Twice-Cooked Pork
Pork first simmered, then stir-fried with peppers and bean paste.
← Home beef snack spicy
Spicy Beef Jerky
Beef shank simmered, cut into strips, tossed in chilli and Sichuan pepper, then oven-dried until chewy. Adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report — 麻辣牛肉干, report 179. A snack, not a stir-fry — allow about four hours.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 麻辣牛肉干_179.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 2 hours 15 minutesCook: 1 hour 50 minutesTotal: 4 hours 5 minutesServings: 2–3Difficulty: MediumRegion: SichuanFlavour: Spicy-numbing
Home adaptation note: The report starts from 500 g raw shank and yields about 250 g finished jerky. Quantities below are that batch. The report's simmering liquid lists ginger, scallion and 'high-proof baijiu' without quantities for the liquor; those amounts are a home adaptation. Drying time is 45–60 minutes at 100 °C per the report; check from 45 minutes.
Why this works
Good jerky is a drying exercise, not a cooking one, and this report treats it that way at every stage. Shank is soaked for two hours, then simmered for sixty minutes until a chopstick slides in with no blood — long enough to be fully cooked, short enough to still slice cleanly. The cooled meat is cut with the grain into strips one centimetre square and five centimetres long, because cutting with the grain is what gives jerky its chew instead of its crumble. The strips are then stir-fried on medium-low heat until lightly coloured and their moisture has dried off, about five minutes, before the spices go anywhere near the pan. Only on the lowest heat, for thirty seconds at most, are the chilli powders, Sichuan pepper, salt, sugar and soy added — any hotter or longer and the ground spices scorch and turn bitter. A final oven drying at one hundred degrees with fan circulation finishes the job: dry on the outside, still chewy inside.
ADVERTISEMENT — PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef shank | 1.1 lb | 500 g | Shank, per the report, for its mix of muscle and sinew. |
| Erjingtiao chilli powder | 2 tbsp | 30 g | A fragrant, medium-heat Sichuan chilli powder. |
| Zidantou (bullet-head) chilli powder | 1 tbsp | 15 g | Hotter than erjingtiao; reduce for a milder jerky. |
| Hanyuan Sichuan pepper powder | 2 tsp | 10 g | Hanyuan pepper is prized for its aroma; any good Sichuan pepper powder works (adaptation). |
| Toasted white sesame seeds | 2 tsp | 10 g | Added off the heat. |
| Ginger slices and scallion sections | 0.7 oz each | 20 g each | For simmering. |
| High-proof baijiu (for simmering) | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | No quantity in the report; a home adaptation. Vodka works in a pinch. |
| Salt | 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp | 8 g | — |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp | 15 g | — |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Dark soy sauce | 1 tsp | 5 ml | — |
| Neutral cooking oil | 3 tbsp + 1 tsp | 50 ml | For stir-frying the strips. |
Equipment
- Pot for simmering
- Wok or large skillet
- Baking tray and oven with fan/convection setting
- Wire rack if you have one (adaptation)
Steps
- Soak and simmer. Soak the shank in cold water 2 hours. Cut into fist-sized pieces, cover with cold water, add ginger, scallion and baijiu, bring to a boil, skim, and simmer on medium-low heat 60 minutes until a chopstick slides in easily and no blood seeps out. Cool to room temperature.
- Cut. Cut the cooled shank with the grain into strips 1 cm × 1 cm × 5 cm. Cutting with the grain is essential for a chewy, not crumbly, texture.
- Stir-fry dry. Heat the oil to about 150 °C (50% heat). Add the strips and stir-fry on medium-low heat about 5 minutes until lightly coloured and their surface moisture has dried off. Do not use high heat or the outside will scorch while the inside stays wet.
- Season. Turn to the lowest heat. Add the two chilli powders, Sichuan pepper powder, salt, sugar and both soy sauces and toss quickly and evenly, within 30 seconds, so every strip is coated and the spices do not scorch. Turn off the heat and toss in the sesame seeds.
- Oven-dry. Spread the strips in a single layer on a baking tray. Dry in a preheated 100 °C oven on fan/convection for 45–60 minutes, until the surface is dry and the inside is still chewy. Cool completely before storing.
ADVERTISEMENT — PLACEHOLDER
Technique: Spices on the lowest heat
Ground chilli and Sichuan pepper burn in seconds over real heat. The pan must be at its lowest setting, and the seasoning toss must be over within thirty seconds — that is the difference between fragrant jerky and bitter jerky.
Variations
- Milder: Use only erjingtiao chilli powder and halve the Sichuan pepper; the jerky stays fragrant without the full numbing heat.
- Sweeter: Add 5 g more sugar for a sweet-heat balance closer to commercial jerky (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Why is my jerky wet in the middle?
The oven drying was too short, or the strips were crowded. Spread in a single layer and check from 45 minutes.
Why does it taste bitter?
The spices were fried too hot or too long. Lowest heat, 30 seconds maximum.
Why does my jerky crumble?
It was cut against the grain. Cut with the grain for chew.
Storage
Keeps 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature, or 2 weeks refrigerated, once fully cooled and dried. If any strip feels damp, dry it longer before storing; damp jerky spoils.
Spicy Beef Jerky — Recipe Card
Chewy Sichuan beef jerky with chilli, Sichuan pepper and sesame.
Prep: 2 hours 15 minutesCook: 1 hour 50 minutesTotal: 4 hours 5 minutesServings: 2–3
Ingredients: 500 g beef shank; 30 g erjingtiao chilli powder; 15 g zidantou chilli powder; 10 g Sichuan pepper powder; 10 g sesame; 20 g ginger; 20 g scallion; 15 ml baijiu; 8 g salt; 15 g sugar; 15 ml light soy; 5 ml dark soy; 50 ml oil.
Steps: 1) Soak shank 2 hours, simmer 60 minutes, cool. 2) Cut with the grain into 1 × 1 × 5 cm strips. 3) Stir-fry on medium-low heat 5 minutes until dry. 4) Season on lowest heat within 30 seconds. 5) Oven-dry at 100 °C for 45–60 minutes.
ADVERTISEMENT — PLACEHOLDER
Related recipes
Char Siu
Cantonese roast pork with a sweet glazed edge.
Spicy Boiled Fish
Fish poached in a fiery, numbing broth.
Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 麻辣牛肉干 (data/reports/179.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's cost table is not reproduced, and the baijiu quantity is labelled as an adaptation.