Homemade Beef Jerky

Have you checked the price of beef jerky in stores? It's surprisingly high. We enjoy jerky, but due to its cost, we rarely purchase it. Years back, my husband's close friend owned a "meat shop" in our neighborhood, and Herm crafted the finest jerky. Unfortunately, Herm passed away in 2011, and we haven't found any jerky that matches his quality.

A few years back, during a family visit to Tennessee, we found ourselves in Pigeon Forge and stumbled upon a jerky shop offering samples. We were instantly captivated. The brand was "PS Seasoning & Spices," which, amusingly, hails from Iron Ridge, WI. It was ironic that we traveled all the way to Tennessee only to discover jerky seasoning from a state next to ours.

Creating jerky isn't difficult; it simply requires time. Most seasoning packets available for purchase contain everything you need, including the cure.

I'm fortunate to have a fairly large dehydrator and a jerky "cannon," but you don't need these tools to make jerky.

I suggest you explore and determine if this is something you would like to create. There are numerous resources available online, and most seasoning kits come with instructions for making jerky.

Ingredients:

Ground beef

Jerky Cure and Seasoning

Worcestershire Sauce

Water

Directions:

According to the package directions, measure and mix the cure and seasoning together.

Add the seasoning to the beef. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of ice water per pound of meat. I substitute Worcestershire sauce for part of the water. This recipe is for 2 pounds of beef, so I used 1/4 cup of ice water and 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce. The Worcestershire sauce adds depth to the flavor of the jerky. This is one of the tricks we learned at the Jerky shop in Tennessee.

Following the package directions, mix well. This brand requires 5 minutes of mixing or until the mixture is "sticky". This prevents shrinkage.

Remove the seasoned meat from the bowl and lay on plastic wrap.

Wrap securely and refrigerate for the recommended duration according to the package directions. This brand needs at least 4 hours, but it can be left overnight.

When you're prepared to make the jerky, you have the option to use a jerky gun like the one shown, or you can try other techniques, such as using a pastry piping bag.

I sectioned the meat into three pieces to fit into the gun more easily.

Once the gun is loaded, just make the strips as long as you want them. This particular tool also comes with a tube attachment, but I prefer the strips for ground beef.

Place in the dehydrator or oven, again following the package directions. This brand suggests 1 1/2 hours at 200° F, but my dehydrator only goes to 190° F, so I will have to adjust the time.

Showing 1 1/2 hours on the timer

Showing the temperature.

This is the jerky "gun" we have. It was purchased locally at a fleet farm store. You can also purchase this brand on Amazon as well.

This is the brand I used for this batch. It was also purchased locally at a fleet farm store.

Notes:

The dehydrator was purchased on Amazon, and I believe it was under $200.00. I have gotten more than my money out of it as I use is for fruits and vegetables as well.