedding planning. It was a fun way to connect the recipe back to the place where Kings County Jerky started.
Bust out your jerky tools and give this beer-infused recipe a try—it’s an easy, satisfying snack that’s worth keeping in your recipe rotation.
Kings County’s Smoked Beer Jerky
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30
8
8 30
Ingredients
Lean Meat
- 1 lb Eye of Round or Venison
Marinade
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- ¼ cup Dark beer or smoked beer
- 1 tablespoon Cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
Optional
- ¼ teaspoon Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1)
Equipment
Instructions
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Choose a lean cut of beef and trim visible fat. Partially freeze the meat for 1–2 hours to make slicing easier. If you buy pre-sliced meat, skip the freezing and slicing steps.
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Mix the soy sauce, Worcestershire, dark or smoked beer, cracked black pepper, honey, and onion powder in a bowl or large zip-top bag.
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Slice the partially frozen meat against the grain to 1/8″–1/4″ thickness for best texture. A jerky slicer can help if you prefer even strips.
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Add the sliced beef to the marinade and refrigerate for 6–24 hours so the flavors penetrate.
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Remove the meat from the marinade, pat the strips dry with paper towels, and arrange them for drying.
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Dry the strips using your preferred method—oven, dehydrator, or smoker—until they reach your desired chew. The oven method in this recipe was dried for about 8 hours.
Nutrition
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Carbohydrates: 6g
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Protein: 26g
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Fat: 6g
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