# Ground meat jerky



## wyogoob

I hang with folks that love jerky but may not have the greatest set of teeth (old farts). We like our jerky made out of ground meat, very easy to chew, wonderful flavor.

First remove all fat and as much "white skin" as possible. Cut the meat up into 1 1/2" or less pieces. Mix the jerky spice/cure in well. Grind through an 1/8" or 3/16" disc.









Put the ground jerky in 1-gallon ziplock bags, remove the air, and then store in a fridge for 48 hours or more. Here's 10 pounds of buck antelope:









After curing, roll out the jerky from balls of meat. Place a ball of meat in between 2 pieces of poly plastic and roll flat with a rolling pin. The green plastic in the pic was cut from one of those cheap roll-up snow sleds.









Dehydrate, not too long though, jerky should be like rubber, bend but not break.









The 10 pounds made about 60 vacuum bags of moist sweet antelope jerky!!!









Recipes for ground meat jerky are different than those used for meat strips soaked in a spice/cure. Too much sugar and it's hard to roll out, too sticky. Making ground meat jerky is very labor intensive, but this is the way my family, friends and co-workers like it.

Recipe(s) later.


----------



## Stellarmike

That looks delicious! Would it work with regular beef?


----------



## GaryFish

Goob, you inspired me! I had to break out a couple bags of ground venison last night and got it prepped. Its going in my dehydrator tonight after work. I use one of those caulking gun things to put it out in uniform strips and then about 4 - 4 1/2 hours in the "Jerky Express" dehydrator. Great stuff.

And to answer your question Mike, yes, you can use beef. If you do, get the 95/5 burger, or buy a roast and have your butcher counter grind it into burger, with no fat added. Or, have your butcher counter run a roast through their slicer set at 1/4 inch.


----------



## Stellarmike

Awesome! Thanks!


----------



## wyogoob

Good point Gary.

I forgot I have jerky nozzles for both of my sausage presses. One is flat, 3/16" x 1", and the other is round, about 7/16" in diameter. I don't use them much, my wife prefers these time consuming rolled-out thingies. Who made her the boss for crying out loud?.......never mind, don't answer that.

After burger jerky is rolled out, cured and dried it has a transparent appearance and it looks and feels like it came from a sliced piece of meat. You can't tell it's ground meat. 

Beef works great, just try to eliminate or reduce the fat like Gary says.


----------



## benjicunney

Where is the recipe man, I need to make some of this!

Also, what vacuum sealer do you use? Does it work well, is it cost efficient?


----------



## dkhntrdstn

looks good. Might have to try that with my duck jerky.


----------



## GaryFish

Just now noticed the coffee cup Goob. Very nice. You buy that for yourself?


----------



## wyogoob

GaryFish said:


> Just now noticed the coffee cup Goob. Very nice. You buy that for yourself?


Ding! Ding! Ding! I got a winner!

You just won 2 packages of Goober; the Man, the Myth, the Legend, jerky!!!

It's a take-off of the John Holmes; the Man, the Myth, the Legend, saga. There's a whole line of the Goober, the Man, the Myth, the Legend stuff. My daughter got the cup, my wife got me a ball cap, and I got me a cooking apron.


----------



## wyogoob

benjicunney said:


> Where is the recipe man, I need to make some of this!
> 
> Also, what vacuum sealer do you use? Does it work well, is it cost efficient?


Here's a popular recipe:

*Pepper Jerky

10 lb - very lean ground meat
5 level tbsp - Morton's Tenderquick
3 tbsp - salt
5 tbsp - brown sugar
2 tbsp - dextrose
1 tbsp - onion powder
1 tbsp - garlic powder
2 tbsp - coarse black pepper
1/2 cup - Worcestershire
1/2 cup - soy sauce 
2 tbsp - liquid smoke*

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into two one-gallon Ziploc bags.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished hamburger jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.

I use an old Foodsaver Professional II vacuum, our third one. The bag material comes from eBay.


----------



## wyogoob

This is another good one. I've taken a sliced meat jerky recipe and after several tries, turned it into a ground meat recipe.

*Hoffman's Jerky

10 lb - very lean ground meat
5 level tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
5 tbsp - BBQ sauce
2 tbsp - sugar
5 tbsp - soy sauce
5 tbsp - Lea & Perrins Worcestershire
1 tbsp - beef bouillon
5 tsp - fine black pepper
1/2 tsp - allspice
2 tbsp - liquid smoke*

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into two one-gallon Ziploc bags.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.


