Irish Stew Beef Jerky

My Jalapeno Ground Beef Jerky is definitely a favourite, and is what got me started with adding vegetables to my jerkies.

Today’s recipe may sound a bit weird, but it works - and it’s strangely... pretty?... for a beef jerky.

Irish Stew Jerky!

This recipe is loosely based on my Irish Stew Meatballs, which has been a favourite of ours for something like a decade and a half, at this point.

This beef jerky features little ribbons of carrot and turnip throughout it, along with fresh parsley and dried herbs.

The final jerky is a fun, flavourful, and complex jerky, and a fantastic addition to our selection of homemade jerky recipes.

So, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to put on a batch of this Irish Stew Jerky for yourself!

Equipment

There are two specialized pieces of equipment that I use for making ground beef jerky, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups:

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make homemade jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. (Really, more for XX jerky!)

I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch (varying by recipe) - let’s average that out to 12. That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a food grade caulking gun that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Ingredients

With only 2 exceptions, the ingredients in this Irish Stew Beef Jerky recipe are super simple - you probably even have most of them on hand!

As for those last two, they may be specialty, but I use them in pretty much all of my jerky recipes. They’ll definitely get used, if you’re a jerky fan!

Some notes for you:

Extra Lean Ground Beef

Using the right meat in your beef jerky will make all the difference.

Use the highest quality ground beef you can, when making beef jerky. It doesn’t need to be PREMIUM beef, but quality matters.

Also, aim for the leanest meat you can get. Extra lean ground beef is always my first choice for making ground beef jerkies, but lean ground beef will work as well.

Leaner meat will have a better shelf life than higher fat meat will - fat can go rancid.

Finally, you can grind your own meat for this. To do so, trim your beef - eye of round roast, rump roast, sirloin roast, etc - of as much fat as possible, and use a finer grind.

Produce

You can’t have an Irish Stew without some veggies!

First off, a note: Potato can be a fussy thing to deal with, when it comes to preservation... so I decided to use turnip, instead. It grates up well, without the same cooking / oxidation issues you can run into when dealing with potatoes.

(I DO use potatoes in one jerky I do - I should get around to posting it soonish. That’s cooked, mashed potatoes, though!)

In addition to the turnip, we’re using carrot and fresh parsley.

You’ll want to finely grate the carrot and turnip, for the best texture in the finished jerky. As for the parsley, I like using Italian Parsley / flat leaf parsley.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market. It’s not something you’ll normally cook with, but it’ll last a long time - a little goes a long way!

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages - and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It does this by preventing the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

A couple of things to note:

1. Prague Powder is pink, but it is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier beef jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Liquid Smoke

As with all of my jerkies, you’ll need some Liquid Smoke - a little goes a lot way!

I only use a small amount in this Irish Stew Jerky recipe, just enough to give it a traditional “jerky” flavour - it’s not at all overpowering, just an accent.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Soy Sauce, Coconut Aminos, or Tamari
Ground Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Dried Thyme
Salt

... as always, I don’t really have anything to add, when it comes to these last few ingredients!

How to Make Irish Stew Beef Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl - using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well - for best results, it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it.

Line your dehydrator racks with the cut parchment paper, then pipe your jerky strips out onto them, leaving some space in between each.

To test for doneness, remove a piece of Irish Stew Beef Jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

Irish Stew Jerky Storage

Allow jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Irish Stew Beef jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week or so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of chicken jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening.

More Ground Beef Jerky Recipes

Here are a few more tasty ways to make jerky from ground beef:

Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Jalapeno Ground Beef Jerky
Peppered Ground Beef Jerky
Rosemary Blueberry Ground Beef Jerky