If you’re looking for step-by-step instructions on how to make homemade beef jerky in a dehydrator, look no further because you can find them right here. This includes selecting the meat to use, slicing the meat, marinating the meat using a fantastic recipe, dehydrating the jerky, and testing it to see when it is done. [feast_advanced_jump_to].
Introduction: Beef Snack Sticks in a Dehydrator
We all have our guilty pleasures. We work to eat well, prepare meals well, and maintain good health. However, there are times when you simply yearn for that one thing you know is really bad for you. That used to be Slim Jims and other beef snack sticks in our home. until we started making our own. These homemade beef snack sticks may be exactly what the doctor ordered when the craving strikes because they are significantly less expensive, made with ingredients you can actually recognize, and flavorful.
The basics of making snack sticks are covered in this instructable, but they won’t necessarily taste like Slim Jims. You might be able to replicate the taste, if not the texture, with a little experimentation. Whether it’s teriyaki garlic, spicy habanero, or pizza, we prefer to create our own flavors. To make sourcing ingredients for this example as easy as possible, we will use a pre-mixed spice blend that comes with its own bag of curing salts.
A few caveats before we begin. As always, safety first. This Instructable involves working with raw meat for extended periods. Ensure everything is clean and sanitary before beginning. Also, ensure that you have set aside sufficient time. The preparation steps can take up to two hours, and the dehydrator will be used for the snack sticks for 6 to 8 hours. Additionally, having a helper is advantageous because stuffing meat into casings is a task that is best completed by two people. Fortunately, we have teenagers who enjoy cooking in our home. :).
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Step 1: Ingredients and Gear
We look for cheap beef and pork roasts to keep the cost of making these snack sticks low. When we do, we purchase enough to produce a batch of these. We use a combination of beef and pork, but you can use 100% beef if you like Be sure it is 80/20 meat-to-fat ratio. If you use a lower fat meat like venison, you should add at least 20% pork In order to give the snack sticks a slightly tangy flavor, we will also be adding citric acid.
Ingredients:
Gear:
These are jumbo snacks sticks because the casing size, which is technically a breakfast sausage casing, is 21mm. Slim Jim-sized 15mm casings are available, but it’s challenging to find stuffer and gun nozzles and extremely challenging to force the meat mixture through such a tiny tube. I do not advise using a casing smaller than 19mm because of this.
**You might need to use an encapsulated citric acid after your meat is ground for the final time, depending on how comminuted (finely ground) and how lean your meat is. The non-encapsulated citric acid used here may cause your emulsion to break if your meat has an emulsified texture (like a paste), is not extremely lean, and is not very cold.
Step 2: Meat Grinding – Stage One.
Make sure the meat has cooled to at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit before you begin. Cube the roasts and grind using a coarse grinding plate. Place the ground meat in the plastic containers after all the meat has been ground, then freeze the containers for about 30 minutes. The more difficult it is to grind the fat and the more it threads around the inside of the grinder, the warmer the fat. This method of cooling the meat prevents the grinder from becoming clogged.
Step 3: Meat Grinding – Stage Two
After taking the tubs out of the freezer, quickly combine them in a large bowl. Use the small grinding plate to put this beef-and-pork mixture through the grinder once more; the plate should be at least 3/8″ or smaller.
Step 4: Season and Cure
Mix the meat by hand for at least five minutes after adding the seasoning mix and curing salt. Mix by hand for at least three minutes while adding 1 cup of very cold water or shaved ice.
If using, do not add the citric acid yet. Citrix acid powder is an enclosed crystal and should not be ground.
Repack the tubs with the meat mixture and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes, or, to use an antiquated sausage-making technique, place them in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. This will result in a much more flavorful meat mixture.
Step 5: Final Grind
Take the tubs out of the refrigerator or freezer, and use the small plate to grind them once more. This will guarantee that the meat mixture is the right consistency, almost emulsified, which will result in a snack stick with a better texture. Interesting side note: this is also how hot dogs and bologna are made to have the same consistency.
If using citric acid, mix it in by hand for about three minutes after adding it.
Step 6: Stuffing Method #1 – Stand Mixer
Using a stand mixer’s sausage stuffer attachment is our first method of stuffing. This approach has some drawbacks, and before we continue, I’ll highlight the two biggest ones.