----------



## wyogoob

Teriyaki Jerky is popular:

*Teriyaki Burger Jerky*

*5 lb - very lean ground meat*
*5 level tsp - Morton's Tenderquick*
*5 tsp - salt*
*5 level tbsp - brown sugar*
*1 tsp - ginger*
*1 tsp - garlic powder*
*1/2 tsp - white pepper*
*1/2 cup - soy sauce *

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break


----------



## wyogoob

I like the lemony taste of coriander and this recipe has just right amount of it. You can leave out the dextrose if you like. One of my favorites:

*Goob's Jerky

5 lb - very lean ground meat
5 level tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
1 tbsp - dextrose
1 tbsp - beef bouillon
4 tbsp - honey or honey powder
1 tbsp - coarse black pepper
1 tbsp - coriander
1 tsp - garlic powder
1 tsp - onion powder *

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.


----------



## Size Matters

That is a awesome mug goob. 8)


----------



## wyogoob

I love sesame seeds. I fussed with this one for 15 years. I think I finally got it right. Nothin' better than sesame seeds stuck between teeth and gums!









*Korean Jerky

5 lb - very lean ground meat
5 level tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
1 cup - soy sauce
4 tbsp - sesame seeds
5 tbsp - brown sugar
1 tsp - black pepper
1 tsp - onion powder
1 tsp - ginger *

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.


----------



## wyogoob

This one is a little hard to roll out, kinda sticky, but works fine out of a jerky shooter or sausage press.

*Hawaiian Burger Jerky

5 lb - very lean ground meat
5 level tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
1/2 cup - soy sauce
1/2 cup - pineapple juice concentrate
5 tbsp - brown sugar
1 tsp - black pepper
1 tsp - garlic powder*

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.


----------



## wyogoob

A real tummy-warmer, this one can be made as hot as you like!! My cayenne, 90,000 heat units (hu), is twice as hot as what is sold on the grocery shelves.

*Cajun Jerky

5 lb - very lean ground meat
5 level tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
5 tsp - salt
4 tbsp - brown sugar
1 tbsp - dextrose
1 tbsp - black pepper
1 tbsp - garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp - onion powder
1/2 cup - Worcestershire
1 tsp - cayenne (90,000hu) *

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.

Good article about heat units in peppers:
http://www.cayennepepper.info/cayenne-p ... units.html


----------



## wyogoob

Size Matters said:


> That is a awesome mug goob. 8)


There's a whole line of goober products at Cafe Press. 
http://shop.cafepress.com/goober

It's crazy.


----------



## wyogoob

I found some antelope burger jerky in my ice fishing pack today and it reminded me of this thread. The jerky was made in October of 2010 and it's still as good as it was the day I made it.









There are a million different recipes for jerky and as many ways to make it. I do the burger jerky the most these days because, frankly, my wife and most of my friends are getting up there in age and their teeth aren't what they use to be.  So don't let this thread mean that I'm saying this is *THE* best way to make jerky.

Kept in a vacuum bag for over 13 months, the burger jerky is still flexible:









I put a flashlight under the jerky to show how the burger jerky has cured itself, bonded itself, into a solid piece of meat.









You really can't tell it started out as ground meat:









I trimmed the jerky, made fancy-dancy pieces for the wife. I take the trimmings. They are fine:


----------



## waspocrew

That looks awesome! I'm going to try this out soon.


----------



## Yonni

Looks like I need to get a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer, that looks fantastic Goob! Thanks for sharing!


----------



## wyogoob

Now that there's Option #2 everyone has a freezer full of deer so I'm bumping this thread.

Ground meat jerky may not be as easy to make as strip jerky, but man it is so much better in appearance, flavor, consistancy and ease of packaging.


----------



## Moostickles

Since the Wild Game Pastrami thread, I have great confidence in your recipes Goob. One of these jerky recipes is going down tomorrow 8)


----------



## gdog

Dehydrator is on the short list...any recommendations as what to get or stay away from? I've made pressed jerky like that, but I've always used my smoker.

How about this: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...4798880&WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104798880;cat104294880


----------



## wyogoob

UtahHuntingDirect said:


> Since the Wild Game Pastrami thread, I have great confidence in your recipes Goob. One of these jerky recipes is going down tomorrow 8)


thanks What ever happened to the pepperoni?


----------



## GaryFish

For jerky, I got the "Jerky Express" and it works wonders. I HIGHLY recommend it. I got it at Sportsman's for $35 a couple years ago. LOVE it for jerky. Perfect every time.


----------



## wyogoob

gdog said:


> Dehydrator is on the short list...any recommendations as what to get or stay away from? I've made pressed jerky like that, but I've always used my smoker.
> 
> How about this: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home...4798880&WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104798880;cat104294880


That looks good. I have one similar to that one. Be sure you can buy an extra fruit roll thingie. We put a pile of jerky between two of them and roll it out with a rolling pin.

