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I have been loving making jerky. I’ve been using ground top round for my ground beef jerky, but any lean ground meat will work. This Cajun ground beef jerky made on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro has a nice mellow spicy flavor that is definitely not overwhelming. The meat has the perfect ‘bite’, just a little tug.

The Cajun flavoring from Eastman Outdoors has a bit different flavor than the version from AC Leggs. I love them both. This one has a stronger Cajun flavor, but is less spicy than the one from AC Leggs.

Rotating The Trays Is Important

Make sure you rotate your trays every 2 hours or so when you make Cajun Ground Beef Jerky on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro. The bottom trays will not dry as quickly as those on top. Rotating the trays will give you nice, even drying and perfect jerky on every level.

Get Extra Trays To Make More Jerky

I like to load up my dehydrator. To do that I picked up a handful of extra trays. They really add a whole lot more drying space! Since I have to rotate my trays, I write a number on each one on a piece of blue painter’s tape so I can keep track of them.

NESCO TR-2 White Plastic Round 15 1/2″ Add-A-Trays, to fit 1000 Series Food Dehydrators, 2 Pack

Try these other great jerky flavors from Eastman Outdoors: spicy jalapeno, whiskey pepper, mesquite, sweet habanero, and hickory.

Check out my guide to using the Nesco Snackmaster Pro. You will be making fantastic jerky at home in no time at all!

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5 from 1 vote

Cajun Ground Beef Jerky on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

This Cajun ground beef jerky made on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro has a nice mellow spicy flavor that is definitely not overwhelming. The meat has the perfect ‘bite’, just a little tug.

Course Dehydrator

Cuisine Jerky

Keyword beef, dehydrator, jerky, nesco snackmaster pro

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 6

Total Time 14

Servings pound

Calories 1243kcal

Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons Eastman Outdoors Cajun Jerky Seasoning see my note below
2 teaspoons pink curing salt Comes with the seasoning. Optional if you’re going to refrigerate the finished product
½ cups water

Instructions

Place beef in a resealable bag or container.
In a small bowl whisk together the seasoning, curing salt and water. Pour over the meat and seal. Shake to coat.
Refrigerate the meat for up to 8 hours, shaking or massaging every hour or so to get the marinade distributed and absorbed evenly.
Remove meat from the marinade and add to a jerky gun. Squeeze out onto Nesco trays. Do not overlap meat.
Add the dehydrator top, set to maximum temperature setting and dehydrate for 5 hours, rotating the trays (bottom to top) every 2 hours or so.
To test for doneness remove a piece and let cool slightly. Try to bend the meat. If it gives and starts to tear at the bend it is done. If it bends without tearing return to the dehydrator and let it run another 15 minutes and test again. If the meat is crunchy it is overdone but still good. It’s really a personal preference as to how you like your jerky. Soft, chewy, crunchy. There’s no wrong here.
Let cool before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

The package for the Eastman Outdoors jerky seasoning states that it makes up to 5 pounds of jerky. I personally feel that the flavor is too mellow, so I use just about an entire package for 1 pound of jerky. I end up with a little left over seasoning, which I store in a labelled air-tight container. I’ll eventually mix it with more seasoning. I think I can get 3 pounds of well-seasoning jerky out of two packages of Eastman Outdoors mix.

This recipe is for starting with 1 pound of meat. You’ll end up with about 1/2 pound in the end. You can easily double/triple/etc this recipe for large quantities of meat, however 5-6 pounds is about all you can fit onto a Nesco Snackmaster Pro fitted with 12 trays (the unit comes with 5).