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Ground beef jerky in the oven? YES! This Midwest Ground Beef Jerky recipe has the flavor and an easier chew for those who don't like tough jerky.
I made this jerky several weeks ago and forgot to put the recipe on the site.... I don't know where my mind has been lately... I did use the pictures on another page explaining how to make ground meat jerky, check it out for more detail.
This recipe has a little liquid smoke, sugar, black pepper, salt, and a couple other familiar ingredients often found in jerky. I do love some spiced up fancy jerky every once in a while, but sometimes you just can't beat a good Midwest style original jerky.
Start with a lean ground beef, 10% fat at the most. Mix all your ingredients in a bowl before adding it to the ground meat. If using curing salt, like I did on this recipe, make sure to dissolve it in a liquid ingredient or water before adding it to the beef.
As you can see, after letting the beef mixture sit in the fridge for 12 hours to help bind the meat together, it was rolled flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I scored the meat with a dull knife to make it break apart easier when it is finished.
This batch took about 4 hours to dry in my oven. I flipped the meat after 2 hours and used paper towels to soak up any liquid on the baking sheet. At this point the meat should be easy to move and could be placed on a metal rack in the oven to finish drying.
It turned out to be a great tasting jerky. Whole muscle jerky is my favorite, but this ground beef jerky still hits the spot when you are craving a salty snack!
Let the jerky cool and test if it is done by bending it. If it bends without breaking in half or cracks just a little bit, it's finished. The jerky should still feel soft to the touch and not hard on the outside. Enjoy!
Pro Tips:
- Use Corn Syrup Solids to help bind the jerky together and make it pliable and not dried out too much.
- A jerky gun really helps when making a lot of ground jerky
- Add ground up fresh hot peppers for some heat!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
Ingredients
Lean Beef
- 1 lb Lean ground beef (10% fat or less)
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 2 teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
- ½ teaspoon corn syrup solids (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine ingredients and add to 1lb of ground beef
- Mix the ground beef and seasonings thoroughly
- spread the ground meat on a baking sheet, cover with wax paper, and roll with a rolling pin until meat is ¼" thick
- Slice the pan of beef into jerky strips 4-5" long and 1" thick
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my oven at 170F for 4 hours
- Ground jerky is finished when it first starts becoming dry to the touch. It should bend without breaking in half. If it cracks in half when bent a little bit, it was over dried
Pro Tips
- Use Corn Syrup Solids to help bind the jerky together and make it pliable and not dried out too much.Â
- A jerky gun really helps when making a lot of ground jerky
- Add ground up fresh hot peppers for some heat!
Nutrition
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
Jack Alltrades says
Hi Will, UK calling! Stumbled on this recipe for this Ground Beef Jerky this morning. Been making jerky from kits in the past, but had some Prague Powder #1 in store. Thought I'd try this out, but changed your recipe slightly as I did not have the Liquid Smoke or the Corn Syrup Solids. I switched the Liquid Smoke for Balsamic Vinegar (added sweetness and tang!), and added 4tbs of Smoked Paprika (smoke!). The Corn Syrup Solid, I did not have an alternative so left it as is and hand mixed for a good 5 minutes. It will be interesting how it comes out. The mix smells great! It's all in the fridge for 18hrs. I'll finish it tomorrow afternoon in my Dehydrator and will let you know how it goes. Wish me luck! 🙂
Will says
I'm sure it will turn out great! The corn syrup solids just helps the meat bind together, but can totally leave it out. Good luck!!!
Jack Alltrades says
Edit: Leaving to cure for 30hrs. I don't know why I said 18hrs. Will let you know how it goes. I'm doing a 4lb batch.
Tarron says
Hi Jack, how did the jerky turn out after a 30 hour cure?
Paul D. says
Trying this tomorrow. Used 27-73 though!
I’ll let y’all know how it works!
Will says
Nice! I'll be waiting to hear how it turned out!
Paul says
Attempting this jerky in the oven tomorrow, recommend on top, middle, bottom rack? Oven door closed/cracked?
Will says
Nice! Middle rack with the door cracked. Let me know how it turns out Paul.
Vanessa Knopp says
I can't wait to try your recipe. J make ground beef jerky all the time. How long on the dehydrater do you think? This is my biggest issue, overlooking. Also, I have been wondering of the fact the last I don't have during salt but Mortons tender quick is part of my salty problem. What are your thoughts?
Will says
Morton's tends to call for a lot of salt per pound which will make it very salty. I would cut back on the MTQ if you don't want it real salty. If you make a lot of ground jerky, I would buy some curing salt. It's not that expensive and will help keep you safe from any potential bacteria. I would also consider buying some corn syrup solids to help with the texture. I have found that around 4 hours in the dehydrator is about right for the ground jerky. Start checking it around 3 hours though, if it's not done just let it keep going. Let me know how it turns out Vanessa.
Belinda Rico says
Can I leave out the brown sugar?
Trying to cut the carb count.
Will says
It's going to change the flavor a bit, but yes you can cut out the sugar!
Sherry says
New to making jerky...1st batch using top round and a recipe called "Duke's Original" (I think). It was very good, but wasn't kind to my teeth, so I decided to give this recipe a go.
It turned out great, but just a teeny bit too hot for me (it kind of crept up on the back of my throat and boom). What surprised me was the texture...I expected it to be somewhat "crumbly", but you almost can't tell the finished product started off as ground meat.
Gonna grab some powdered Worcestershire and soy sauce and play around with it a bit.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Will says
Let me know how it turns out with your changes!