Mine's an American Harvest "Snackmaster", 1000 watt. I bet I've had it for over 15 years. They are still out there, usually about $135. I use up to 13 trays at a time.

The Jerky Express thing GaryFish is talking about is very popular. I have similar attachments for my sausage presses like what's on the jerky shooter gun. I should use them more often.


----------



## Moostickles

wyogoob said:


> UtahHuntingDirect said:
> 
> 
> 
> Since the Wild Game Pastrami thread, I have great confidence in your recipes Goob. One of these jerky recipes is going down tomorrow 8)
> 
> 
> 
> thanks What ever happened to the pepperoni?
Click to expand...

It turned to a anise flavored rock... I'm going to try it again when I have a spare refrigerator to control the humidity.


----------



## wyogoob

Instead of rolling out single pieces, sheets of jerky can be made. just put a ring of the cured ground elk Pepper Jerky between 2 layers of plastic fruit leather sheets. Roll it out about 3/16" thick. Trim off any jerky that squeezes out:









Peel the top sheet off:









Flip and then lay the jerky on the rack. Peel the other sheet off:









10 lbs of jerky did 17 trays:









Nice finished product:









Cut into single serving pieces. I get the trimmings:









Packaged over 100 vacuum bags of Pepper Jerky. Here's some of them:









Getting ready to load up Santa's sleigh:


----------



## Cooky

How much weight does ground meat lose in the drying process?


----------



## wyogoob

Cooky said:


> How much weight does ground meat lose in the drying process?


33% to 50%, 50% being the norm my guess. I know this 3/16"-thick batch ended up being about 3/32" thick when finished. It also depends on how wet it was to start with.

I'm experimenting with powdered Worcestershire, powdered honey, powdered mushrooms, and powdered soy sauce in ground jerky. With the powdered stuff it starts out dry, so the weight loss is much less. The drying time is much less too. Still need some fine tuning or just give up on this powdered stuff.


----------



## gdog

bump...its time to make some!


----------



## gdog

Ok...so in the process of whipping up a batch of Goobs Pepper ground meat jerky from my elk. 

FYI...Dextrose...could't find it at grocery store....finally found some at Salt City Brew Supply and made a deal to trade some home brew for elk jerky:O--O:


----------



## swbuckmaster

Mnmmm jerky


----------



## jonnybgood

I have done this as well with venison, although I used the store brands recipe mixes (i.e. hi mountain, lem, Spice N Slice ) I think I like the SpiceNSlice one the best it seemed to hold the jerky together more and provided a smoke flavor like I have made with my smoker and briskets. SpiceNSlice also had a Salami mix that made some awesome Salami Rolls in the smoker. doing this Salami made me feel like a pro .


----------



## gdog

Well.... can't say I'm thrilled with the results of the first batch. Not sure where it went wrong, but came out pretty gamey which wasn't what I was expecting with the elk meat. Don't think the pepper recipe has enough zing to mask the gamey taste.

The elk was taken during the archery hunt. Quartered and hung in tree/shade for about 8 hrs in less then ideal temps, but it doesn't have a bad smell to it raw and the butcher said it looked good. Maybe its just a tough ol stinkey bull.

I'm gonna try and find a recipe with a little more heat and zing to it. Thing Goob's Cajun recipe is up next.

**I think one thing I did do wrong was using 6lb's of meat for a 5lb recipe. Got my hands on a scale after the fact and probably used one too many packages of elk meat for the recipe.


----------



## swbuckmaster

I went to try the recipe goob provided and can't find the tender quick any where. Can I substitute it for sonething else? Or does anyone know where to get it?

I ended up getting some teriyaki mix from cabelas. It was ok 

Want to try goobs recipes


----------



## gdog

Most grocery stores carry it. Its normally in the aisle with the salt and seasonings section. I know my local Fresh Market and Smiths here in Sandy always has it.


----------



## gdog

Goob....some recipes have 1 tbs of MTQ per 2lbs of meat...others are 1 and 1....should all these recipes be for 5lbs of meat and 1 tbs of MTQ per 1lb meat?


----------



## swbuckmaster

gdog said:


> Most grocery stores carry it. Its normally in the aisle with the salt and seasonings section. I know my local Fresh Market and Smiths here in Sandy always has it.


I checked all the stores in lehi non of them had it and none of the emoloyees knew what I was talking about. I even showed them the same photo you posted.

Looks like ill be going to sandy thanks


----------



## swbuckmaster

gdog said:


> Goob....some recipes have 1 tbs of MTQ per 2lbs of meat...others are 1 and 1....should all these recipes be for 5lbs of meat and 1 tbs of MTQ per 1lb meat?


