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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.
- 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.
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.