Ground Beef Jerky

Wellness Mama 42 Comments

homemade healthy ground beef jerky Ground Beef Jerky

My kids really like beef jerky, and actually I do too. For a long time, we never had it in the house because a) its expensive and b) unless its full of sugars and nitrates, it is really expensive!

When a road tip left me desperate for some kind of portable protein, I tried an idea a friend had recommended: making jerky from ground beef. It was surprisingly easy, much cheaper, and the kids loved it. I now keep this on hand for daily snacks and make big batches for trips.

I’ve also found that deer and game meats can be prepared this way and are excellent! Usually, we just use grass fed beef though.

Ground Beef Jerky Ingredients:

2-3 lbs of grass fed ground beef (or venison, elk, bison, etc)
1-3 TBSP sea salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
garlic powder
Coconut aminos (optional)
Other spices to taste. I’ve made a Mexican type flavor with Cumin and Cilantro; a Chinese variation with ginger and fermented soy sauce; and an Italian version with Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, extra Garlic and pepper.

How to Make Ground Beef Jerky:

Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. On my oven this is 170 degrees F.
Lightly rub olive oil over the bottom of a large baking sheet with a lip. (It is ok to use olive oil here because we aren’t heating to high temps!)
Mix any desired spices in with the ground meat
Using the side of a glass or a rolling pin, roll the meat evenly around the baking sheet. It should be around 1/4 inch thick. If it is too thick, use a second baking sheet.
Using a butter knife, lightly score the meat to make the sizes you want for the jerky. You can also skip this step and use kitchen scissors to cut into strips when its done.
Brush with coconut aminos or fermented soy sauce if desired and sprinkle with a little extra sea salt. (I use Himalayan salt which has almost 90 trace minerals)
Put in the oven for 8-12 hours or until hardened. It is a good idea to flip once, but not necesary at all. I usually stick this in at night and it is ready to flip in the morning and done a few hours later.
Store out of the fridge for a couple weeks, or keep in the freezer if you aren’t going to use it before then.
Enjoy

Some Notes:

The jerky will harden up more after taking it out, so don’t let it get too dry in the oven. It also cooks down a lot, so make more than you think you will need. My kids actually like this dipped in guacamole or salsa, but we also eat it plain or with raw cheese slices.

P.S. I’m not a good photographer (sorry!) so please don’t judge the jerky by my picture. It looks much better in person!

Ever made jerky? Were you successful? Let me know below!

Shared at Fight Back Friday.

Filed Under: Beef, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: beef, food, gluten free, herbal remedies, homemade

About Wellness Mama

Wellness Mama is a full-time housewife with a background in nutrition, journalism and communications. Her passion is helping others achieve optimal health through a “Wellness Lifestyle.” She has helped hundreds of clients lose weight, increase athletic performance, improve fertility, and overcome numerous health problems and diseases. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, & Pinterest.

Disclaimer: Many of the links on my site, especially those from Amazon, Mountain Rose Herbs, Tropical Traditions and OraWellness are affiliate links. Should you click on these links and decide to purchase anything, I will receive a small commission and you will have my sincere thanks for supporting Wellness Mama!

DISCLAIMER: The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

http://erintakescontrol.wordpress.com/ Erin

I’ve been looking for something like this! I’m so impatient with cutting meat for homemade jerky. This looks like the solution!
http://www.facebook.com/todd.dosenberry Todd Dosenberry

Wow!!!!! I have been wanting to make my own homemade beef jerky for months. You just made that more possible then ever. I new knew it could be so simple! I am actually thawing a lb. of ground beef as I type this…. I think I might make some beef jerky with it. THANK YOU!!
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Thatstuffyoumade

I’m curious about the texture. Is it very tough? Chewy? Not that I know that much about regular beef jerky, but how is it different?
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

It is a little easier to chew than regular beef jerky, though if it
cooks too long, it can get a little harder. It isn’t tough, but hard
enough to seem like jerky.
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

Doesn’t need to be refrigerated unless it will take you longer than a
week or two to eat it. If it will, just keep in the fridge for up to
4 weeks and the freezer indefinitely.
lee shu-han

this sounds like such a great idea!! I will definitly be trying this out. Must this be refrigerated and how long can they keep?
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http://www.facebook.com/todd.dosenberry Todd Dosenberry

Is it best to use 2-3 lbs of ground beef or will 1 lb work? I ask because I have 1 lb. thawed right now. Thanks!
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

One pound would work. I’ve always just made it in bigger amounts
because it takes so long.
Karen

What are coconut aminos?
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

They are similar to soy sauce, but fermented from coconut instead. I
can’t find them locally where I am, but there are available several
places online… just do a search
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

They are similar to soy sauce, but fermented from coconut instead. I
can’t find them locally where I am, but there are available several
places online… just do a search
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Phocion Timon