Re posting for gdog


----------



## wyogoob

gdog said:


> Goob....some recipes have 1 tbs of MTQ per 2lbs of meat...others are 1 and 1....should all these recipes be for 5lbs of meat and 1 tbs of MTQ per 1lb meat?


Good question.

The original Morton summer sausage recipe called for 1 tbs of Morton Tenderquick (TQ) for every pound of meat. That's the way I did sausages and ground jerky for years. Later Morton gave into the fact that the nitrates in TQ are not good for you, so they cut the rate in half. Slowly I have been changing my recipes to reflect the change.

This is from my notes:
1960s - 1 tbs per pound
1980s - 8 tbs (1/2 cup) per 10 pounds
2000s - 5.3 tbs (1/3) cup per 10 pounds
2012 - 5 tbs per 10 pounds

So today the recommended rate is 1/2 tbs of TQ per pound of meat (with an additional helping of salt)

I know that sodium, nitrates, and nitrites are bad but I use a little more TQ than that; my call.

.


----------



## wyogoob

I get my Tender Quick online from Wal Mart, 12 2-pound bags for $49.50, free shipping. Comes to my door in about 3 days.


----------



## elkmule123

wyogoob said:


> Keep meat frosty.


What benefit does this have while grinding? Also, why do you add the seasoning before you grind the meat, couldn't it all be added after? So for some dumb questions. I'm just getting into this, I just barely bought a dehydrator and have a kitchen aid grinder attachment for the burger. Also how fast does your grinder process 5 lbs a meat. The kitchen aid is a bit slow for my liking, but its better than taking it to a butcher IMO.


----------



## GaryFish

The meat just grinds better when it is frosty. It cuts cleaner and you get a better grind. Same as when you try to slice meat really thin for cooking or for jerky - it slices much easier and uniform when partially frozen. 

Kitchen Aid grinders are adequate at best. My buddy nearly burned up his kitchn aid grinding elk burger. I let him borrow my $69 meat grinder from Cabelas and it went 4-5 times faster than the kitchen aid, and that is a cheap-o grinder. It is worth getting a regular meat grinder.


----------



## wyogoob

elkmule123 said:


> What benefit does this have while grinding? Also, why do you add the seasoning before you grind the meat, couldn't it all be added after? So for some dumb questions. I'm just getting into this, I just barely bought a dehydrator and have a kitchen aid grinder attachment for the burger. Also how fast does your grinder process 5 lbs a meat. The kitchen aid is a bit slow for my liking, but its better than taking it to a butcher IMO.


Good questions.

Like Gary said frosty meat grinds cleaner, doesn't clog up the auger and the grinding plate. Frosty, not frozen is the key. Also, freezing the auger and the housing beforehand helps.

Always mix the spices to coarse ground or chunked meat and then make a final grind. This helps evenly distribute the spices and cure avoiding the "sour spots" one can get by tring to mix the cure/spice mix with burger.

Before each grinding session I quickly sharpen the knife and the plate on a sheet of emery cloth laid on a flat countertop. The knife has to be sharp to avoid shearing and heat build-up.

When making sausage with meat that has lots of sinew (pork butts for example) I will remove the plate and clean out the holes after grinding 10 or 12 pounds.

The KitchenAide is a #8 grinder and is a little on the small side though many a deer has been processed on those babies. I have a #8 grinder on a Oster Kitchen Center that I've replaced the motor on a couple times. It's ground a million whitetails but now I keep it around just for nostalgia, a conversation piece mostly.

I have too many grinders to mention. My #8 Kitchen Center will grind 5lbs of frosty meat thru a 3/16" plate in about 3 to 5 minutes...I guess. Meat at room temperature thru a #8 grinder and a 3/16" plate will take about a week to grind.  My home-made #32 grinder will grind 5lbs of frosty meat about as fast as you can push it through.

A #10 grinder is adequate and good ones can be found for around $100.

see: http://utahwildlife.net/forum/26-recipes/30250-100-meat-grinder-review.html

.


----------



## wyogoob

Jerky meat - no fat, no sinew, a little frost; perfect:


----------



## gdog

That $100 grinder Goob reviewed is a good deal. I bought one a few weeks back and am happy with it. I'll do 5-10 lbs of jerkey/sausage and it works just fine. I was considering the 1/2 hp grinder from Cabelas, but saving $300 won the battle.

Looking at that meat pic, your ground is "cleaner" then what I am working with in regards to fat and sinew. Looks like the guy who cut my elk up, wasn't quit as careful trimming it up first.


