Ground Beef Jerky Sticks
These homemade ground beef jerky sticks are perfectly seasoned, incredibly easy to make, and so much better than store-bought! With a blend of savory spices and a hint of heat, they’re the ultimate protein-packed snack. Best of all, you can make them in your smoker, oven, or dehydrator in just a few hours.
Craving The Recipe Details?
What it is: Perfectly spiced, deliciously smoked beef sticks that are easy to make at home in your smoker, oven, or dehydrator.
Why you’ll love it: Flavorful homemade beef jerky sticks that are cheaper and tastier than store-bought, with a spice level you control!
How to make it: Mix ground beef and pork with spices and a liquid binder (sriracha or maple syrup), pipe the mixture through a jerky gun onto racks, then smoke for 3 hours (or see below to cook in the oven or dehydrator).
This year I was struck with the brilliant idea to give my husband a jerky gun for his birthday. (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! He’s been experimenting with homemade jerky ever since, and this jerky stick recipe has become our absolute favorite. It’s savory, seasoned just right, and way better than anything you’d buy. Plus, using ground beef instead of sliced roast makes it affordable and beginner-friendly, no fancy knife skills required.
Whether you’re looking for a protein-packed snack, a satisfying after-school treat, or just want to try your hand at DIY jerky, this recipe is great starting point.
And if you’re into making your own snacks on the pellet grill, you’ll love my smoked almonds, smoked Cheez It’s, and smoked Chex Mix recipes.
This ground beef jerky stick recipe is dedicated to a darn good gift.
Key Ingredients
Ground meat: After testing multiple variations, our favorite is a 2:1 ratio of ground beef to ground pork. We raise our own pork on our acreage, but any high quality ground pork works beautifully.
Spices: Black pepper, sriracha powder, cayenne, oregano, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder create the perfect flavor. I adapted the flavor profile directly from my popular smoked donair recipe that readers love.
Binder: Sriracha or maple syrup helps to bind the mixture together. Choose sriracha for spicy sticks or maple syrup for a milder, slightly sweet version.
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 only lean 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
How To Make Ground Beef Jerky Sticks
- Step 1: Preheat smoker to 225°F according to manufacturer’s directions.
Meanwhile, combine 2 lbs extra lean ground beef and 1lb ground pork in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about a minute, until combined.
- Step 2: Reduce mixer speed to low and add spices and mix until completely combined.
Spicy: 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, and 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
Mild: 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, ½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- Step 3: While the mixer is still running, add the binder.
Spicy: ¼ cup sriracha
Mild: ¼ cup maple syrup
- Step 4: Mix until completely combined. The beef mixture will look and feel tacky, this is perfect!
- Step 5: Fill the jerky gun by adding a small amount, then packing it with the plunger, then repeating until full. Then pipe the ground beef jerky onto wire mesh cooking racks. Keep the sticks all in one piece, they are easy to trim once cooked.
- Step 6: Smoke the ground beef jerky at 225°F for 3 hours.
- Step 7: Remove the jerky from the smoker and allow it to cool to room temperature before packaging.
Expert Tips
- Pack it in, pack it down. Fill the jerky gun in stages: add a little meat mixture, tamp it down with the plunger, and repeat until it’s full. Packing as you go helps to squeeze out air pockets so you get smooth, steady beef sticks instead of sputtering gaps.
- Keep it cold. Seriously. A cold meat mixture glides through the gun like a dream. A warm one gets sticky and sluggish, especially with pork in the mix, because pork fat starts softening the second it hits room temperature.
- Same tip, same size. Stay with one piping tip for the whole batch so every stick is the same thickness. Thicker meat sticks need more time, but that extra time can cause thinner ones to get dry and brittle.
- Cool it. Warm sticks in a bag or jar create condensation, and that moisture is the enemy of great texture. Let them come to room temperature before packaging.
- Looking for a whole muscle beef jerky recipe? I’ve got you covered!
Why This Recipe Works
Ground meat = no knife skills needed. Skip the slicing, the partially frozen roast, and the overnight marinade. Mix, pipe and cook. The jerky gun does that shaping for you, making these ground beef jerky sticks about as beginner friendly as it gets!
Beef and pork are better together. After testing multiple variations, a 2:1 ground beef to ground pork came out on top. The beef brings the classic flavor and the pork adds just enough fat to keep the sticks from turning dry. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that we raise pigs for pork on our homestead!
A big batch without a big effort. One 3 lb batch makes about 48 sticks and takes around 10 minutes of prep, which is plenty for lunch boxes, snack boards, and the freezer.
Ground Beef Jerky FAQs
This recipe yields ~48 8″ ground beef jerky sticks when piped with a 1/2″ round piping tip.
Yes, when properly cooked and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. This recipe is designed for fresh homemade jerky, not shelf-stable storage.
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.
If you’re only using beef, the best texture and shelf life comes from lean ground beef.
– 93/7 is ideal.
– 90/10 works but may release more fat during cooking
– Avoid anything fattier than 85/15, which can shorten storage time and create greasy jerky
Lean meat helps the jerky dry properly and keeps the finished sticks firm rather than crumbly or oily.
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 170°F (or as low as your oven goes).
- Follow mixing and piping directions as per recipe.
- Cook the jerky sticks in the oven at 170°F for 4-5 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 160°F for 5-6 hours, or until completely cooked through.
More Smoked Recipes To Love
If you tried this Homemade Beef Jerky Stick recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Printable Recipe
Beef Sticks (Ground Beef Jerky Sticks) Recipe
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 225°F
- 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 maple or sriracha based on chosen flavor. Mix on high speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute once all ingredients are added to the bowl.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 225°F 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 170°F (or as low as your oven goes).
- Follow mixing and piping directions as per recipe.
- Cook the jerky sticks in the oven at 170°F for 4-5 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 160°F for 5-6 hours, or until completely cooked through.
Notes
- Pack it in, pack it down. Fill the jerky gun in stages: add a little meat mixture, tamp it down with the plunger, and repeat until it’s full. Packing as you go helps to squeeze out air pockets so you get smooth, steady beef sticks instead of sputtering gaps.
- Keep it cold. Seriously. A cold meat mixture glides through the gun like a dream. A warm one gets sticky and sluggish, especially with pork in the mix, because pork fat starts softening the second it hits room temperature.
- Same tip, same size. Stay with one piping tip for the whole batch so every stick is the same thickness. Thicker meat sticks need more time, but that extra time can cause thinner ones to get dry and brittle.
- Cool it. Warm sticks in a bag or jar create condensation, and that moisture is the enemy of great texture. Let them come to room temperature before packaging.
- Looking for a whole muscle beef jerky recipe? I’ve got you covered!
HAve you tried any recipes for meat sticks with turkey or chicken?
No I haven’t! Great idea though!
Simple and excellent!
So glad you enjoyed!