Pictured above are two stuffing tubes. The one on the right is from the stand mixer attachment, while the one on the left is from a jerky gun. As you can see, the one on the right is tapered, which prevents the casing from sliding up over the nozzle as needed. Fortunately, the one on the left fits our stand mixer attachment and doesn’t have a taper.
The pusher that is included with the meat grinder attachment is also shown. It is a flat disc with hollow buttressing behind it, as you can see. This allows the meat mixture to slip past the disc and keeps it from filling the stuffing tube at a reasonable rate with our finely ground, nearly emulsified mixture. If at all possible, use a sturdy, cylindrical object as a pusher, or use the jerky gun technique that will be shown next.
Install the nozzle on the grinder as directed, then thread a 3-4″ length of casing onto the nozzle if you want to try the stand mixer method. Be sure the end is tied. We are using the end that was tied from the manufacturer in the pictures. While you hold on to the casing, have your assistant continuously stuff meat into the stuffer so that it only moves forward when it is filled with meat. You can make long sticks or short sticks. Pictured above is a long stick. Tie off the casing and cut it once you’ve stuffed it to the desired length. I’ll demonstrate this in more detail with the jerky gun technique next.
Step 7: Stuffing Method #2 – the Jerky Gun
This is how I like to stuff the casings for snack sticks. The gun holds enough meat for three medium-sized snack sticks, so you won’t have to worry about it slipping past the pusher. The same nozzle as in the previous method is employed in this one, but this time it is mounted on the gun.
Fill the gun. Make sure the end is tied before sliding the casing over the nozzle. Have your assistant click the gun so that the meat flows into the casing while you hold your hand around the casing to offer some resistance. When the length is right, tie off the end as shown. Sometimes it helps to give the casing a twist first. The jerky gun’s casing was cut, and the remaining end was tied. Repeat this process until the gun is empty. Continue until all of the meat has been stuffed into the casings after reloading the gun.
Step 8: Drying Time…then Beef Snack Sticks!
Load the snack sticks onto the dehydrator trays. Do yourself a favor and use Clean-A-Screens over your trays. It will cleanup a heck of a lot easier. The snack sticks need to stay in the dehydrator until the internal temperature is at least 155 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point they are cooked, and the real drying begins. For them to reach the texture of a snack stick instead of a sausage, they really need to be left in for a long time. I leave mine in for at least 8-10 hours, sometimes as many as 12. The best way to judge is to start testing them for texture and flavor after 8 hours, and every 2 hours after that until you like them. They should be shelf-stable at this point, but just to be on the safe side I store them in the fridge in zippered plastic bags. Enjoy, and dont be afraid to experiment with your seasonings!
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Encapsulated citric acid should never be run through a grinder. The recommended citric acid functions admirably and has no side effects.
I grind all of our ground beef at home, looking for and removing any silver skin particles during the trimming process. This results in a much more palatable final product and keeps the grind blade assembly clean.
Awesome! Youve inspired me, Im going to make some!!
Post a photo of yourself succeeding and let me know how it went. :).
Dehydrated Meat Snack Sticks; almost like a Slim Jim
FAQ
Can I dehydrate beef sticks?
Cutting the beef into thin slices with a sharp knife, letting it marinate in the fridge overnight to absorb flavor, and then drying it at a low temperature in a dehydrator are all that are required to make homemade beef jerky. My recipe is a fantastic “original flavor” recipe that is simple to adapt to your preferences.
How long does it take to make snack sticks in a dehydrator?
Ensure everything is clean and sanitary before beginning. Also, ensure that you have set aside sufficient time. The preparation steps can take up to two hours, and the dehydrator will be used for the snack sticks for 6 to 8 hours.
Can you put raw meat in a dehydrator?
The risk of dehydrating meat and poultry without first cooking them to a safe temperature is that the appliance won’t heat the food to the temperatures necessary to kill bacteria, which are 165 °F for poultry and 160 °F for meat, before the dehydrating process. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant.
How long do you dehydrate beef jerky?
Step 8: When dehydrating beef jerky, it takes about 4-5 hours for it to dry. According to USDA recommendations, set the dehydrator to 165° and let it run for about 4 hours until the internal temperature of the jerky reaches a safe 160°.