----------



## elkmule123

Thanks for the information. I guess I'll need to invest in a better grinder here in a bit. I don't want to burn out that motor. The Mrs. wouldn't be to happy, though it seems like I use it more for processing meat and elderberries lately than she has for baked goods. I'll try frosting the meat the next round, which should be this saturday or first part of next week. It also sounds like I need to sharped the plate and knife, I haven't done that since I've bought it. And its been through a few elk and deer.


----------



## wyogoob

wyogoob said:


> I get my Tender Quick online from Wal Mart, 12 2-pound bags for $49.50, free shipping. Comes to my door in about 3 days.


Correction; comes to my door in 48 hours


----------



## elkmule123

Keeping the meat frosty is definitely the way to go. Its grinds the meat up alot faster. Thanks again for the information.


----------



## Clarq

I just bought a dehydrator and I'll be ready to make my first batch tomorrow. The instructions recommend cooking the jerky at 165 degrees for an hour after making it to ensure it is done. Is that necessary, or is that more of a precaution?


----------



## wyogoob

Clarq said:


> I just bought a dehydrator and I'll be ready to make my first batch tomorrow. The instructions recommend cooking the jerky at 165 degrees for an hour after making it to ensure it is done. Is that necessary, or is that more of a precaution?


165° is fine, wouldn't go any higher though. I do mine at 145°, the highest setting on my dehydrator. If you follow the instructions for the spices and the curing time the meat will be cured before you dry it, you're just going to remove most of the moisture from it so it will store longer and at room temperature.

The main thing is that the end product will be pliable, bend but not break.

Good luck, keep us posted.

.


----------



## Clarq

The instructions said that baking it at 165 was mainly to ensure that there was no surviving salmonella bacteria. I was reasonably sure that my duck didn't have salmonella, and I left it in the dehydrator a little too long anyway, so I decided that dehydrating it would be enough. 

I used some of the worst-tasting ducks to be found in this batch, and it doesn't taste ducky at all. So, while it is a little tougher than it should have been, I'm pleased with the outcome.


----------



## wyogoob

Clarq said:


> I just bought a dehydrator and I'll be ready to make my first batch tomorrow. The instructions recommend cooking the jerky at 165 degrees for an hour after making it to ensure it is done. Is that necessary, or is that more of a precaution?


You can never be too safe with birds.

I have to add this though: "done is a relative term. "Done" can mean "cured" like in capicola or prosciutto, or many varieties of dry-cured summer sausages and salamis that are not cooked at all. Or "done" can be cooked to an internal temp of 165° like for poultry.

Any pictures?

.


----------



## mojox666

Hi,

I live in Mexico and here's so impossible to find Morton's Tender quick or any meat cure. What substitute do you will use instead of MTQ?

Cheers
Mojox


----------



## swbuckmaster

I think in mexico they just pound their meat flat with a stone and dry it in the sun. Larva is a bonus


----------



## wyogoob

mojox666 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I live in Mexico and here's so impossible to find Morton's Tender quick or any meat cure. What substitute do you will use instead of MTQ?
> 
> Cheers
> Mojox


You can substitute pink salt cure (also called InstaCure #1, Prague Powder #1, DQ, other names) for Tender Quick. It may be hard for you to get too. Use 2 teaspoons per 10lbs of meat if you get some.

I would just get online and order some TQ. $5.5 a bag at LEM. Many other companies sell it online. Walmart does not have TQ for sale online at the moment.

.


----------



## mojox666

swbuckmaster said:


> I think in mexico they just pound their meat flat with a stone and dry it in the sun. Larva is a bonus


I´m sorry for you men, you don't know Mexico.

Be off with you sir.
Mojox


----------



## mojox666

wyogoob said:


> You can substitute pink salt cure (also called InstaCure #1, Prague Powder #1, DQ, other names) for Tender Quick. It may be hard for you to get too. Use 2 teaspoons per 10lbs of meat if you get some.
> 
> I would just get online and order some TQ. $5.5 a bag at LEM. Many other companies sell it online. Walmart does not have TQ for sale online at the moment.
> 
> .


Thanks wyogoob for your time,

A FOAF told me about Potassium Nitrate in a butchery or meat selling place, they use it to preserve meat, and it turns the redish meat in a beauty pink meat, I really don't know the dosage, or any details, I have to do some research.

What do you know about PN? Any advice will be thankful.

Mojox


----------



## wyogoob

I don't know much about potassium nitrate (saltpeter) other than stories from my dad and grandpa and what I read. It has been banned in the USA for many types of meat curing since 1975.

I have no recollection or records of using potassium nitrate for meat curing or sausage.


----------



## mojox666

Ok, I'll forget that stuff, I don't want any poison in my jerky.

Thanks a lot.
Mojox

P.S.: What will happen if I don't add Morton's Tender Quick to any recipe? Will it works?


----------



## wyogoob

mojox666 said:


> Ok, I'll forget that stuff, I don't want any poison in my jerky.
> 
> Thanks a lot.
> Mojox
> 
> P.S.: What will happen if I don't add Morton's Tender Quick to any recipe? Will it works?


 Potassium nitrate is not any more poison than Morton's Tender Quick. It's all about how it's measured or distributed in the meat. Saltpeter is still used for some types of cured meat in the USA, corned beef and pastrami, I think. Saltpeter has been used for meat curing for over a 1000 years and is still used in Europe today.


----------



## mojox666

Thanks again wyogoob,

I've just find Insta cure, or somthing similar in a spanish meat store in my city, they sell it for 2 us dlls a lb. It has 93.7% sodium chloride and the rest of Potassium Nitrate, they sell also Pink salt very cheap too, so I bought both.

I'll do the same jerky recipe, and split it in two, one with Insta cure, and one with Pink salt, I want to know wich one is the best for me.

Thanks for the Pictorial.
Mojox

P.S.: Forgive my childish english. I've never been in the US.


----------



## wyogoob

It only takes a small amount of pink salt per pound of ground meat when making sausages or jerky. Make sure the curing product you are buying has clear instructions and you follow them. It is hard to get pink salt mixed evenly in a batch of ground meat. When using pink salt I will add it to some water so it will mix into the sausage, or jerky, better. 

Morton's Tender Quick is basically pink salt with salt and sugar added. The percentage of the nitrates in Tender Quick are smaller so more has to be applied to the meat. More cure is easier to mix correctly than less cure.

The store-bought jerky cures are like Tender Quick; they are made of a little pink salt with regular salt (sodium chloride) and sugar added, and then each flavor has it's own spice blend. 

Insta Cure #1 contains salt (sodium chloride) and sodium nitrite (6.25%). It is used for meats that will be cooked. 1 level teaspoon per 5 pounds of meat.

InstaCure #2 contains salt (sodium chloride), sodium nitrite (6.25%) and sodium nitrate (1%). It is used for meats that will not be cooked, like jerky. 1 level teaspoon per 5 pounds of meat.

Buena suerte


----------



## mojox666

Yeah wyogoob,

In fact they told me the same thing about pink salt, and yes it's the same Instacure #2 formula, but for the european market they call it "Sal de curar" or Curing salt, but its brand is Instacure without numbers. It's for "carne seca" or jerky. They actually make and sell jerky with this, but I'd like to make my own.

Thanks for your help.
Mojox


----------



## mojox666

Hey wyogoob,

I'm here to ask for some more recipes for ground meat jerky, I have done some of your recipes, but I'd like to make some different.

Can you give us more recipes? and any advice to make my own recipes will be wellcome.

Mojox


----------



## wyogoob

mojox666 said:


> Hey wyogoob,
> 
> I'm here to ask for some more recipes for ground meat jerky, I have done some of your recipes, but I'd like to make some different.
> 
> Can you give us more recipes? and any advice to make my own recipes will be wellcome.
> 
> Mojox


OK, here we go. I had to turn my old hand-written recipes into electronic versions.

The easiest ground meat jerky to make:


BBQ Jerky

5 lbs - lean ground meat, 
2 cups - favorite BBQ sauce
2 tbsp - Morton's Tenderquick

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into two one-gallon Ziploc bags.
Store in a 40° fridge for a minimum of 48 hours.
Roll out between two pieces of plastic to about 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break. 

.


----------



## wyogoob

This one is really good. I haven't made it in a long time. I need to freeze a loin and make some of this great jerky. Sometimes I split the recipe in half; one-half with and one-half without out the red pepper. Leave out the black pepper if using crushed red peppers. It's a lot of work though; really sticky and hard to roll out. Works good in those jerky shooters though. 

Chinese Jerky

2 lb - very lean ground certified* pork
1 tbsp - Morton's Tenderquick
1/4 cup - red wine or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup - pineapple juice concentrate
1 tbsp - soy sauce
4 tbsp - brown sugar
1 tsp - onion powder
1/2 tsp - black pepper
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
1 tbsp - beef bouillon
2 tbsp - liquid smoke
2 tbsp - crushed dried red peppers (optional)

Certified pork * = pork frozen for over 20 days at 5° F (see 9 CFR 318.10)
Keep meat frosty.
Grind crushed red peppers in a blender.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Process through a jerky shooter or roll out between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.

.


----------



## wyogoob

This is an old basic deer jerky recipe, called "Illinois Jerky" in my old files. I think its the first one I converted from strip meat to ground meat jerky. I gave this "honest"-to-goodness jerky recipe a new name.

