Ground Beef Jerky

may sound funny to some when I share that one of my favorite jerks is made of ground beef The reason you may ask include:

• ground beef is economical and often cheaper than a roast
• ground beef is easier to work with. Whether using a jerky gun or rolling the meat out thin ground beef is easier than cutting other pieces of meat with bone and tissues into strips
• beef jerky can be a bit chewy however, ground beef jerky has a meatier, saltier jerky taste

The recipe source is another great book you may want to check out. Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook – “All American Marinated Beef Jerky”.



1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 pound lean ground beef

In a glass bowl, combine all ingredients and let sit (refrigerated) for at least two hours. I mixed this up at bedtime and let it sit until after lunch the next day, and it wasn't too strong.

Load the mixture in the jerky gun and use the gun to load your dehydrator trays. I do recommend using the mesh inserts or fruit leather trays for your dehydrator. This mixture is fairly soft because of the added liquid, which makes it easier to fire through the gun.

If you don't have a jerky gun, roll the mixture out very thinly (1/8 inch thick) and score lines where you would like the pieces to break apart.

Dry at 145° – 165° F (63° – 74° C) for 4 to 12 hours, until jerky is hard but still flexible and contains no pockets of moisture. For extra safety, heat finished jerky in a 275° F (135° C) oven for 10 minutes.

Jerky will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 – 2 months. For longer storage, place in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Vacuum sealing will extend shelf life.


No Dehydrator needed

Jerky can be dried in the oven. A oven set at 250 degrees with the door slightly open 2.5 hours can be used. Simply rotate the baking sheet and bake 3 hours more. Flip the jerky over at 2.5 hours marke so the underside of jerky is exposed.



1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 pound lean ground beef or venison

In a glass bowl, combine all ingredients and let sit (refrigerated) for at least two hours. I mixed this up at bedtime and let it sit until after lunch the next day, and it wasn’t too strong.
Load the mixture in the jerky gun and use the gun to load your dehydrator trays. I do recommend using the mesh inserts or fruit leather trays for your dehydrator. This mixture is fairly soft because of the added liquid, which makes it easier to fire through the gun.
If you don’t have a jerky gun, roll the mixture out very thinly (1/8 inch thick) and score lines where you would like the pieces to break apart.
Dry at 145° – 165° F (63° – 74° C) for 4 to 12 hours, until jerky is hard but still flexible and contains no pockets of moisture. For extra safety, heat finished jerky in a 275° F (135° C) oven for 10 minute