Ground beef jerky is a protein-packed snack that’s tasty and convenient for on-the-go. But getting the texture just right when making it at home can be tricky. Undercooked jerky is chewy and potentially unsafe to eat, while overcooked jerky is dry and brittle. So how do you know precisely when ground beef jerky is perfectly done?
In this comprehensive guide we’ll walk through the key techniques for determining doneness using sight smell, taste, texture, and temperature. With a few simple tools and these insider tips, you’ll be able to make professional-quality ground beef jerky with confidence.
What is Ground Beef Jerky?
Jerky is made by slowly drying thin slices of spiced, marinated meat at low temperatures over several hours. This extended low-heat cooking removes moisture from the meat, concentrating the flavors and naturally preserving it.
Ground beef jerky starts with fresh ground beef that is mixed with salty marinades and bold spices before being shaped into thin strips or extruded through a jerky gun. It is then slowly dried until it develops a chewy yet shelf-stable texture.
Properly dried jerky should have a moisture content of around 10-15%. Anything higher risks potential mold growth, while lower moisture content makes the jerky too dry and brittle.
Why Proper Doneness is Critical
Ensuring ground beef jerky is fully cooked and adequately dried is important for three key reasons:
Food Safety – Heating the meat to 160°F internal temperature kills potentially harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella. Removing moisture prevents microbial growth after drying.
Texture – When dried to just the right level, the meat stays tender and cohesive when bent or chewed. Under-dried jerky is mushy, while over-dried is tough.
Flavor – Adequate drying concentrates the seasoned taste without making it overly dry. Jerky should taste rich and savory.
Don’t risk health issues or unappealing results – use these methods to guarantee proper doneness,
How to Tell When Ground Beef Jerky is Done
Because ground meat has no visible grain, traditional visual doneness cues used for whole cuts of meat don’t apply. Here are five reliable ways to test when ground beef jerky is ready:
1. Check Internal Temperature
- Ground beef must reach 160°F internally to eliminate bacteria and be safe to eat.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to test the thickest part of several strips for an accurate reading.
- For food safety, the 160°F temperature must be held for at least 1 full minute.
- Follow recipe time and temperature guidelines, adjusting longer if needed.
2. Look for Dryness
- Fully dried jerky should appear matte with no moist or tacky spots. Meat should not look wet or shiny.
- Any visible fat specks should be dried out and slightly shriveled rather than moist.
- The jerky’s exterior should have a leathery, matte look rather than glossy or sticky.
3. Test Texture and Pliability
- Let jerky cool slightly before testing as warm meat is more pliable.
- Bend a piece of jerky. It should crack but not completely snap when bent.
- If jerky breaks cleanly in half, it is likely over-dried. If still rubbery, it needs more drying time.
4. Smell for Rich, Meaty Aroma
- Properly dried jerky will smell savory, peppery, and intensely meaty.
- This concentrated flavor aroma signals adequate moisture removal.
- A lingering raw meat smell means it needs more time. Burnt smell is overdone.
5. Taste for Concentrated Flavor
- Chew a piece. Jerky should not taste moist or have a raw flavor.
- Flavor should intensify and condense as moisture content drops.
- If jerky tastes bland or has no flavor, additional drying is needed.
Tips for Dehydrating Ground Beef Jerky
Follow these best practices for tender, flavorful results:
- Use 85-90% lean ground beef for optimal moisture and texture.
- Cut strips no more than 1⁄4 inch thick so they dry quickly and evenly.
- Season generously with salt, black pepper, garlic, onion, and spices.
- Dehydrate at 145°–165°F. Higher temperatures risk case hardening.
- Rotate trays and shuffle piece placement periodically for consistent drying.
- Monitor closely once jerky is nearly done, as it can over-dry quickly.
- Let jerky rest at room temperature before packaging to equalize moisture.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Ground Beef Jerky
Follow this simple process for delicious homemade ground beef jerky:
1. Prepare Beef and Marinade
- Mix 1 pound 85% lean ground beef with desired seasonings and jerky cure. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Make marinade by combining soy sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper.
2. Form Meat Strips
- With moist hands, shape chilled beef into 1⁄4 inch thick strips or extrude through a jerky gun.
- Place strips in a baking dish and cover with prepared marinade. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
3. Dehydrate Jerky
- Drain marinade and pat strips dry with paper towels. Discard used marinade.
- Arrange strips on dehydrator trays without overlapping.