Abe Lincoln's Jerky

3 lb - very lean ground venison
5 tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
3 tsp - salt
3 tbsp - brown sugar
1 tsp - black pepper
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
1/2 tsp - onion powder
1 tbsp - beef bouillon
2 tbsp - liquid smoke

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Dissolve the bouillon in the liquid smoke
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Roll out between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break. 

.


----------



## wyogoob

My kids always liked this one:

Surfer Jerky

5 lb - very lean ground meat
2 tbsp - Morton's Tenderquick
2 tbsp - salt
4 tbsp - brown sugar or honey
1 tbsp - dextrose
1 tbsp - garlic powder
1 tbsp - crushed red pepper
1 tsp - nutmeg
1 tsp - ginger
1 cup - soy sauce
1 tbsp - liquid smoke

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Grind crushed red peppers in a blender.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Roll out between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break. 

.


----------



## wyogoob

This one's kinda different. First I tried this with wild game and no one cared for it. Maybe it was the meat. I can't remember. Tried it with beef and it was ok. I always wanted to make it with pork or chicken. Slim Jims are made out of chicken mostly. Don't be afraid to use a little more of each spice on this one.

Slim Jim Jerky 

2 lbs - lean ground meat, beef is best 
2 tsp - salt
1 tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
1 tbsp - dextrose
1 tbsp - corn syrup
2 tsp - black pepper
1/2 tsp - ground caraway
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
½ tsp - nutmeg
½ tsp - liquid smoke

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into two one-gallon Ziploc bags.

Press out as rounds or flats or rollout between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.

.


----------



## wyogoob

Here's one you don't see. Some like it, some don't. I only made it once and it taste somewhat like BBQ Jerky. I need to tweek this one some, maybe add some crushed dried jalapenos or red peppers:


Mexican Jerky

5 lb - very lean ground meat
5 tsp - Morton's Tenderquick
5 tsp - dextrose
5 tsp - chili powder
3 tbsp - brown sugar
1 tsp - garlic powder
1 tsp - onion powder
1 tsp - black pepper
1 tsp - cumin
1 tsp - cayenne powder

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Roll out between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break. 

.


----------



## wyogoob

We always sent our Navy son jerky when he was on tour. When he was serving in Baghad Iraq we sent him and his buddies some of this jerky and the recipe. I was out of camel so I used antelope insted. This jerky has a "Mediterranean" flair to it:

Camel Jerky

2 lb - very lean ground camel
1 tbsp - Morton's Tenderquick
1 tbsp - salt
2 tbsp - honey
2 tsp - cardamom
2 tsp - coriander
1 tsp - tumeric
1/4 tsp - black pepper
1 tsp - cumin
1/2 tsp - ginger
1 tsp - liquid smoke

Meat should be cut into 1" pieces or ran thru a grinder with a kidney plate. 
Keep meat frosty.
Mix all ingredients with meat.
Grind thru a 3/16" or 1/8" plate.
Tightly pack into a one-gallon Ziploc bag.
Store in 40° fridge for 48 hrs.
Roll out between two pieces of plastic to 1/8" thick.
Dehydrate. 
Finished jerky should be translucent and bend but not break.

.


----------



## Cooky

Have you tried it (not the camel, the one before that) with sugar rather than the dextrose? I haven't found dextrose locally yet.


----------



## wyogoob

Cooky said:


> Have you tried it (not the camel, the one before that) with sugar rather than the dextrose? I haven't found dextrose locally yet.


I don't use a lot of sugar really. I purposely use dextrose to duplicate store-bought jerky or the store-bought jerky seasoning mixes. Many of the recipes I have posted here have sugar in them but in reality I use dextrose.

Dextrose is glucose, uh...corn syrup. Powdered dextrose is used in sausagemaking. It knocks down that harsh chemical or salty flavor that comes from curing chemicals and salts. That's why store-bought jerky tastes sweet, the dextrose massaged the salt flavor. Dextrose also adds more color and binds the meat better.

You can buy dextrose at the nutrition and body-building departments although it's seldom, if ever, called dextrose. Read the labels, look for dextrose. The price will be 5 times more than what the sausage-making guys charge.

Dextrose is easy to find online and can be at your door step in a couple days. Butcher-Packer, The Sausagemaker; they all have it. Good shelf life.

Dextrose is used in beer-making. So if you have a micro-brewery or beer-making supply store they will have it.

If you want to use sugar instead of dextrose use the same amount to 20% less sugar.

Ask gdog, he found some dextrose down in Happy Valley a month ago.

.


