Learn how to turn ground beef into a delicious healthy beef jerky in just a few steps.
Our family loves beef jerky! It is one of those protein packed snacks that I can take on the go or just when we need a pick me up throughout the day.
I love beef jerky, but I don’t love the ingredients in the store-bought jerky. I mean do we really know what kind of meat they are using and what kind of ingredients they use to create the flavor? Is the meat grass fed with no antibiotics? Was the cow able to walk freely in a pasture? What about the seasonings, where did they come from? Can I pronounce the ingredients?
All of these questions haunt me when I look at those packages of beef jerky at the store. Here is the good news, you can make a delicious beef jerky at home that is healthy for your family and simple to make. And here is even better news, you don’t have to have strips of meat, you can use ground beef!
You heard me right! My husband and I buy a half a cow at a time for our large size family, but we always end up with more ground beef than we need. That is where the jerky comes in. I can easily take that leftover ground beef and make it into a delicious, healthy snack for my kids. So, let’s get started…
Tools for Beef Jerky
The main tool needed to turn ground beef into ground jerky is a jerky gun. It isn’t a very expensive tool, but so useful. It turns the ground beef into something similar to a slim jim (but far healthier and tastier) or strips of jerky. I have this jerky gun and I love it! It comes with three attachments AND it is made in America. All the pieces separate for easy cleaning too! Buy it, you’ll love it!
Another useful tool is a dehydrator. This allows air to flow all around the meat and dehydrate it evenly. You can also use an oven, but will probably need to flip the jerky periodically on the pan so that all sides are subject to the heat.
I use this Excalibur dehydrator, it has paid for itself many times over! They have great customer service and again, made in America!
How to turn ground beef into beef jerky
Here we go folks, check out this video to get a step by step on how I make the jerky! Scroll below to get the printable recipe with all the measurements and instructions.
How to turn Ground Beef into Beef Jerky
Learn how easy it is to turn ground beef into beef jerky.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
- 1/4 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 1 Tbl worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder/flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir until fully combined.
- Place a lid over the bowl and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Once the 24 hours is finished, bring out the bowl and begin inserting mixture into jerky gun.
- Make strips with jerky gun onto dehydrator tray.
- Place dehydrator trays into the dehydrator and set temperature to 145 degrees for 8-10 hours.
- Once dehydrated, place jerky into a glass jar with lid and store on the shelf.
