Beef Jerky is a great go-to snack, especially during a time when we’re all looking to decrease our sugar intake and increase our intake of healthy, brain-boosting proteins. Plus it’s darn tasty. For all these reasons it makes a great consumable gift for the holidays! It is also true that most jerky available in stores are loaded with salt and chemical preservatives so one needs to be careful when sourcing jerky to ensure it really is a healthy choice.

Once you do find jerky with acceptable ingredients you will notice that it costs a small FORTUNE per pound. We understand why - ethically produced food that truly nourishes can’t be had cheaply. But we’ve also found that we can save some money and have some fun making jerky ourselves and it’s actually pretty simple.

We like this recipe because it uses ground beef - one of the lower cost ways to access good beef. Working with ground beef also makes it easy and quick to prepare and can be made in the oven just as easily as in a dehydrator. Lastly, the end result is much easier to chew than typical jerky strips which is a bonus for anyone with kiddos or sensitive teeth.

Were you to interview members of our family, you would learn we have given this homemade beef jerky for holiday gifts for many years now. It can be packaged into mason jars tied with ribbon or wrapped into ziploc bags.

At the same time, we’ve learned to make a good supply of jerky for ourselves, which we then place in the freezer to keep until summer. Then we have a healthy, on-the-go snack already on hand during the busy months.

Whether you follow the basic recipe or get creative with your own variations, we hope you enjoy giving a gift that helps to nourish those you love. Have fun!

Homemade Ground Beef Jerky

Basic Ingredients:

4 pounds ground beef
2 1/2 tablespoons fine salt
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (we use Wright’s Brand liquid smoke is additive free - a small bottle will last for years of jerky making)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Squish very well with hands to ensure everything well mixed.
Preheat oven to 150 to 200F. If using a dehydrator you will need one that reaches temperatures sufficient to safely dehydrate meat - it will have a “meat” setting. The circular dehydrators suited to drying herbs are not recommended.
Working in batches, flatten mixture into large thin “patties” that will fit onto cookie sheets or dehydrator trays. This is a fun step for letting kiddos help. We found the easiest way to do this is to plop some mixture onto a piece of wax paper, cover with another piece of wax paper, and then flatten gently with a rolling pin until each patty is about 1/4 inch thick. To transfer to cookie sheet or dehydrator tray, remove top layer of wax paper and flop patty over onto tray, then peel the second piece of wax paper away gently. You may need to use a fresh piece of wax paper every few patties as they eventually start to rip.
Place beef in oven or dehydrator and allow to dry to several hours. If using oven, you may want to check on jerky after a few hours and adjust the oven temperature up or down as needed. Beef should dry slowly so it is chewy but not crispy.
Check for doneness around the 8 hour mark. Cut a small slice from one patty. Jerky should be pliable but resistant to tearing when handled. It should also be brown throughout without a pink center. Continue drying as needed.
You may also want to scrape any accumulated fat off the top of the patty with a rubber spatula while the jerky is still warm. This will help prevent the jerky from having fat globules adhered to the surface once cool. We save this little bit of fat in a jar and use it within a day or two for cooking other foods.
Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut each patty into suitable size strips for whatever storage container you will be using. You’re all done aside from decorating the jar or baggie as much or as little as you desire.

Helpful Hints:

The basic recipe is good and really lets the flavor of the good ground beef shine through. But it’s also fun to experiment. We’ve added the following items to different batches of jerky with good success: more black pepper, red pepper, herbal seasonings, garlic powder, onion powder, tamari (not too much since it’s adding liquid to something you want to dry out), small amount of maple syrup, and even dried fruits like raisins, blueberries, apricot bits - which sounds gross but was actually really good. Feel free to experiment.

If you are lucky enough to own a “jerky gun”, using it will let you skip the steps of creating patties and cutting into strips and will save you a lot of time. They are available at most cooking tool stores. You can also try a frosting bag but I mostly found that was a good way to get tired hands, a really messy frosting bag, and raw ground beef EVERYWHERE. :P You might have better luck than me though.
Keep in a cool, dry place for best results. When storing at room temperature, best to use within a few weeks. For long term storage keep jerky in freezer until you are ready to eat.