• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Wellness Mama script logo

Wellness Mama®

Simple Answers for Healthier Families

  • About
  • Favorites
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Health
  • Natural Home
  • Motherhood
  • Mindset
  • Natural Remedies
  • Beauty
  • Organization
  • Travel
  • Reviews
  • Recipes
Ground Beef Jerky Recipe
  • Beef Recipes
  • Recipes
  • Snack Recipes

Ground Beef Jerky Recipe

Katie WellsMar 30, 2011Updated: Jan 3, 2020
Reading Time: 3 min

This post contains affiliate links.
Click here to read my affiliate policy.

Jump to Recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Beef Recipes » Ground Beef Jerky Recipe

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

When a road trip 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 ground venison and other game meats can be prepared this way and are excellent! Usually, we just use grass fed beef though.

Some Notes:

Green ebook cover with spices, bears, and veggies on a table

Meal Prep!

Busy? Save Time + Eat More Protein

With my High-Protein (Family-Friendly) Bulk Meal Prep Guide. This saves me so much time each week and keeps my family fueled! Download it free here:

The jerky will harden up more after taking it out, so don’t let it get too dry in the oven. It also shrinks a lot as the moisture leaves it, 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.

Ground Beef Jerky Recipe

Ground Beef Jerky Recipe

Katie Wells
Make healthy, nitrate-free, beef jerky at home with ground beef. Easily customize the flavor with natural spices...
4.58 from 19 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 8 hrs
Total Time 8 hrs 10 mins
Course Appetiser
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 161 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 lbs ground beef (or venison, elk, bison, etc.)
  • 1-3 TBSP salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 TBSP coconut aminos
  • other spices to taste (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. On my oven this is 170°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!)
  • In a medium size bowl, mix together the ground meat with desired spices.
  • Using the bottom of a glass baking dish or a rolling pin, roll the meat evenly around the baking sheet to ¼ inch thickness. If it is too thick, use a second baking sheet.
  • Use a butter knife to 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 it's done.
  • Brush with coconut aminos or fermented soy sauce if desired and sprinkle with a little extra sea salt.
  • Place in the oven and cook for 8-12 hours or until hardened. It is a good idea to flip it once, but not necessary 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 at room temperature for up to a couple weeks, or keep in the freezer if you aren't going to use it before then.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

You can easily mix up the flavors in this recipe with different spices. I've made a Mexican type flavor with cumin and cilantro; a Chinese variation with ginger and coconut aminos; and an Italian version with oregano, basil, marjoram, extra garlic, and pepper.
Make sure you use lean ground meat for best flavor and longest lasting jerky.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ozCalories: 161kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 24gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1031mgPotassium: 396mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 2.7mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

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

This ground beef jerky is easy to make and customize and is much cheaper to make than traditional jerky.

Category: Beef Recipes, Recipes, Snack Recipes

Share this article

FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Print / PDF / Email

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

  • All Posts

You may also enjoy these posts…

Bulgogi: Korean Beef Recipe

Asian beef and broccoli

Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe

beef Burgundy stew

Easy Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy) Recipe

Spicy Beef Curry (Authentic Bangladeshi Recipe)

st. patrick's day corned beef

Healthier Irish Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe

how to use grounds

16 Things to Do With Used Coffee Grounds

Reader Interactions

Discussion (76 Comments)

  1. Sezno

    November 16, 2011 at 4:29 PM

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

    Reply
  2. Dotty

    June 14, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    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.

    Reply
    • Lauren Smallcomb

      October 23, 2012 at 8:32 PM

      what temp do you put it on for the majority of the time?? 105 at the end or the whole time??

      Reply
  3. Bree

    June 13, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    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.  

    Reply
    • Zam

      October 26, 2011 at 11:57 AM

      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.

      Reply
      • AJ

        October 4, 2014 at 8:23 PM

        would a manual trigger or electric cookie press work with one of the flat dies? that would make long strips and it becomes a multitasker vs. a one use wonder 😉 This sounds interesting. I made jerky for my kids from a roast that I thin sliced and dried in my dehydrator. Would a dehydrator work for this as well? I’m not sure what the max temp is (Excalibur) but probably up around 150 or so.

        Reply
        • Rhonda

          December 20, 2014 at 2:56 PM

          did you cook the roast before dehydrating it?

          Reply
          • Sandra

            September 17, 2018 at 8:19 AM

            I never cook the roast before dehydrating my beef jerky. I slice it, then marinate overnight with the spices and aminos in the frig. Spread it on the dehydrator racks and season with different things like lemon pepper, or cayenne and Himalayan salt, garlic salt, etc. The dehydrator is basically “cooking” the meat at a low temp.

  4. Timon

    May 16, 2011 at 3:51 AM

    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.

    Reply
    • Joel Regen

      April 29, 2013 at 5:15 PM

      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.

      Reply
      • Marie_S

        December 8, 2013 at 6:29 PM

        I made my pemmican and added dried blueberries and coconut oil as I didn’t have tallow. It’s delicious, the kids even eat it like candy.

        Reply
  5. Karen

    April 6, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    What are coconut aminos?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      April 6, 2011 at 3:29 PM

      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

      Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      April 6, 2011 at 3:29 PM

      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

      Reply
  6. Todd Dosenberry

    April 3, 2011 at 9:44 PM

    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!

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      April 3, 2011 at 11:23 PM

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

      Reply
  7. lee shu-han

    April 1, 2011 at 6:00 PM

    this sounds like such a great idea!! I will definitly be trying this out. Must this be refrigerated and how long can they keep?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      April 1, 2011 at 6:43 PM

      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.

      Reply
    • Michi

      April 30, 2012 at 9:07 AM

      Made it last night! Fantastic!!
      Thanks for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
  8. Thana

    April 1, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    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?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      April 1, 2011 at 6:42 PM

      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.

      Reply
  9. Todd Dosenberry

    April 1, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    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!!

    Reply
  10. Erin

    March 30, 2011 at 3:51 PM

    I’ve been looking for something like this! I’m so impatient with cutting meat for homemade jerky. This looks like the solution!

    Reply
Newer Comments »

Join the Conversation... Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Please read the comment policy.

Recipe Rating




The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy. Content may not be reproduced in any form. Ads provided by CafeMedia Family & Parenting Network. Displayed ads do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Wellness Mama.


Content

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Favorites
  • Wellnesse

Support

  • Newsletter
  • Podcast Application
  • Medical Review Board
  • My Books
  • Sitemap
  • Contact

Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Full Disclaimer
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Promo Guidelines
  • Comment Policy

Join the
Wellness Mama Tribe!


Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Mama® · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding