There are key sensory clues to help determine when a jerky is cooked, dried, and ready to enjoy. The secret is using the five senses and a bit of common sense.
Technically, beef jerky is “done” when it’s been cooked to at least 160°F on the inside and dried so that the water activity is less than 0. 85.
Needle-thin probes and water activity meters can find and measure these standards with great accuracy in a commercial jerky factory. We have professional tools and more than 90 years of experience across four generations in our beef jerky factory, so we know when a batch of jerky has reached these exact standards.
The person who makes jerky at home has to use smell, taste, and sight to tell when the meat is done, dried, and ready to eat. How to know when jerky is done is important to enjoy jerky at its peak.
Beef jerky makes for a delicious and protein-packed snack. When made from ground beef, achieving the right texture and doneness can be trickier. Undercooked ground beef jerky poses a safety risk, while overdrying produces a tough chew.
Luckily, there are clear signs to look for to determine when ground beef jerky is fully cooked and properly dried. Follow these tips for perfect ground beef jerky each time.
What is Ground Beef Jerky?
Ground beef jerky starts with fresh ground beef that is seasoned and shaped, then dried and smoked for concentrated flavor. The ground texture allows more surface area for seasoning absorption.
Top round, bottom round, or eye of round ground beef work best, with about 15% fat content. The meat is mixed with salt, spices, and often curing agents like sodium nitrite before dehydrating.
Ground beef jerky can be pressed into strips or extruded through a jerky gun for fun shapes Drying creates a chewy, smoky snack that lasts for months
Why Proper Doneness Matters
Sufficient drying and cooking ground beef jerky properly ensures:
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Food safety – Heating to 160°F kills bacteria like E. coli. Removing moisture prevents microbial growth.
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Tender, cohesive texture – Dried to the right point, the meat stays flexible when bent rather than crumbling.
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Intense flavor – Adequate drying concentrates the seasoned taste without becoming tough.
Don’t risk health issues or unappetizing jerky – always confirm full doneness.
How to Tell When Ground Beef Jerky is Done
Rely on these three signs to recognize when ground beef jerky has reached the ideal finished state:
1. Internal Temperature
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Ground beef jerky must reach an internal temperature of 160-165°F to eliminate bacteria.
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Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest portion of several strips for the most accurate reading.
2. Texture and Bend Test
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Fully cooked jerky will be dry but still flexible and chewy.
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It should bend without breaking and won’t have a raw, mushy texture.
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Overdried jerky becomes brittle and tough. Moist jerky is too soft and floppy.
3. Color
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Properly dried ground beef jerky is a deep brownish-red hue.
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Raw jerky still has a pinkish cast. Jerky that is overcooked looks almost black.
Use all three indicators together to confirm your ground beef jerky is perfectly done.
Detailed Steps for Cooking Ground Beef Jerky
Follow this process for flawlessly cooked ground beef jerky:
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Prepare the beef – Mix 1 pound of lean ground beef with desired seasonings. Chill thoroughly.
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Form into strips – Extrude seasoned beef through a jerky gun or pat and shape into 1⁄4 inch thick strips.
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Dehydrate – Dry jerky strips at 145-165°F for 5-8 hours, flipping occasionally, until desired doneness.
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Test temperature – Probe with an instant-read thermometer to confirm 160°F minimum temp.
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Check texture – Dry jerky should bend and be chewy but not crumble.
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Verify color – Final jerky strips should be deep reddish-brown without raw pinkness.
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Rest and cool – Let jerky sit at room temperature 1-2 hours to complete drying.
Following this process ensures perfectly cooked, safe ground beef jerky every time.
Ground Beef Jerky Cooking Methods
You can dry and smoke ground beef jerky in a few different appliances:
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Dehydrator – Ideal for making jerky with adjustable temperature and airflow. Look for models with 165°F maximum temp.
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Oven – Use low temps under 200°F with oven door propped open. Add smoker box for flavor.
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Electric smoker – Allows cold smoking below 140°F to dry then cooking to 160°F. Provides authentic flavor.
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Stovetop smoker – Imparts great smoke flavor. Monitor temperature closely and avoid direct heat.
Each technique can produce amazing ground beef jerky with the right monitoring.
What If Ground Beef Jerky Seems Underdone?
If after drying and smoking, your ground beef jerky still seems moist, dark, or too soft, simply keep dehydrating and cooking until the proper doneness signs emerge.
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Continue drying at 145-165°F until jerky reaches 160°F internal temperature.
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Test strips for the ideal bend and deep reddish-brown color.
Do not eat undercooked ground beef jerky to avoid potential bacteria. Always fully cook for safety and the best texture.
Storing Fully Cooked Ground Beef Jerky
After cooking ground beef jerky properly, store it safely:
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Let jerky cool completely before closed packaging.
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For short term storage, keep jerky in a sealed bag or airtight container.
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Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
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For maximum freshness and shelf life, consider vacuum sealing packets.
Following safe handling guidelines will keep your jerky tasting great while preventing any risks.
Tips for Making Delicious Ground Beef Jerky
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Use eye of round or top round for the most tender, flavorful jerky.
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Mix in savory flavors like liquid smoke, soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, and onion.
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Form very thin 1⁄4 inch thick strips for faster, more even drying.
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Rotate racks and flip strips during dehydrating to prevent hot spots.
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Rest jerky before eating for the flavors to meld and moisture to evenly distribute.
With the right techniques, you can create amazing ground beef jerky safely at home. Just be diligent in confirming it cooks to a safe internal temperature and look for the visual signs of properly dried jerky. Enjoy this satisfying snack knowing it was prepared with care.
Intramuscular fat is rendered and the jerky has a dry, leathery appearance.
Time for the eyeball test. Remove a piece and let it cool for a few minutes. Warm jerky can make it hard to tell when it’s really done, so let it cool down until it’s almost room temperature.
Once cool, check for the following visual signs:
- The jerky should have a dry, leathery appearance.
- Any intramuscular fat should be rendered and cooked out. Any fat that is left over should be a deep, rich, golden brown color. If the fat is white or ivory, it means the jerky needs more time.
- As you can see in the picture above, there shouldn’t be any marinade moisture left on the outside of the jerky. Some grease or fat is normal, and it will look shiny.
The cook time & temperature have been met without deviations.
The cook time and temperature given in reliable beef jerky recipes are exactly what you need to get the meat to a good level of 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 there is no one time and temperature that will make beef jerky fully cooked.
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.
The simple answer is that you can cook meat at a lower temperature for longer OR a higher temperature for shorter amounts of time to get it done. You can be sure that it will kill as long as you reach and keep the right temperature for the right amount of time. *.
*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.
One important thing to keep in mind is that these times and temperatures are for the meat’s inside. 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.
We suggest cooking jerky that has been sliced to a thickness of 1/4 inch at 165°F for 4 to 5 hours. However, even after that, there may be factors outside of your control that mean you need to take the next steps to make sure the jerky is fully cooked.
You can go to step two if the jerky has been cooked for the amount of time and at the temperature called for in your recipe, with no changes in temperature.
When ls Jerky Done-Ronco Dehydrator
FAQ
How do I know when ground meat jerky is done?
How long does ground beef jerky take to dehydrate?
Can jerky be undercooked?
Is ground beef jerky tender?
How do you know when beef jerky is done?
All you need to do is bend the jerky and if it doesn’t break, your beef jerky is done. The bend test is a great way to check the dryness of your beef jerky. After the ground beef has been dehydrated for the recommended amount of time which is roughly 3 to 5 hours at 165°.
Can you consider beef jerky a healthy snack?
No, as this is high in salt and other preservatives to main both its structure, taste and longevity. As a processed meat, beef jerky is also higher in saturated fat. All the salt, preservatives and saturated fat can be harmful to primarily your heart health. It is best to swap this out for some chicken breasts that have been cubed or homemade turkey balls.
How do you know if beef jerky is safe?
Beef jerky should be firm and leathery. If you see grease glistening on the jerky’s exterior or the jerky leaves a sticky residue when handling it, it means the jerky needs to be smoked/dried for longer. Finally, a taste test is essential for determining the safety of the jerky and its flavor profile.
What does finished jerky look like?
Externally, jerky can look the same when it’s finished and not finished. This is even further complicated if you’re smoking the jerky as the smoke will darken the meat. In most cases though, finished jerky will typically have a leathery appearance.