Homemade Beef Jerky+Caramel Beer Fudge Sauce+Spicy Roasted Nuts

Back in June I made a special little basket full of goodies for the World’s Greatest Father (my Dad). I remember thinking as I was cooking everything that this would be such a great post for all my readers. Three simple yet amazing treats that you can make for any man on any special occasion that they will love!  With football season coming up I think it would be fun to whip up these treats for your men while they are glued watch their favorite college football teams.

Homemade Peppered Beef Jerky, Beer Infused Caramel Fudge Sauce and Spicy Roasted Nuts. An old saying I grew up hearing is ” A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” and I am pretty sure the women were referring to my treats here. I wish I had a picture to describe the look on my husband’s face when he came home to the smell of beef jerky. He was like a little kid in a candy store. Good thing I made enough leftovers for him to divulge in before shipping off the rest to my Dad.

This was my first stab at doing beef jerky at home and one would think I would have been deterred from making it since I did not own a dehydrator but seriously, nothing can stop me when I have my mind on doing something so I simply researched other methods of cooking beef jerky. Thankfully the good old Food Network came a knocking at my door (like literally the magazine came that very week- coincidence- I think NOT) and I decided to give their old fashion version a try. Hard? No- Messy-Yes? Fun-You betcha! I would do it over again for my man any day!

The caramel fudge sauce is simply just that with a hint of orange and beer flavor throughout to kick things up a bit and the nuts are to die for. You will not be able to stopping eating them- just let it be known that I warned you. Roasting nuts is a perfect appetizer for parties and game-days. It takes little time and energy and it is fairly inexpensive.

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Smoky Cola Jerky

Ingredients:

1 cup coke

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2-3 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cracked black pepepr

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

2 pounds of beef sirloin ( 1 inch thick)

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce hear and cook for 12 minutes. Set aside and allow it to cool completely. Combine the meat and marinade in a ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven, line the bottom of foil. Drain the meat, discarding the marinade, and stick a toothpick in the end of each strip of meat. Starting at the back of the oven and working forward, arrange each piece of meat between the grates so that the toothpick is resting on each grate. (see pictures above)

Once the meat is in the oven, bring the temp to 200 and cook for 2-3 hours until the jerky is tough but bendable.

Caramel Beer Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

1 12 ounce bottle of beer

4 cardamom pods

zest of 1 orange

2 TBSP unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla cream

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Bring the first 3 ingredients t a boil over medium heat and then simmer, reducing to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and brown sugar. Cook for another 10 minutes. Slowly stir in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla. Remove cardamon pods and let the sauce cool before transferring to a small jar. Can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Spicy Roasted Nuts

1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
pinch of ground mustard
pinch of seasoning salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg white
1 tsp water
pinch of nutmeeg
dash of worchestire sauce

Directions:

Coat the nuts in the egg white mixture then mix in all seasonings including the Worcestershire sauce and water. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring ever so often.

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59 comments

  1. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking

    I bet your dad was really blessed with all of these delicious goodies!! I wanted to thank you so much for leaving that wonderful comment on my blog saying how much you like our products.That was so sweet of you to do!!

  2. Erica

    I am totally trying this. I just book marked and will be making this for the man and guests come football season. What a great idea

  3. Strawberry CAKE

    WOW what fabulous ideas! Great also for the hard to buy for men in your life at Christmastime. Thanks!

  4. whitney

    you can do everything, i swear. looks amazing!

    1. kbelleicious

      No I really can’t:) but thanks so much!

  5. Maris (In Good Taste)

    You must of had one very happy father!!!

  6. Allison @ Alli 'n Son

    Oh, my husband would love the beer caramel sauce! Come to think of it, I’d love it too. You are so good to your father, I bet he had a wonderful Father’s Day.

  7. kelli

    Look at you, I love how you teach me other ways to get every use out of my oven. Who would have thought? I could have used this beef jerky on our trip. Caramel is heaven on earth Im sure of it and you cant go wrong with roasted nuts.

  8. yummychunklet

    Everything looks simply amazing but that caramel sauce looks so dreamy right now! Great gift box!

  9. Bonnie

    I must admit that, at first glance, I thought this was all one (rather strange) recipe! I will certainly do that caramel beer fudge sauce–what a perfect gift for a man.

    Best,
    Bonnie

    1. kbelleicious

      LOL! Your right, I should have probably written the title a different way! It does looks kinda strange!

  10. Barbara @ Barbara Bakes

    Love that you made foodie gifts for your dad. Great ideas.

  11. Laural @ Being Healthier

    seriously, caramel beer fudge sauce? I’m addicted to your blog and I just found it!

    Great recipes! I will add you to my list and g-reader!

  12. Candace

    What wonderful gifts for your dad! These look amazing. I should give these a try for the men in my life. What kind of beer did you use for the sauce? We just tried a beer with a light orange essence this past weekend. That might be the perfect beer for that recipe. Yum!

    1. kbelleicious

      That would be perfect for the caramel sauce. Any fruity type of beer would be really good. I used a dark abita beer but really any darker colored beer would work! Great idea

  13. TexasMom

    Love the beef jerky. Didn;t know you could do it in the oven like that! Awesome

  14. Greg

    Holy Cow! This is the best threefer ever! Beer, nuts, chocolate, jerky, cardamom… did I already say Holy Cow!?

  15. Three-Cookies

    All three sound amazing. I never thought beef jerky could be done in 2-3 hours, definitely good to know.

    1. kbelleicious

      Yep, it only takes 2-3 hours to cook but its best to wait a day before eating it just so all the flavors can soak in and the jerky is perfectly pliable but stiff.

  16. kitchen flavours

    What a lucky dad! And your roasted nuts look fabulous!

