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Beef Sticks (Ground Beef Jerky Sticks) Recipe

Allyson Letal
Easy homemade ground beef jerky sticks piped with a jerky gun. Season your way, spicy or mild, made in a smoker, oven, or dehydrator.
4.58 from 33 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

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 sriracha
    Mild 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

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!
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