one day i went out and bought some beef jerky and it was ok, so i went and made some… and i loved it! and i found out that bought beef jerky doesn't taste like home made jerky. for months now, i have been making my own and i am nearly addicted to it when it is around

i have also made many batches of turkey jerky which is ok, but not as good as beef jerky!
anyways, has anyone ever make beef jerky from ground beef? i just saw it today when i was looking up new dehydrators and i want to try it. last time i had ground beef, i was having a hamburger and i hated the taste of it. so i am a little reluctant to try ground beef jerky… i also found out that they have jerky guns, which are like caulking guns for ground beef jerky and it makes flat pieces or round sticks. Anyone ever try this?
and for anyone who wants to know, i will give you my recipe for beef jerky (FYI: the jerky marinade recipes online are gross IMO, even others in my family agreed that my recipe was better than the marinade!)
what you will need:
- lean steak (a lean as you can get it)
- large ziplock bag
- Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning
- dehydrator/ kitchen oven
- cutting board, knife, etc…
what to do:
- put the steak in the freezer until it is firm, as it will be easier to cut
- then take it out and cut it against the grain into 1/4" or thinner slices (how thin it is will depend on how long it takes to dry)
- put the steak strips in the ziplock bag and put the steak seasoning in to fit your taste (i find that adding a little seasoning at a time and shaking the bag in-between helps)
- seal up the bag and let it sit in the fridge over night. the longer it sits, the better it tastes. (if you add the seasoning just before you dry it, most of it falls of when its dry and its not as flavorful)
- put the strips into the dehydrator and let them dry for 7-12 hours, depending on your dehydrator and how thin it is cut
OR -put the steak strips on cookie cooling racks or skewer them and hang them from the oven shelf with something underneath to catch any juices. put your oven on the lowest temp and leave the door open about 5 inches. this might take longer or shorter depending on the strips.
- i have had jerky done in 7-12 hours
- the jerky will be dry when it is done. there should be no squishy areas. once you take it out, it will harden a little more, so don't dry it until it is rock hard! this might take trial and error (and maybe a taste test!).
- store in a PAPER bag! if you store it in a plastic bag, it will get moist and you don't want that
-ENJOY