Ground Beef Jerky Recipe (2024)

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Although cheaper than store-bought, making homemade beef jerky can still be costly. It all depends on the type and cut of meat used. That’s why this ground beef jerky recipe is so popular with my readers. It provides a large quantity of beef jerky while remaining affordable.

I pay about $10-15 for 3 pounds of lean ground beef (here in Alaska, anyways). If you factor in another $2-3 for the beef broth, sea salt, and seasonings, I can fill a gallon-size bag about ¾ of the way full of jerky using this recipe for about $13-18. That's a lot of ground beef jerky for a great price!

If you enjoy this beef recipe, try gluten-free beef stroganoff, sirloin tip roast, bottom round roast, and Instant Pot chuck roast.

Contents show

Making Jerky with Ground Beef

When I set out to create this ground beef jerky, I didn't want to use gluten-free soy sauce (otherwise known as gluten-free tamari) to flavor the meat, nor did I want to use coconut aminos as an alternative (I don't care for them and they can be expensive). So instead, I decided to try a beef jerky seasoning of beef broth, molasses, and liquid smoke. I couldn't believe how perfectly it all worked out; this beef jerky recipe is so flavorful without any soy ingredients!

Many readers have said they have successfully substituted the lean ground beef in this recipe with another lean ground meat, like deer, moose, or bison.

Purchasing a Jerky Gun

We own a metal jerky gun but have previously owned a plastic one. While the plastic jerky gun was much cheaper, it was highly frustrating and didn't work as well as the metal one.

Tips for Using a Jerky Gun

Keep your meat cold! Cold ground beef will pass through the jerky gun much more accessible than meat at room temperature.
Go for thinner strips vs. wider strips of beef jerky. They dehydrate quicker and are much easier to form (even using a jerky gun!).

Double vs. Single Nozzle

If your jerky gun comes with a double flat nozzle (shoots out 2 strips of jerky at a time vs. one), stick to the single nozzle (shoots out 1 strip of jerky). The double nozzles tend not to push out the ground beef consistently, so you’ll get one thick strip of beef jerky and one super skinny one. Jerky strips at different thicknesses will not dehydrate evenly. Plainly said, the thicker jerky strips will need to dehydrate longer, while the thinner strips will dehydrate faster. As an example, here is a picture of the double flat nozzle. You can see that the strip on the right is coming out thicker than the strip on the left.

Loading The Jerky Gun

When loading a jerky gun, instead of filling the entire barrel at once, push the plunger to the end of the barrel and gradually fill the barrel little by little. If you think of the jerky gun as a tube with a stopper that pushes the ground beef out (forward), push the stopper forward. Now pull the stopper back 2 inches, and fill the first 2 inches with ground beef; pull the stopper back another 2 inches and continue filling the jerky gun this way, little by little, until the tube is full. These steps eliminate air pockets in the ground beef jerky mixture. Air pockets cause the jerky gun to push out the ground beef inconsistently.
Use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to cut off the flow of the jerky mixture from the jerky gun.

Using The Jerky Gun To Shoot Strips

My family prefers jerky strips about 5-6 inches long. Instead of shooting the jerky strips out of the jerky gun at this length, we shoot out 10-12-inch strips and then use an offset spatula or butter knife to “cut” the strips in half before dehydrating. This “cut” doesn’t penetrate all the way through, but it makes it easy to break the long strips in half once dehydrated.

Round Beef Jerky Sticks

You can use the round beef jerky sticks nozzle (or pepperoni sticks nozzle) on the jerky gun vs. the flat jerky nozzle (as seen in my pictures). The shape of your homemade jerky is a matter of preference. Also, the dehydrating time may vary with the different nozzles.

Making Beef Jerky in the Dehydrator

I use an Excalibur dehydrator (model 3926TB) with temperature control and a timer. This way, I can set the hamburger jerky to dehydrate and not have to worry about it going for too long and drying out (I do this knowing already about how long my Excalibur takes to dehydrate a batch of jerky).