Scott says
Making this with a Cabelas Harvester dehydrator I dried on high for 3 hours rotating the trays each hour. I finished it on medium for 2 hours. Checking this with a meat thermometer I am confident I got all the trays to temp and didn't over dry it. Hope this helps those use a dehydrator. First batch with beef was very good. Venison is in the fridge for tomorrow.
Will says
Thanks for the feedback and info Scott! I bet that venison is going to be tasty!
Michael Clark says
Hi
Can I omit the brown sugar?
Will says
You can change any of the recipes. It probably will not turn out as good without the sugar though...
MC says
Thanks, stuck to the recipe. Great stuff.
Lee says
Hi Will, I will be making your Midwest Jerky tomorrow . I have a dehydrator that has no controls to set, only an on/off switch. How long do you think I should dry the Jerky?
Will says
That's a tough one not knowing how hot it will get. I would recommend pre-heating it since you don't know if it will get the jerky to 160F. After heating, dry in the dehydrator and start checking it at 3.5 hours.
Rick Walser says
Hi, I’ve been making Jerky for more than 20 years,, but it’s always been either the Luhr Jensen little chief recipe or a variant of, I recently tried a ground beef recipe using LEM Backwoods, first batch came out excellent, next 2 batches came out really brittle. The last 2 packs of beef have been 93% & 97% lean. Any chance 90 would be better, or would refrigerating after mixing help?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Will says
A little fat will definitely help bind the meat together and so will refrigerating. Going with the 10% fat is a way to go, but I wouldn't go any more than 10%. If you are still having trouble getting it to bind, using corn syrup solids will also help bind the meat together.
Rick Walser says
Have you ever considered adding the ingredients and breaking the meat up finer with a food processor??
Rick Walser says
Hi Will, just finished making your Midwest Ground Beef Jerky Recipe including using the Corn Syrup Solids...93% lean.. The flavor is excellent, but it still came out a little brittle, I’m going to follow up with another batch, the batch I referred to as perfect consistency in an earlier post I now remember was a 2 1/2 lb batch, the batches since have been 1 lb batches, I’m thinking that with the 2 lb batch the drying process was longer and the temperature ramped up slower making it better, next batch I’m trying drying at 135f for the first 2-3 hrs then turning the heat up at the end,, Thoughts?
Will says
I like to get the heat up right away to help kill any bacteria. It sounds like you might be over drying it. I would try drying it on high heat for 2 hours and then turning it down to 145F for the remainder. Make sure you take the jerky out and let it cool down for about 5 minutes when checking to see if it is done.
Ray says
I read somewhere to never use prague powder with liquid smoke because LS is too acidic and would produce nitric oxide. Is there a procedure to follow when using both?
Will says
I have been doing it for a while and have never experienced nitric oxide. I am not using vast amounts of ingredients though. If the liquid smoke is too acidic, I would recommend using more sea salt to increase the pH to counter the acidity of the liquid smoke.
SaraLyn says
Just finished making my first batch. I over cooked it but the flavor is still awesome. I was a little worried it would come out to spicy with the cayenne pepper but its not. Practice makes perfect so I will definatly be doing it again.
Will says
Congrats on your first batch! You will soon find out that it is fun to play around with recipes and alter as needed.
Jeremy says
hi Will,
for the Midwest Ground Beef Jerky recipe, what do you suggest for using a dehydrator in regards to temp and time?
Daniel says
Why do you recommend dissolving the curing salt in water first? I'm trying this recipe now with 1 lb ground turkey, and a tablespoon of tender quick, and realized I forgot that step. Do you know if this will be safe to eat? Thanks for such an awesome site!
Will says
I have made it without dissolving the curing salt in water and it turned out fine. I just feel like it becomes better incorporated when it is dissolved in liquid. Your jerky should be safe to eat. Thanks Daniel, glad you are enjoying the site!
Susan spira says
what can I substitute for corn syrup solids? cannot be dairy, please. Can I just omit it?
Will says
Just go ahead and omit it. It helps bind the ground jerky together, but is not required when making jerky. Let me know how your jerky turns out!
Spira Susanne says
I promised to write how I liked the dos pepper jerky. It is OK but to be truthful, I like the Nesco Original recipe better, only it was too salty because they used too much salt in the curing mix (lower% of Nitrate with larger quantity of the salt mix) , so I need to make it with the pink powder instead. Do you have a somolar recipe so I do not need to buy the packets?
Susan S.
Will says
Hey Susan, thanks for coming by! I am glad that you liked the Dos Pepper Jerky. To answer your question about a Nesco Original substitute, I haven't made a packaged jerky in several years. I honestly do not remember what the Nesco Original tastes like. I would recommend browsing through my recipes and reading the ingredients for something that peaks your taste buds!!!
Spira Susanne says
Thanks. How can you keep up?
susan
Marie Bozarth says
Loved it! Very tender too. I am currently in the process of trying an Asian flavored one, hope it turns out well. Thank you!
C.B Steele says
Really liked this recipe. what is the shelf life of this jerky? Can you seal it in foodsaver system bags? Thank you
Will says
Glad you liked it! If you make this with cure and seal in food saver bags, it should last several months. I use a vacuum sealer all the time to keep my jerky fresh for hiking and hunting trips. I normally seal them and keep them in the fridge. You can also freeze them for long storage , 6+ months.
Elizabeth says
Yup, this was a good recipe. My son specifically asked for lemon pepper jerky & he liked it. I've got your Midwest Ground Beef Jerky mix cooling in the refrigerator, I'll make it tomorrow & comment on that recipe site.
I passed on a few of your recipes because they included Prague #1. I had to Google it to find that it is curing salt. I added the amount of regular salt like you advised.