I make pemmican from 96/4 ground beef (I don’t have easy access to grass-fed beef): I dry the beef, put it in a blender and grind it down into almost a powder. I weigh the dried beef and add about 40% BY WEIGHT of grass-fed tallow, salt to taste, and chipotle chili powder. It keeps longer than jerky. (I read an article several years ago some archeologists found pemmican in a cave in France and decided the pemmican was about 100 years old and was still a viable product.) Native Americans would add various berries and such to theirs.
Bree

Thank you! I’ve been putting this off, thinking I needed some way to extrude the meat (and didn’t want to go buy something to do that). This is great. Here’s a great ingredient to try: smoked paprika. Awesomely smoky.
Dotty

I’ve had good results making this in the dehydrator. I usually make it with one pound at the time and add onion powder as well as garlic powder, about a half teaspoon or so of the onion powder, along with sea salt and a little other spice sprinkled in. I form the pieces with my hands, first making a small ball usually, and try to make them fairly small and thin. I put the dehydrator on 105 degrees or less for a few hours so that it’s not so hard and chewy. I’ve found that you don’t really need the liners on the trays and it dries better without them. Of course, it doesn’t last long, so I should probably be making bigger batches at one time and storing them in the frig. I like the fact that they’re basically raw, so we get more of the enzymes, etc.
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Jerkydude-Z

Actually just an hour ago I used the rolling pin method to prepare ground beef for jerky. I still want a jerky gun however, it would make my job much easier.
Sezno2weet

Thank you for your site. I search and search for recipes and always end up back here. You have everything!
Daniel

What do you think is the fattiest ground beef that can used for this?
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

Around 20% fat would be my guess
Jennasliker

I have made jerky a lot from grass f’ed top round steaks usually. It is delicious, but a lot of work to cut thin slices. I have a food dehydrator and am going to try your recipe with it! Can’t wait! Thanks!
Vanille

Making this today with some elk meat that I had thawing. I hope it turns out well! My hubby has a hard time finding healthy things to snack on since the office cupboard where he works is full of candy bars and, at the very best, rancid nuts. I hope this goes over well with him, cause it’d be nice to give him something to eat if he’s hungry.

I made this with cumin, a lot of garlic, cayenne and coriander (and of course salt and pepper). It smelled SO good raw, Hopefully it tastes good cooked as well!

Thanks for the recipe! If this turns out, I will be making it again and again!
Michi

Made it last night! Fantastic!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
http://twitter.com/lillianjuliaD Lillian Davenport

wow, this is wonderful.. all the goodness of grass-fed and by-product free with the convenience of jerky! You’ve really demystified this process for me, thank you!
Cseibe

I have been making this for years now, having figured it out by trial and error. I always pat it out by hand (easier than using a rolling pin) onto wax paper that I set directly onto the oven racks. You can also set the jerky/wax paper on a baking sheet if preferred. After an hour or less, when the surface is somewhat dry to the touch, I flip the sheet of jerky directly onto the oven rack and peel the wax paper off. It dries far more quickly with this method. I also open the door periodically to let out the moisture. Once dry, I cut it into strips for a portable protein snack or quick meal. My family loves it! I also make a variety of flavors, usually using 1 tsp salt per pound of meat, and 1.5 lbs per baking sheet. My oven has convection which I sometimes use, and also has an adjustment to calibrate the oven temperature, so I can reduce the temperature by 30* to make the temp. 140*. Hope this helps.
Kam2w05

Will this technically work with “regular” ground beef? I haven’t been able to get grass-fed meats yet. Will it still store just as well?
Kam2w05

Cseibe – About how long does it take for your jerky to be done?
Val

I’ll go try ground beef jerky! It’s a lot less expensive then the steak i normally buy. LOL. my recipe is amazing. It’s base is soy sauce and add worchester sauce to taste. Then garlic, cinnamon, and pepper. Then pour it over and let it sit for like 12 hours and then dry it. Fantastic!
Julia

I made this yesterday but m not sure I cooked it long enough. It was about 8 hrs. How do I know when it’s done? I’m afraid to store it at room temp if it’s not fully dried. It’s in the fridge now. Thanks for your help!
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

It should not bend easily when it’s fully done, and the inside shouldn’t look wet at all…
sarah

I mixed up the meat and put it on the baking sheet tonight, I’m gonna put it in the oven tomorrow morning. The lowest setting on my oven is 200, how long do you think I should cook it for? Also, wouldn’t the fat cook off of the ground beef and need to be drained?
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

With the beef I’ve used, it cooks so slow that the fat has never been a problem, but definitely drain it if it does collect. 200 should be fine, but I’d start watching carefully after a couple of hours…
http://www.facebook.com/lauren.smallcomb Lauren Smallcomb

what temp do you put it on for the majority of the time?? 105 at the end or the whole time??
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Joel-Regen/771359931 Joel Regen

how’s it taste? I just made some pemmican from ground up home-made jerky and tallow, 50/50 by weight. Kinda hard to get down. Needed something to make the tallow not taste like tallow.