Ground beef jerky

[pmbasile06]

So I got a dehydrator for Christmas and wanted to try out making ground beef jerky with a jerky gun. A lot of the recipes I have been seeing call for liquid smoke. I say screw liquid smoke, I'll use real smoke! Does anybody have a recipe that starts the jerky strips in the smoker and then transfers them to the dehydrator?

Also, do I shoot the strips right onto the smoker grates? I feel like they will want to fall apart from not being supported enough. Is there a better grate or tray I should be using? I was thinking of using a cookie sheet and then flipping the strips halfway through to dry out the bottoms and get smoke on both sides.

Just curious if anybody has combined the smoker with a dehydrator. Would appreciate any suggestions or recipes. Thanks!

 

[Joshw]

I would get some frog mats, and squeeze the jerky onto them, and go straight to the smoker. In the past, I have put them on silmats or parchment paper and baked them in the oven until they were firm enough to hold together, then moved them to the smoker. That was before I knew about frog mats.

 

[Stlsportster]

You can try the ground meat version, and I know people who like it....but IMHO you can't beat the whole muscle jerky. I use top round(London Broil) or eye of round. Partially freeze to make it easier to slice in 1/4 inch thick strips. Against the grain for tender jerky, with the grain for jerky you have to chew. Marinate, start on the smoker for about 3 hours then move to the dehydrator.

It's awesome.

Also. +1 on the frogmats...but you'll need a lot of them for 3lbs of jerky. 5lbs fills up my Lang.

 

[Joshw]

I agree completely on the whole muscle jerky being better. Not even in the same ballpark as the ground. I have made the ground stuff as well, and I like it too. The best part about the ground, is you are basically making dried sausage, so you can get more creative with the seasonings.

Wasn't thinking about space when I recommended the frogmats, which are still my first choice, but if you need more space, you might go with something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Weston-Nonstick-3-Tier-Drying-07-0155-W/dp/B0085ISSR6

 

[Shagbark]

I also prefer the whole sliced meat although the ground meat can be very tasty.
I use these racks I got from Cookshack many years ago. It allows smoke on both sides without flipping the jerky over.

You many need to experiment to get the desired results. I smoke mine approx 1.5 hours then put in the dehydrator until done.

http://www.cookshack.com/PV009

 

[sniperfx]

I just do mine in the smoker from start to finish.. Pure muscle jerky like STLSPORTSTER..:clap2:

 

[Yellowhair42]

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160956 I don't know what happened to the pictures.