# Ground Venison Jerky question



## brown274 (Dec 18, 2017)

Hello forum, I have a deer jerky question for you.

I took a buck last month to the deer processor I have been going to for a few years and told them to make jerky this time since I have always had them make summer sausage or normal cuts and ground. I picked the meat up a week later and started unpacking it at home and I noticed that they made ground deer jerky and not whole strips from the roast like I expected but it is what their website says so it is my bad for not asking them what type they made.     

I had a jerky gun a few years ago but didn't care for ground beef jerky and gave it to goodwill. I now buy beef roast and slice them into strips with the LEM 2 in 1 jerky attachment on my #8 grinder. I have always planned on getting a sausage stuffer to make small batches of breakfast links and maybe a few brats here and there. Now I have 12 two pound packs of ground jerky in the freezer. I have no friends with equipment so borrowing a gun is not available. I really don't want to buy a gun since I will be getting whole roast from now on at the processor and making strip jerky myself.  

Now, could I put this ground jerky mix in a stuffer with 19mm collagen casing and then put them in my Excalibur dehydrator? I have a cookshack smoker also but would like to not have to mess with that if I can get away with the dehydrator. 

I will call them to make 100% sure that there is cure in the ground jerky before I get ready to make it, but have some here if I need to add it.


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## muddydogs (Dec 18, 2017)

So you want to take some ground meat jerky and remake it into jerky again? Or did you get raw uncooked preseasoned ground meat for jerky? From your description it reads like they made jerky and you want to remake it, if this is the case I would think your final product would be very dry unless you added some more meat and liquids.


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## brown274 (Dec 18, 2017)

Sorry I rambled so much, I got raw uncooked preseasoned ground meat for jerky. I will have to thaw it and cook/dehydrate it myself. I was wanting to know if I could stuff it into a 19mm casing with a stuffer, or do I need to get a jerky cannon and do it without a casing.


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## muddydogs (Dec 18, 2017)

Sure you can stuff it into 19 mm casing and make a snack stick type jerky. A jerky cannon would also work. I would call the butcher like you stated to make sure that he did add cure to then meat mix. As a side note I prefer the 16 mm collagen cases for snack sticks as they seem to be about the right diameter to me.


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## brown274 (Dec 18, 2017)

Thank You!!

I just ordered the new model Lem 5lb stuffer and the 9mm 3/8 tube from ebay.


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## tallbm (Dec 18, 2017)

brown274 said:


> Sorry I rambled so much, I got raw uncooked preseasoned ground meat for jerky. I will have to thaw it and cook/dehydrate it myself. I was wanting to know if I could stuff it into a 19mm casing with a stuffer, or do I need to get a jerky cannon and do it without a casing.



Hi there and welcome!

It is my understanding that true snack sticks need some fat.  If they did pure grind then you will have some. 

Now I have never made snack sticks in collagen casings so I can't tell you if zero fat snack sticks would be an issue or not.  
I HAVE made plenty of ground meat jerky using the stick tube tip of my Jerky Cannon with no fat added and it makes great stick jerky.  Also I never have used collagen casings to do this.

If you are going for jerky vs snack sticks I think you wouldn't need any fat added and you could ditch the collagen casings.
If you are going for true snack sticks I think you may need to add some fat.

Let me know if this makes sense :)


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## brown274 (Dec 18, 2017)

I am sorta going for jerky in slim jim form (if that makes any since). I just want to use the casing so they will be more uniform.


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## tallbm (Dec 19, 2017)

brown274 said:


> I am sorta going for jerky in slim jim form (if that makes any since). I just want to use the casing so they will be more uniform.



I think that may make sense.
I am interpreting that as you wanting dry jerky (dry like flat ground jerky) but in tube shape AND inside a collagen casing.
As apposed to a fattier/wetter slim jim sausage stick consistency (not dry like flat ground jerky).

If I am correct then I think you are good to give it a try and see how the collagen casing behaves as a wrapper to dry ground jerky.  Be sure to post pictures of the results! :)


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## brown274 (Dec 19, 2017)

Thanks for all the help guys.


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## brown274 (Jan 5, 2018)

Finally got everything in to make these. I order the 17mm casings and the small stuffing tube from ebay. They came out tasting really good. Everyone said they were awesome.


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## ab canuck (Jan 5, 2018)

Well it looks good, Did you get the taste or consistency you were looking for?


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## tallbm (Jan 5, 2018)

They look like snack sticks to me, good job... if that is what you were going for :D


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## brown274 (Jan 7, 2018)

Turned out really well. I did one batch without the casing and one with. Seem that most liked the casing ones.


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