Jerky with Katie’s Seasoning using Ground Meat
Use Katie’s Seasonings to make amazing jerky using ANY ground meat with your conventional oven, dehydrator, or smoker! For best results, use a ground up to 20% fat.
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Start with ONE of the following:
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Original Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Garlic Lovers’ Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Smoky BBQ Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Moroccan Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Cajun Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Chile Limon Seasoning
- 1 Bottle Katie’s Teriyaki Seasoning
Also
- 4 lbs Ground Beef
- Orange Juice if using Katie’s Moroccan Seasoning
- Pineapple Juice if using Katie’s Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
- Supplies:
- 2 Paint Sticks
- Dehydrator
- Parchment Paper
- Plastic Wrap
Optional Tools
Rolling Pin
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the contents of an entire bottle of Katie’s Seasoning.
- Add 4 cups of water to the bowl.
- Mix well using a whisk.
- Ensure all of the ingredients are dissolved by heating on the stove in a medium pot, or using the microwave.
Stove: Pour mixture into a medium pot. Make sure you don’t leave any seasoning behind in the bowl. Scrape your bowl out with a spatula into the pot.
Microwave: Pour mixture into a microwave safe bowl. Make sure you don’t leave any seasoning behind. Scrape your bowl out with a spatula into the microwave bowl. Microwave 1-2 minutes at a time. Stir between each interval.
- On medium high heat, bring mixture to a boil for 2 minutes.
- NOTE: Be careful not to let the mixture boil over. If it does, the ratio of marinade to beef will be incorrect.
- Pour the mixture back into a large bowl. Leave it to cool for 1 hour.
- After the marinade has cooled, add 4 pounds ground beef to the large bowl.
- With your hands, knead the ground beef into the marinade until it appears completely saturated. This may take 5-10 minutes.
- Reseal the mixture and put it in the fridge for 24 hours.
Before cooking: No gun required.
- Cut parchment paper to the size of your dehydrator trays. You will need one for every tray in your dehydrator, plus a few extras for rolling out your meat.
- Cover 2 paint sticks in plastic wrap tightly and thinly.
Cook:
- On a flat surface, lay the trimmed sheet of parchment paper out. Parchment paper works best when it contains silicon, to prevent the jerky from sticking to it. An alternative is reusable silicon trays that may be an upgrade for your dehydrator.
- Position paint sticks no wider than the rolling pin all the way to the edge of your parchment paper, to maximize space.
- Optional: Use a long rolling pin with spacers instead of the paint sticks. Here is a link to Amazon with an example of the one we tested successfully.
- Form a fistful of ground beef into a long tube with your hands, and place between paint sticks.
- Place parchment paper over top. Flatten the tube-shaped jerky with your hands slightly.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the jerky so the width matches the paint stick.
- Peel the top piece of parchment paper off.
- Remove the paint stick on the edge and place it on the other side of your parchment paper. Remove any excess ground meat.
- Repeat steps 3-5.
- Remove paint sticks.
- If desired, sprinkle Katie’s Pepper Topper on top for some added habanero or ghost pepper spice!
- Slide the parchment paper with the flattened ground beef onto your oven tray. Then, put the tray in your oven/dehydrator.
- Repeat steps 1-11 until you have used all your ground beef.
- If you are using an oven, turn the temperature all the way down. The oven door should should be left ajar. If you are using a dehydrator, turn the temperature all the way up.
- Turn your dehydrator on for 90 minutes.
- Then, blot off any excess fat on jerky.
- Peel jerky off parchment paper and return it to the tray, flipped over.
- Discard your parchment paper.
- Repeat steps 15-17 until all your trays have been flipped.
- Run your dehydrator for another 90-150 minutes.
- TIP: The more uniform in thickness and size your jerky is, the more evenly it will cook.
Storage
- Cut the jerky into slices and store in a airtight container or a Ziplock bag.
- Preserve jerky’s taste best by getting as much air possible out of the bag.
Refrigerate the jerky.