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I made some beef jerky with Maddog 375 hot sauce (generously poured into the marinade). It's ridiculously hot and basically unedible (I can eat it but just slowly).

This kinda sucks because I don't enjoy it, and it seems a waste to throw it out, can I do anything to it to reduce the heat on it? Wash it? Any ideas?

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    Send it to me? Sounds yummy! </snark>
    – zanlok
    Jun 1, 2011 at 7:20

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Jerky can be rehydrated.

Soak it in liquid, the way you would mushrooms, until it becomes somewhat plump. It will remain a little chewy and keep a lot of its flavor.

Chop it up and cook it into a stew. It will give a unique flavor and texture and the stew will dilute the spiciness- hopefully to a manageable level.

Look for recipes for "backpacker's stew" for examples.

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I'd personally go with Sobachatina's method of using it as an ingredient in something else. (it's also good to chop up some and add to cooked rice or rice & some veg. as a one pot meal)

... but if you really wanted to try to save as jerky, you might be able to tone it down a little by adding some sweetness to it. Unfortunately, this might mean wetting down the surface, and if you're going to do do that, you might be better off soaking it, changing the liquid, and re-drying it.

Your other option might be to try to give it a glaze ... honey would be my first thought (look online for various techniques for honey glazed bacon), maple syrup would be my second. Of course, it'd then be hygroscopic, which is going to reduce your storage lifetime.

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  • Thanks Joe, will honey glazing really help make it less spicy? The sauce I used is 350,000 scoville units I'm not sure if a honey layer is going to do much. Bows and arrows against lightning
    – Tom Gullen
    May 10, 2011 at 15:25
  • @Tom : it might've started at 350k, but you've since diluted it with other things ... if it's mildly uncomfortable, it might work well. You said you can eat it slowly, so it's not completely inedible, so it'll take a little of the edge off. And as the heat isn't in the glaze, it might actually encapsulate the heat to reduce the attack (but likely won't have as much an effect on the sustained heat)
    – Joe
    May 10, 2011 at 15:50
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    @Joe- diluted it with other things... and then dried of almost ALL the water! I'll bet it's much higher than 350k now.
    – Sobachatina
    May 11, 2011 at 16:06
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A recipe I use all the time which is delicious and easy is: -

  • 125g hoisin sauce
  • 75g tomato puree
  • 35g tomato ketchup
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 2 pinches of chilli powder
  • French parsley to garnish

My suggestion would be to use some of the (non-hot) ingredients above and add them to your sauce. I would definitely leave out the ginger/chilli/garlic ingredients if you were trying this.

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  • Can you format your recipe a little better? It's a bit difficult to read as it is.
    – Uticensis
    Jun 5, 2011 at 22:53
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I have done the same thing a rather enjoyed it, thats just my opinion. I agree with chopping it up and making a stew or my personal favorite making a Texas chili from it. Either way you cant go wrong.

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yes! you boil the jerky in hot water for about 5-10 min. dunp the water out and fill with clean water and simmer for another 10-15min. once that is done, soak the jerky in a "not spicy" marinade. dehydrate and eat. there may still be some kick, cause i dont know the level yours is at now, however this will reduce the hot greatly

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    I'm not sure this will work - capsaicin doesn't dissolve in water. Have you tried it?
    – rumtscho ♦
    Jan 25, 2012 at 1:12
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    I want to know if a twice-dried jerky would taste different.
    – Sobachatina
    Jan 25, 2012 at 14:58
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    Capsaicin does bind to proteins and carbs that dissolve in water. You should get some mellowing with this protocol. You get more solubility in alcohol, so a Jack Daniels rinse could work. Also casein in milk binds the stuff. However, a milk soak seems a horrible thing to do to jerky.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Apr 29, 2019 at 23:36
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Eat with a large glass of V8. It will still be super hot but I find the acid from the tomatoes helps make it more tolerable if you enjoy actually enjoy hot things.

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