----------



## Cooky

Thanks. I have a Navy son too. He and his family just passed through on their way (driving -O,-) from Whidbey, Washington to a new Aircraft Carrier in Newport News, Virginia. I wish there was an Ocean closer to Utah.


----------



## mojox666

Hey Wyogoob,

Thanks a lot for your recipes, I've been reading and I'd like to know in your experience, how much liquid (spice and cure) for every pound of meat do you think is the best ammount?

I'm asking because in one site they say half cup for every 2lbs of meat, I did it that way last night and my meat was leaking or dripping. In other site I read that 2tbsp of liquid for each lb of meat.

What do you think about it?

Regards
Mojox


----------



## wyogoob

mojox666 said:


> Hey Wyogoob,
> 
> Thanks a lot for your recipes, I've been reading and I'd like to know in your experience, how much liquid (spice and cure) for every pound of meat do you think is the best ammount?
> 
> I'm asking because in one site they say half cup for every 2lbs of meat, I did it that way last night and my meat was leaking or dripping. In other site I read that 2tbsp of liquid for each lb of meat.
> 
> What do you think about it?
> 
> Regards
> Mojox


I don't know what to think about it. Ask the guys that have the recipes with all the liquid in them.

Follow my recipes, some have liquid, some don't. None of them leak.

.


----------



## wyogoob

Made 15lbs of ground elk jerky using PS Seasoning's spice kits; Black Pepper n Garlic, Mesquite, and Honey BBQ.

Mixed the spices in coarse ground elk and then thru an 1/8 plate. Placed in a 1-gallon ziploc bag and refrigerated for 48 hours:


"rope" circles:


Rolled it out between two sheets of poly until the jerky was 3/16" to 1/4" thick:


Peel away the plastic sheets:


Peel off one sheet of poly, place it on the dehydrator trays and then peel off the other poly sheet:


Dehydrated, trimmed, and cut into wedges:


About 120 packages, each with three or 4 pieces of jerky, destined for Santa's sleigh:


----------



## swbuckmaster

Goob can I be put on you Santa list


----------



## wyogoob

swbuckmaster said:


> Goob can I be put on you Santa list


sure


----------



## trackerputnam

In the first few pictures there is a box over your grinder. What's the purpose?

And as to grinders... There is nothing like turning on my 1 1/2hp Cabela's grinder and running 5 elk through it! There is nothing wrong with more power and I have yet to be sorry for the extra few hundred dollars I spent on it!









_Last year, 2014, and we ground up 5 cow elk in 5 hours with breaks, in the field!_

I am going to be trying some of these recipes. I have been making some ground meat jerky with my dehydrator but yours looks far better than what I have come up with.


----------



## wyogoob

trackerputnam said:


> In the first few pictures there is a box over your grinder. What's the purpose?
> 
> ....................................................


1) The box is a safety guard to protect the operator from the rotating coupler.

2) The box provides storage for all the plates, stuffing horns, cords and grinder tools.

3) Meat sits on the sliding lid and can be easily pushed off into the hole, the auger chute.

4) The lid can be used as a cutting board.

5) The bottom of the box is the base that the drive motor and the grinder are mounted on.


----------



## trackerputnam

We used a hand grinder like that with a Milwaukie drill hooked to it for several years. Before that it had been used by hand grinding. It finally broke and cracked when running meat through it. It was my grandparents and best we could figure it was 50 years old and possibly a bit more. 

Have 5lbs of meat out now, going to try one of your recipes tomorrow!


----------



## JLP

Have ever tried this with water?


----------



## trackerputnam

Ok so the jerky is on the dehydrator as I type and has been there awhile. Long enough in fact that I have been testing some of the drier pieces. I did two flavors in Korean and Goobs flavor. Goobs is our favorite at this time but I think once all is properly dried it might change. My question Goob is, do you look for a mild taste? I mean at least in the way I divided the recipes it is very mild on both. I took 5lbs and split it into two batches and so the two flavors.


----------



## wyogoob

trackerputnam said:


> Ok so the jerky is on the dehydrator as I type and has been there awhile. Long enough in fact that I have been testing some of the drier pieces. I did two flavors in Korean and Goobs flavor. Goobs is our favorite at this time but I think once all is properly dried it might change. My question Goob is, do you look for a mild taste? I mean at least in the way I divided the recipes it is very mild on both. I took 5lbs and split it into two batches and so the two flavors.


Probably the only flavors that will change over time are saltiness and sweetness.

Flavor is subjective:
A) What is mild to one may not be mild to another. 
B) Then there's how you measure spices; level? heaping? rounded?
C) Age of your spices.

I like the Korean jerky but it is hard to roll out; really sticky.


----------

