Ground Jerky Recipes?

[Chef Munky]

Doing some homework on using ground meats for jerky snack strips.

I've noticed that most recipes call for ground lean beef. Wild things and chicken.

Is something not right with using ground pork? Fat content maybe?

I have yet to make jerky from ground meats. But thought if I were going to experiment I'd rather try it with pork.

Munky.

[GB]

I have never made jerky with ground meat but I know bacteria would be a concern unless you grind it yourself.

I would be nervous of using pork for some reason, but I suppose if you can use chicken then you should be able to use pork.

[mcnerd]

Despite improvements in pork that comes to market, there is still a potential danger of Trichinosis so pork must be cooked to a temperature of at least 140°F to be safe. That would not occur in a dehydrator. Precooking would be necessary before trying to make jerky, which would be difficult with ground meat.

[blissful]

I've dehydrated ground meat for jerky--in the convection/microwave, which heats to 140 degrees. I don't get a choice on the temperature when I dehydrate on my particular micro/conv model. I've only done beef and venison.

I liked the jerky, there was more fat in it, which dripped down, it was still delicious.

[Chef Munky]

From what I've been reading recipes, techniques of others. Is it can be done. But like anything else you make from scratch like that use caution.

Making jerky from ground meats you can mix pork with lean ground beef. But it's usually recommended that you marinate the mix in a jerky cure for a few days.

As far as dehydrator temps go to kill the potential bacteria. My Ex I believe gets up to 155. I would think depending on the thickness of the links, or if your making the strips dehydrating times have to be adjusted to suit them.

I did make jerky stix ( Mind you, I was experimenting) using Montreal steak seasoning and lean ground beef.
Put it in the KA, mixed it for 10 minutes. Dehydrated the stix for 4 hours @155 setting. They were ok, nothing to brag about. My dogs thought they were the best!

I'll try it again tomorrow. The beef and pork are marinating now in the fridge. Made my own cure mix and seasonings. This should be fun.

Munky.

[Chef Munky]

It turned out perfect! This one is a keeper for us. Very simple to do.

Teriyaki Beef Jerky Strips:

1 Lb Lean ground beef
1 Lb ground pork
3/4 Cup of Teriaki sauce
1 in freshly grated ginger
Dash of white pepper
Wax Paper*

Warm up the sauce, and simmer it 10 minutes with the ginger. Let it come to room temp. Strain out the ginger.

Add the ground meats to a mixing bowl. Mix it for 10 minutes to break down the fat even more. Add the sauce and spices. Mix thoroughly.

Place the meat into an airtight ziploc bag. Let it marinate refrigerated overnight.

When it's ready form it into a ball, and cut it in half.
Place a sheet of waxed paper onto a cutting board. Place the meat mixture in the middle. Top that with another sheet of waxed paper.

Roll it out into a rectangle. 1/4 inch thick. Take a pizza cutter and cut long strips, then cut it again in the middle. Lift the waxed paper and invert it onto the dehydrator sheets. Pull off the paper. Mesh of flat sheets will work. The strips won't separate until they are almost dry. I had to use scissors towards the end of the drying period. By that time it's time to blot them with a paper towel.

Dehydrate them @155 for several hours. We went 9 with an internal meat temp of 151. Most recommend a 145 degree temp. They came out dry not brittle, leathery. Very tasty! :) Reminded me of the bags of jerky strips Costco sold. Looks and tastes just like it to.

Enjoy!

Munky.

[Fortuna]

Originally Posted by Chef Munky

Is something not right with using ground pork? Fat content maybe?

Yes. It won't dry well and will spoil fast. Fat meat is not good for jerky. Believe me, I do jerky for years and lean meat is the best. 15-20% fat is OK, but not more. Get "Jerky bible" at amazon, there are a lot of really good ground beef jerky recipes there. I love ground meat jerky. It's my favorite jerky actually. I use Weston Jerky Gun.(I mentioned this in another post) Ground jerky has a little bit different taste than regular jerky, it's easier to chew. :) Kids love them too.
You can mix beef and chicken ground meat, by the way. Or beef and pork. But total fat should be no more than 20%, otherwise you won't have good jerky.

[Fortuna]

I never dry my jerky at high temperature. Normally, it should be 145F, but I always (yes, always) dry my jerky at 120F. Never had any problems with my stomach. :) But if you're afraid of bacteria, dry your jerky at 145F first and then at 135F. My jerky is really raw. :)

[TATTRAT]

Ground meat? For jerky?

I guess mentally, it just conjures up what would be a meat style fruit roll up. ground meat, and jerky are just two culinary terms I don't think of together, but you have me intrigued.

[Fortuna]

Originally Posted by mcnerd

Precooking would be necessary before trying to make jerky, which would be difficult with ground meat.

What did you mean by "precooking"? I never cook ground meat. I just dry raw ground meat after mixing with seasoning and salt. That's it. Jerky is RAW food. If it's cooked/precooked, that's not jerky. I make jerky for years and never (pre)cooked meat.