Ground Beef Jerky

Time for another camping recipe - well, more of a recipe for the road trip to *get* to the camping, but still!

I’ve been on a huge jerky-making kick lately, having a blast developing recipes for all kinds of different jerkies.

I’ve got a few ground meat jerky recipes coming, but let’s start with my basic beef recipe.

This easy ground beef jerky is a great way to get into making homemade jerky. Ground jerky is a lot easier to make than whole muscle jerky (regular jerky), and the ingredients are SUPER basic.

Unlike with whole-muscle jerky- which involves tediously trimming and slicing beef roasts - all you have to do for hamburger beef jerky is mix some ingredients into ground beef, and pipe it out!

Once I bought a jerky gun, this VERY quickly became my favorite way to prepare a good, nutrient-rich snack for our camping trips.

Not only is this homemade beef jerky recipe easier to make than traditional jerky, the final product has a much nicer texture, IMHO. No stringy bits to get caught in your teeth!

The final product also tastes better AND is much cheaper than store-bought jerky! The whole thing costs maybe $8/batch, and makes 10 or more jerky strips - and it only takes 4-5 hours of waiting!

It’s really a great way to have a nice, shelf-stable protein source on any roadtrip or hiking excursion.

Ingredients

This is a super easy recipe, and - with one exception - all the ingredients will be easy to find in any grocery store.

Some ingredient notes for you:

Lean Ground Beef

For best results, use extra lean beef. The more fat in the meat, the shorter the shelf life - fat goes rancid, so lean meat is best.

I did up the recipe for 1 lb of meat, but I usually triple it, as my dehydrator can fit 3 lbs of meat... and I’m just efficient like that!

You can use this recipe for any ground meat, really - ground venison, even lean ground turkey - but I definitely like to switch up the seasonings, based on the meat.

Be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter for updates - I’ve got a BUNCH of different jerky recipes coming!

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market.

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats, and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving it that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It prevents the growth of bacteria.

It’s not the only way to extend the shelf life- more on that in the recipe itself - but between the safety, the flavour, and the colour... I always use it when making jerky.

Just note two things:

1. This is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Soy Sauce, or Soy-Adjacent Sauce

I developed this recipe using Coconut Aminos, which is what I use for myself - it’s gluten free and paleo/AIP friendly.

Tamari is another gluten free option (USUALLY GF, anyway!), or you could use plain old Soy Sauce.

I do find regular soy sauce to be saltier than Coconut Aminos, though. I recommend using low sodium soy sauce, or cutting back ¼ cup soy sauce to 2 tablespoon per batch.

Whichever you use, it brings some umami - savory flavor - to the ground beef jerky.

Liquid Smoke

I always used to hate the flavour of Liquid Smoke, but making jerky DEFINITELY made a believer of me.

A little - I use Hickory Flavoured Liquid Smoke - goes a long way to making the jerky taste like jerky.

I don’t recommend skipping it, though you can definitely play around with the type. I also have Mesquite Flavoured Liquid Smoke on hand, though I haven’t used it yet!

Seasonings

I call for Smoked Sea Salt, just to bring a bit of extra smokiness to the jerky recipe.

Feel free to use regular salt (in addition to the curing salt, anyway!) if you don’t have smoked salt on hand.

Beyond that, I just use a bit of Garlic Powder and Onion Powder to round out the recipe.

Like I said - super basic!

Variations

This is my basic recipe - I love it as-is, but there’s also a lot of room for customizing it with different seasonings.

I’m currently on a restricted diet that doesn’t allow for nightshades or seeds (among other things!), so I don’t have any black peppercorns or any type of pepper in mine... for NOW.

Once I’m off it, I’m looking forward to *loading* a batch with Ground Black Pepper, for a peppered beef jerky.

If you want your ground beef jerky to have a spicy flavor, consider adding Hatch Chile Powder, Jalapeno Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, or Smoked Serrano Powder - any would make for a REALLY tasty meat!

(Personally, I’d be all over a mix of smoked serrano with a bit of Smoked Paprika, just to really play up that smoked pepper flavour.)

Equipment

There are two main pieces of equipment that I use for making jerky, beyond things like bowls, spoons, and measuring cups:

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a good quality caulking gun (NOT an actual one - keep it food safe!) that you use to shoot strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED.

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but it just really makes jerky making so much quicker and easier! LOVE it.

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make beef jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running mine for hours on end.

I’ve had basic food dehydrators before - the kinds with no time or temperature controls - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I feel like I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch - let’s average that out to 12.

That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

How to Make Ground Beef Jerky

Cut 2 or 3 pieces of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

In a large bowl - using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well.

REALLY well - it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it - you want all the liquid ingredients soaked in, and the Prague Powder very well distributed throughout the ground beef mixture!

Once two hours has passed, remove the jerky strips from the parchment, flip them over, and place them directly onto the wire rack.

Return the dehydrator racks to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours.

I used to individually pull them off the parchment, but now I just flip the whole thing over onto the rack, and peel the parchment off at the jerky strips at once.

After 2 hours, your strips should release easily. If they’re sticking to the sheets, let them dehydrate a bit longer before removing them.

To test for doneness, remove a piece of beef jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

If you have any excess fat beading on top of the top of the meat, blot them with paper towels while the jerky is still warm.

Allow ground beef jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Storing Homemade Ground Beef Jerky

Ground Beef Jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, this ground beef jerky should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of ground beef jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening.

More Homemade Jerky Recipes

Are you someone who loves to bring jerky on road trips, hiking trails, and when camping? Me too! Here are some of my different recipes for homemade jerkies!

Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky