I use the American Harvest mix in my ground jerky mix.Have used it for years.Everyone enjoys it.

 

Con yeager

 

LEM - Backwoods Hickory. Shoot it and then sprinkle with black pepper before dehydrating.

 

Never made jerky from ground meat but been wanting to start. I guess the first step is get a jerky gun.

 

I had 2 guns and gave one away and quit using the other one, I hate cleaning the thing! I mix it up, put in the fridge for 24 hour and then spray a little pam on the cutting board and roller and roll in out, cut with a knife into strips. It works better cold rather than at room temp because it isn't as soft. Wax paper works good instead of pam.

 

I bought some ac leggs this year. Some cajun jerky and multiple deers stick seasonings.


So far so good. About a 1/2 the price of Con Yeager. It caution is that unlike Conyeagers kits the Ac leggs doesn't come with curing salt so make sure to buy some when ordering. It out.like 3-4 dollars a pound. You only need an oz I believe pee 25 lbs of meat, per the instructions

I like Con Yeager but their prices are really high anymore for just some spices.

https://www.sausagemakersupplies.com/amp/ac-legg-cajun-style-jerky-seasoning-blend-132-contains-red-black-and-white-pepper-for-a-spicy-cajun-flavor/

 

Nesco seasonings are good.I gave away my first shooter it was small and all plastic.I bought a Weston it has a metal tube and nozzles.It also makes 2 strips at one time and holds very close to 2 pounds of burger.

 

Nesco original jerky mix with a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper per pound (more depending on the zip you want).

 

I make sticks....Nesco gun but cut off about 1/2 of an inch off of the provided nozzle to make them bigger than what was intended. There are several of the flavors I like, but the andouille sausage is my favorite.

My last batch I had a few packets of hickory and one garlic and back pepper. Threw them all in, mostly to clean out the stock and it is drawing raves from the family.

 

The best is still done the old fashioned way.

Debone the meat and remove all fat and silver skin. Put the chunks of cleaned meat in a crock (a clean plastic garbage can will also work) cover it with water. Add enough salt to float an egg. Remove the egg. Cover it and let it sit in a cool dark place until the water starts to get a heavy film on top. Remove the meat, put it in cheese cloth bags and hang it in the smokehouse. Hit it with heavy smoke. Cold smoking works best in my opinion. Take it out of the smokehouse and hang it where it gets low heat for a day. Repeat that process over a couple days until it is at the dryness level you want and can be easily sliced with a knife. If heat smoking it doesn't take as long but you need to keep checking to make sure you aren't over drying it.

Keep it refrigerated though because it will get so hard you can't chew it if you let it dry too long.

Dick Bodenhorn

 

If I'm not using my own - I use Con Yeager

I have a jerky cannon, but unless I'm just trying to use up grind I generally don't use it anymore. I've found it easiest to just slice the meat to my desired thickness.

I also typically don't "cure" my jerky like you would bacon or a ham. Lately, I've just been doing smaller batches as I've gotten the urge. It doesn't last very long around here. I've also eliminated liquid smoke from my jerky recipes. I've been cold smoking it for an hour or two before I pop it in the dehydrator.

The best is still done the old fashioned way.

Debone the meat and remove all fat and silver skin. Put the chunks of cleaned meat in a crock (a clean plastic garbage can will also work) cover it with water. Add enough salt to float an egg. Remove the egg. Cover it and let it sit in a cool dark place until the water starts to get a heavy film on top.

To add on to Dick's idea - if you don't have a crock, a food grade plastic bucket works great. If you know anyone that works at a restaurant, see if they can get you one. Typically they get their pickles in a five gallon bucket that they end up throwing out once empty. I cured a ham in one last year.

 

LEM makes a good shooter

 

Add some liquid smoke and I use Worcester sauce in place of the water.

 

I've been dealing with Sausagemaker.com since the 1960s and have never had a reason to change to somebody else.

 

I buy a lot through Sausagemaker.com, but I don't think they had the .com part until well into the 90s.

I can't recall using a prepackaged seasoning mix, except maybe once. I've been mixing my own spices for both ground and whole meat jerky for a looong time. Other than the basic brine, I don't have any standard recipe. When making ground meat jerky, I add the appropriate amount of curing salt, then spice it depending on the mood I'm in. My basic mix is just curing salt, pepper, garlic, and a dash of Allspice, along with some liquid smoke. As was mentioned, once the are strips ready for the dehydrator sprinkle some black pepper, garlic, or hot peppers on them.
I usually keep it simple, but sometimes get adventurous. Make small batches at a time until you figure out what seasoning combinations you like best.

I like making ground meat jerky because it's a little less work, and I can play with spices easier, but my preferred way is whole meat. Again, start with a basic brine of water, curing salt, and sugar. I add apple juice or lemon, soy sauce (careful not to make it too salty), and Worsteshire(?) sauce, along with garlic, pepper, and again, whatever spices I think will get the flavor I'm looking for. Most of the time I stick with the basic brine, with the pepper and garlic powder. And then dry it in the smoker.

 

I'm on my second American Harvest Snackmaster Express dehydrator. I use the LEM jerky cannon, with either the round or flat nozzle. 3 hours to do a 1lb. batch. It takes longer to thaw the burger. I like to mix it and leave it sit a day in fridge. Use my own recipe for years now. I can change it up with different spices each time I make it.

 

I like ground because I don't have to put my teeth in to gnaw it.😉

 

Get two pieces of wood of your desired thickness or plastic preferably. I use an old wood ruler I cut in half it is about about 3/16" - 1"4" thick 15" long. Put down a piece of wax paper or saran wrap between the wood where the meat will lay ( a large ziplock bag works best by cutting two sides). Put the meat on the saran wrap then put another piece of saran wrap on top. Roll the meat using the wood as guide so it is all the same thickness then use a butter knife to cut strip size you like. I was going to buy a jerky shooter but this is easy and works with minimal clean up.