Rotate your dehydrator trays once or twice during the dehydration process. This ensures all the trays dehydrate evenly.

It is essential to use lean ground beef (93% lean and 7% fat is perfect) to make this recipe. Any ground beef that is higher in fat will leave grease droplets all over the inside of your dehydrator.

Can This Ground Beef Jerky Recipe Be Made In The Oven

Dehydrating ground beef in the oven on the lowest temp might be possible, but I have yet to try it. I'm not sure if it will work. If you try, please return and let us know if you succeeded!

Storing Ground Beef Jerky

Consume gluten-free beef jerky within 12 hours at room temperature, or store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. For long-term storage, freeze in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 months.

This recipe was originally published in January 2014. Blog post and recipe card updated to include better instructions and notes April 2023.

Ground Beef Jerky Recipe

Yield: 15-18 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 11 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds ground beef (use 97% lean/7% fat)
5 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
3-4 teaspoons sea salt (we prefer 4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 ¼ cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Wright’s Hickory Liquid Smoke
2 teaspoons molasses

Instructions

Place the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Stir together the beef broth, Wright's Hickory Liquid Smoke, and molasses, and then pour it into the mixing bowl with the ground beef. Stir until well combined.
Cover and marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Form the meat into strips, about ⅛-1/4” thick, using a jerky gun, your hands, or a rolling pin to flatten the meat into strips or whatever shape you desire.
Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 145 degrees (F) for 6-12 hours.
Place the jerky strips on paper towels to cool and absorb any excess fat (if there is any).
Consume within 12 hours at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. For long-term storage, freeze in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 months.

Notes

You must use lean ground beef. As the jerky dehydrates, the fat will seep, creating a mess if your ground beef is higher in fat.

Purchasing a Jerky Gun

We own a metal jerky gun but have previously owned a plastic one. While the plastic jerky gun was much cheaper, it was highly frustrating and didn't work as well as the metal one.

You can make this recipe without a jerky gun, but I wouldn't recommend it. The jerky gun ensures consistent beef strips, while trying to form even strips by hand is nearly impossible.

Tips For Using A Jerky Gun

Keep your meat cold! Cold ground beef will pass through the jerky gun much more accessible than meat at room temperature.
Go for thinner strips vs. wider strips of beef jerky. They dehydrate quicker and are much easier to form (even using a jerky gun!).

Double or Single Nozzle

If your jerky gun comes with a double flat nozzle (shoots out 2 strips of jerky at a time vs. one), stick to the single nozzle (shoots out 1 strip of jerky). The double nozzles tend not to push out the ground beef consistently, so you’ll get one thick strip of beef jerky and one super skinny one. Jerky strips at different thicknesses will not dehydrate evenly. Plainly said, the thicker jerky strips will need to dehydrate longer, while the thinner strips will dehydrate faster. As an example, here is a picture of the double flat nozzle. You can see that the strip on the right is coming out thicker than the strip on the left.

Loading The Jerky Gun

When loading a jerky gun, instead of filling the entire barrel at once, push the plunger to the end of the barrel and gradually fill the barrel little by little. If you think of the jerky gun as a tube with a stopper that pushes the ground beef out (forward), push the stopper forward. Now pull the stopper back 2 inches, and fill the first 2 inches with ground beef; pull the stopper back another 2 inches and continue filling the jerky gun this way, little by little, until the tube is full. These steps eliminate air pockets in the ground beef jerky mixture. Air pockets cause the jerky gun to push out the ground beef inconsistently.
Use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to cut off the flow of the jerky mixture from the jerky gun.

Using The Jerky Gun To Shoot Strips

My family prefers jerky strips about 5-6 inches long. Instead of shooting the jerky strips out of the jerky gun at this length, we shoot out 10-12-inch strips and then use an offset spatula or butter knife to “cut” the strips in half before dehydrating. This “cut” doesn’t penetrate all the way through, but it makes it easy to break the long strips in half once dehydrated.

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