- Dehydrate 5-8 hours at 145°-165°F, flipping midway until dried.
4. Test Doneness
- Verify 160°F internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
- Check for desired texture, bend, appearance, aroma, and flavor.
- If underdone, continue drying and testing every 30 minutes until done.
5. Cool and Store Jerky
- Allow jerky to cool completely before packaging.
- For short term storage, place in sealed bags or airtight containers.
- Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my jerky smells or tastes sour or unpleasant?
Bad odor, slime, mold, or off tastes mean the jerky has spoiled and should be discarded. Only eat jerky with a good aroma and flavor.
Why is my jerky tough and rubbery?
This typically means it’s under-dried. Place back in the dehydrator to dry out more, checking often to avoid over-drying. Properly dried jerky will bend and eventually break when folded.
What causes white spots on my jerky?
White specks are fat under the surface that didn’t fully render. To prevent this, trim excess fat before grinding and mix seasonings in thoroughly.
How can I tell if ground beef jerky is undercooked?
Check the internal temperature. Below 160°F risks bacteria growth. Undercooked jerky will also appear shiny, mushy, and bend without cracking. Cook it longer until dryness develops.
My jerky dried too fast and is brittle. What went wrong?
Fast dehydrating makes jerky hard and brittle. Use lower temperatures around 140°F to dry low and slow. Don’t overcrowd trays, which speeds drying. While brittle, it is safe to eat.
Making Delicious Ground Beef Jerky at Home
Crafting quality ground beef jerky takes patience as you carefully remove just the right amount of moisture. Follow these doneness indicators and tips for incredible homemade jerky that’s tender and full of flavor. With the proper techniques, you can achieve professional jerky shop results in your own kitchen!
The jerky begins to produce a meaty, appetizing smell.
An easy and obvious indicator that the jerky is done (or at least approaching doneness) is the aroma. Cooked jerky will give off an appetizing cooked meat smell.
That appetizing smell is a product of non-enzymatic browning known as the Maillard reaction. Here’s a description of the Maillard reaction from the team at Serious Eats.
“The Maillard reaction is many small, simultaneous chemical reactions that occur when proteins and sugars in and on your food are transformed by heat, producing new flavors, aromas, and colors.”
The Maillard reaction is the reason we love cooked, roasted and browned foods such as coffee, bread, and steaks. Think of meaty, brothy, roasty, nutty, and umami-rich flavors in taste and smell.
Typically, the Maillard reaction happens at hotter temperatures from 280°F to 330°F, but it can also happen at lower temperatures when heat is applied for longer periods of time. The flavors that emerge in ripening and aging cheese, for example, are due from the Maillard reaction, or in our case, low and slow-cooked beef jerky.
That means once your oven, dehydrator, or smoker starts to emit an irresistible smell you know you’re close to done or fully done.
The cook time & temperature have been met without deviations.
The prescribed cook time and temperature in trusted beef jerky recipes are specifically designed to reach an acceptable doneness. The key word there is trusted.
Our beef jerky recipes, for example, have been rigorously and repeatedly considered, tested, and tasted. These tests guarantee a delicious, fully-cooked jerky.
This is important because when it comes to making beef jerky, there’s no single combination of time and temperature that achieves cooked jerky.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the governing body that oversees all meat production, offers Cooking Guidelines that demonstrate the range of combinations that reach lethality (industry-speak for fully cooked).
*Note these times and temps result in a jerky being cooked, but not necessarily dried.
In simple terms, to reach doneness, you can cook a piece of meat at a lower temperature for a longer period of time OR a higher temperature for a shorter period of time. As long as you hit and maintain the prescribed temperature for the required amount of time, you can be assured of lethality.*
*Lethality is an industry term that defines the process or steps used to destroy pathogenic microorganisms in a product to make the product safe for human consumption.
An important note here is that these time and temperature requirements are for the internal part of the meat. Not oven temperature or surface temperature, but internal meat temperature.
We’ve seen it all in our 90+ years of making jerky. We know enough to know there’s no single way to make jerky. Ultimately, it comes down to your preference and the recipe you select. The key is to choose a reputable recipe and follow the instructions closely.
For jerky sliced to a 1/4 inch, we recommend cooking at a temperature of 165°F for 4-5 hours, but even then, there can be variables outside of your control that require the following steps to make sure the jerky is done.
If the jerky has been cooked to the suggested time and temperature of your recipe, without any fluctuations in temperature, you can move to step two.