Ground Beef Jerky Sticks
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Ground beef jerky sticks are all packed with flavor and even easier to make than beef jerky! You’ll love this easy beef sticks recipe!
As a practical gift-giver, I struggle with Christmas and Birthdays when it comes to my husband. It’s hard to buy for the guy who’s got everything he needs, and most things he wants.
This year, though, for his birthday in February, I was struck with the brilliant idea to give him a jerky gun. (And by struck with the idea I mean he sent me a link and said he wanted it. haha!)
Turns out, it was a great gift!
This ground beef jerky recipe is dedicated to a darn good gift.
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Tips + Tricks
No. 1 –> Looking for a whole muscle beef jerky recipe?
No. 2 –> We smoke all of our jerky, but this ground beef jerky can also be cooked in the oven or dehydrator! Check below for those deets!
No. 3 –> Fill the jerky gun in stages. By this I mean add some ground beef mixture, then pack it with the plunger, repeating until the gun is full. This will result in fewer air bubbles and more consistent piping with the gun.
No. 4 –> Keep the ground meat mixture as cold as possible. This helps the mixture pass through the gun more easily. Especially if using pork in your mixture, as pork fat likes to soften at room temperature!
Key Ingredients
Ground meat: We’ve tried this recipe a few different ways and our favorite, hands down, has been a 2:1 ratio of ground beef to ground pork.
Spices: The spices ( ground pepper, sriracha powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder) in this recipe are nearly identical to my donair recipe, that loaf was so flavorful and delicious it was an obvious choice to turn it into beef sticks!
Binder: We used sriracha for one recipe and maple syrup for another. This liquid helps to bind the ingredients together!
How To Make Ground Beef Jerky Sticks
- Preheat smoker to 225f.
- Combine ground beef and ground pork in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about a minute, until combined.
- With the mixer on low, add the spices and again mix until completely combined. Then add the binder. This can also be mixed by hand.
- Fill the jerky gun by adding a small amount, then packing it with the plunger, then repeating until full.
- Pipe the ground beef jerky onto wire mesh cooking racks. Keep the sticks all in one piece, they are easy to trim once cooked.
- Smoke the ground beef jerky at 225f for 3 hours.
- Remove the jerky from the smoker and allow it to cool to room temperature before packaging.
No Smoker? No Problem
If you don’t have a smoker this recipe can be cooked in the oven or the dehydrator.
Oven:
- Preheat oven to 170f (or as low as your oven goes).
- Follow mixing and piping directions as per recipe.
- Cook the jerky sticks in the oven at 170f for 4 hours, or until completely cooked through.
Dehydrator:
- Follow mixing directions as per the recipe.
- Pipe the ground beef jerky onto dehydrator racks.
- Dehydrate the jerky at 160f for 5-6 hours, or until completely cooked through.
Batch + Storage Information
Batch:
This recipe yields ~48 8″ ground beef jerky sticks when piped with a 1/2″ round piping tip.
Storage:
Because this recipe does not contain curing salt, your beef jerky sticks should be kept in the fridge or freezer. Store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, or vacuum-sealed in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More Smoked Recipes To Love
Variations + Substitutions
This recipe is delicious as written, but you can definitely make adjustments to suit your tastes or the ingredients you have on hand!
- Instead of ground beef + ground pork, use all ground beef.
- Swap out the beef and pork for wild game, like ground venison or moose meat!
- Don’t like it too spicy? Omit the ground cayenne and sriracha powder.
- Like it spicier? Add more spice!
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📖 Printable Recipe
Beef Sticks / Ground Beef Jerky
Ingredients
- 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
Spicy Ground Beef Jerky
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons sriracha powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- ¼ cup sriracha
Mild Ground Beef Jerky:
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
Cook it in the smoker:
- Preheat smoker to 225f.
- Meanwhile, add 2 lbs extra lean ground beef and 1 lb ground pork to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until completely combined, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the spice and again mix until completely combined, then add the sriracha or maple syrup, as above. Mix on high speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute once all ingredients are added to the bowl. This can also be mixed by hand.Spicy Sriracha Jerky:1 tablespoon ground black pepper,1 tablespoon onion powder,1 tablespoon paprika,2 teaspoons sriracha powder,2 teaspoons oregano,2 teaspoons garlic powder,2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt,1 teaspoon cayenne powder,¼ cup srirachaMild Jerky:1 tablespoon ground black pepper,1 tablespoon onion powder,1 tablespoon garlic powder,1 tablespoon paprika,½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt,¼ cup maple syrup,
- Fill the jerky gun by adding a small amount, then packing it with the plunger, then repeating until full.
- Pipe the ground beef jerky onto wire mesh cooking racks. Keep the sticks all in one piece, they are easy to trim once cooked.
Cook it on the Traeger:
- Smoke the ground beef jerky at 225f for 3 hours.
- Remove the jerky from the smoker and allow it to cool to room temperature before packaging.
Cook it in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 170f (or as low as your oven goes).
- Follow mixing and piping directions as per recipe.
- Cook the jerky sticks in the oven at 170f for 4 hours, or until completely cooked through.
Cook it in the dehydrator:
- Follow mixing directions as per the recipe.
- Pipe the ground beef jerky onto dehydrator racks.
- Dehydrate the jerky at 160f for 5-6 hours, or until completely cooked through.
Notes
Batch:
This recipe yields ~48 8" ground beef jerky sticks when piped with a 1/2" round piping tip.Storage:
Because this recipe does not contain curing salt, your beef jerky sticks should be kept in the fridge or freezer. Store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, or vacuum-sealed in the freezer for up to 6 months.variations + substitutions
This recipe is delicious as written, but you can definitely make adjustments to suit your tastes or the ingredients you have on hand!- Instead of ground beef + ground pork, use all ground beef.
- Swap out the beef and pork for wild game, like ground venison or moose meat!
- Don’t like it too spicy? Omit the ground cayenne and SRIRACHA POWDER.
- Like it spicier? Add more spice.
Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
Pin This Ground Beef Jerky Recipe!
Simple and excellent!
So glad you enjoyed!