Easy Homemade Jerky From Ground Beef Food

EASY HOMEMADE JERKY FROM GROUND BEEF

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix seasonings into the beef until evenly distributed, with your hands. Divide beef mixture into 3 or 4 sections. Roll to the size of your dehydrator trays between either paraflex sheets or plastic wrap if you don't have paraflex sheets.
• Remove plastic wrap as you flip the meat onto the dehydrator trays. Score into jerky-sized strips with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut the dehydrator tray, and dry on high overnight, or until thoroughly cooked. Break apart at the score lines.
• Store in the fridge long term, though the salt and dehydrator preserve this well to last for a weekend camping trip or all day on a hike.

HOMEMADE BEEF JERKY

Steps:

• Whisk Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, paprika, honey, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a bowl. Add beef to bowl and turn to coat beef completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, 3 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the foil.
• Transfer beef to paper towels to dry. Discard marinade. Arrange beef slices in a single layer on the prepared wire rack on the baking sheet.
• Bake beef in the preheated oven until dry and leathery, 3 to 4 hours. Cut with scissors into bite-size pieces.

GROUND BEEF JERKY

Steps:

• Preheat the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 160-170 degrees F using your favorite hardwood. Strong woods like hickory or oak will give you a robust smoke flavor, mild woods like apple or maple will be more subtle.
• Make the ground beef mixture. Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and combine with hands to distribute the seasonings evenly through the meat.
• Form the jerky sticks. Fill a jerky cannon and extrude the jerky onto flat racks at your desired length. Be sure the jerky isn't overlapping or touching other pieces. If you don't have a cannon, place the seasoned beef between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the meat to an even 1/8th inch thickness using a rolling pin. Cut the flattened beef into strips using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Remove the top sheet of parchment, place your flat rack on top of the meat, and carefully flip the whole thing over. Remove the remaining sheet of parchment paper and gently separate the jerky strips on the rack.
• Dehydrate the ground beef jerky. Place the jerky topped flat racks on the grill grates, close the lid, and smoke for 2.5-3 hours total. The jerky will have shrunk in size, picked up a dark red color, and bend without breaking when it is finished. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can check to make sure the strips have cooked above 165 degrees F.
• Cool, store, and enjoy! Allow your jerky strips to cool completely on the rack before transferring to a zip top bag. This jerky will last for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.