  17. Angie Ward

    I had never thought about making jerky in the oven before. My hubby LOVES jerky, and I just so happen to have some beef sirloin in my freezer. Maybe I will give this a try.

    1. kbelleicious

      If you do Angie, just make sure the beef is nice and really really cold before slicing it (almost frozen in fact) or you can get your butcher to do it which is what I did

  18. daphne

    I love beef jerky (the protein in it is fab!) and now I know how it is made!

    What an enticing sauce… I hate being on a low sugar diet at the moment.

  19. Amy

    I LOVE THE JERKY! How awesome is that! I love love love it! Great job!

  20. Velva

    You rock! I can’t think of a better way to say I love you than to take the time to prepare these wonderful treats. I think this is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

    Velva

  21. Nourhan @ Miss Anthropist's Kitchen

    Oh my goodness, this is CRAZY! I was JUST thinking about homemade beef jerky today–we’re totally on the same page! It looks great, awesome job!

  22. Alli

    I am a beef jerky FREAK. All of my girlfriends make fun of my jerky love. I have never made it but, I am so doing it. Or I am making my man make me this man treat.

  23. sweetlife

    oh dear, loving the jerky and the beer sauce and the nuts..ahh I love them all!! what a treat!!

  24. Kelli

    I know what you need, you need like a KB button so I can put in on the sidebar of my blog and others can click it to link to your page. Do U have it, am I missing it? Just a thought!

  25. Amber

    So freakin cool! I love them all! Wow- totally impressed and hungry now

  26. Veronica's Kitchen

    Your dad should feel like the luckiest man with all this goodies made by you. Love those nuts!

  27. Stephanie

    yum! moving next week to a bigger kitchen, can’t wait!

  28. Sandie

    I would eat the entire jar of caramel sauce!! Sounds really great
    Best, Sandie

  29. Shea

    Wow these are the perfect treats to give a husband or father (or really anyone–I mean I certainly wouldn’t be upset receiving them!). I’m impressed with your jerky–it’s something I like but have never been brave enough to try to make myself!

  30. Ruth

    You had me at beer & fudge.

  31. sara@domesticallychallenged

    Jerky? No thanks, but the nuts? I’d eat 2 whole things in a sitting. I love nuts, which is a good thing, cause I am one.

  32. Melynda@Moms Sunday Cafe

    WOW, you have been busy! The fudge sauce seemed to be calling my name…..

  33. Nami | Just One Cookbook

    Everything here looks AMAZING, Jessica! My husband will go crazy with homemade beef jerky. I am going to forward this link to see if he’s interested to try.

  34. Foodness Gracious

    Wow I’m totally digging that jerky recipe, what an ingenious way to bake it in the oven, do you just slice the meat into little slivers?

  35. Kristy

    Wow! I’m so impressed Jessica! I wouldn’t have enen known where to start. And it totally doesn’t look like this was your first time making this – absolutely impressive. It can’t be almost football season though…sigh. Summer goes way too fast! LOL.

  36. Linda

    I’m so impressed with your jerky and your determination! Where there is a will, there is a way! I believe you when you post your warning on those nuts, I for one, would be unable to stop as they sound addicting!! However the ingredients using the egg white and spices make these a pretty healthy treat!

  37. Couscous & Consciousness

    Wow, this looks like some wonderful treats to try – I am especially loving that caramel sauce. I actually have never tried beef jerky (either eating it or making it) but you certainly make me feel inspired to try.
    Sue xo

  38. Mandy - The Complete Cook Book

    What incredible recipes and all so special. We used to have a jerky (biltong) maker that my hubby made and it worked very well. I have to try your version with the sauce – messy or not, it’s worth it.
    🙂 Mandy

  39. Shellie

    This is your mama typing for your father while he drives. Read your post aloud and about your treats here he would like to say, “he has knocked ’em out– they were great!” :)))) we love u!

    1. kbelleicious

      thanks mom and dad

  40. Mary

    You have been busy!! What a fabulous post – the caramel sauce really has me hooked!
    Mary

  41. khushi

    Dats really superb…no one can resist it…..lovely recipe

  42. Amanda

    The nuts look delicious and I can’t believe u made ur own jerky! Amazing

  43. Jihane @Sinful Sundays

    Those are some impressive treats–one lucky Papa! I am officially obsessed with that caramel sauce!

  44. kankana

    I eat beef but not jerky. But i like your motivation and could see the love there too 🙂 That spicy roasted nuts .. stole my heart away.

  45. Alwayscookinit

    The beef jerky sounds fantastic and how much fun to do it at home! Great post

  46. Joanne

    Just hand over that caramel sauce. And no one will get hurt.

  47. Heather @girlichef

    Yum, I made a Caramel Orange Vanilla Bean Caramel around that same time…it was amazing! I adapted mine from a recipe in the June issue of Food Network Magazine…they had this jerky (or very similar) that I’ve been meaning to make ever since…and you’ve reminded me (thank you). Everything looks mouthwatering!

  48. Trish

    It’s all so much fun! Looks delicious- I think the nuts would be my favorite

  49. val

    Where do I even begin with this greatness?? I believe we share the same palette. I want it all.

  50. The Harried Cook

    You are amazing! All three of these sound incredible… I especially love the jerky and the nuts… mmm… Gorgeous pictures of some really fun foods 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  51. Trish

    Love these cute ideas for our men and ourselves:) the sauce looks amazing and I love thSt u made your own jerky

  52. Kimber

    Wow! The jerky looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!!

  53. Learn about Beef Jerky is Good Food

    A low carb recipe yay! Will def give your beef jerky recipe a go, thanks for sharing.

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