Rosemary Blueberry Beef Jerky

Who knew that upgrading our food dehydrator and buying a $25 jerky gun would result in SUCH a fun hobby?

As someone who does best on high protein / low carb, I’ve spent waaaay too much on store-bought jerky over the years. It’s an easy, shelf-stable protein source, and a great food to bring on a road trip. What’s not to love?

I started out making whole muscle jerky, but that was expensive and annoying. Sawing through roasts to make regular jerky was a lot of work!

That jerky gun was a revelation!

With ground meat jerky, I can literally just mix some stuff together in a bowl, shoot it through a food-safe caulking gun, and have it in the dehydrator like 15 minutes after starting.

I don’t even have to marinate it, just mix and go!

I really loved the Blueberry Bison Jerky I came up with early on, so decided to do a bit of a variation on that, using beef.

I love the combo of rosemary with blueberries, and it works SO well in this jerky.

It’s a little sweet, a bit savoury, and just a really elegant tasting jerky. Completely unlike anything I’ve ever purchased!

Anyway, let me show you how to make this easy homemade beef jerky!

Equipment

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

A Food Dehydrator

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

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. 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 Jerky Recipes 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 (varying by recipe)- 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.

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a nice quality caulking gun (NOT an actual one - keep it food safe!) that you use to pipe out 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 had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Ingredients

With a only one exception, this homemade jerky recipe uses really simple ingredients. As far as that one specialty ingredient goes, it’s something you’ll use for pretty much any jerky you’ll make - so it’ definitely be good to have on hand!

I have a few 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.

Blueberries

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, just thaw them before pureeing them, that’s all!

Puree first, then measure!

Powdered Rosemary

I’m pretty sure you can buy powdered rosemary, but I just run Dried Rosemary through a spice grinder.

This ensures that the rosemary flavour distributes throughout the jerky, without any little needle bits!

Liquid Smoke

As with most of my jerkies, you’ll need some Liquid Smoke - a little goes a lot way!

I only use a small amount in this recipe, to give it a traditional “jerky” flavour - it’s not at all overpowering, just an accent.

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, as well as all of my homemade jerky recipes.

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

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It does this by preventing the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

A couple of things to note:

1. Prague Powder is pink, but it 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 blueberry ground beef jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Dark Maple Syrup
Salt

... I just don’t have anything else to add there, beyond “Maple syrup is NOT the same as pancake syrup! Use the real thing!”.

How to Make Rosemary Blueberry Beef Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

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

Finely grind your dried rosemary, and puree the blueberries.

Use a spoon to load the ground beef mixture into a jerky gun, taking care to avoid creating air pockets.

To test for doneness, remove a piece of 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!)

Rosemary Blueberry Ground Beef Jerky Storage

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

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, it 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 blueberry 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 go-to recipes for homemade jerkies!

Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Blueberry Bison Jerky
Buffalo Wing Chicken Jerky
Chipotle Chicken Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Ground Venison Jerky
Homemade Salmon Jerky
Honey Garlic Chicken Jerky
Jalapeno Chicken Jerky
Jerk Chicken Jerky
Lingonberry Elk Jerky
Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky
Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Shawarma Chicken Jerky
Spicy Garlic Chicken Jerky
Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky
Sriracha Chicken Jerky
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky