Ready for some homemade beef jerky that’s WAY better than anything you’d get at a store? These smoked beef sticks are off the charts. It’s a super fun and straightforward recipe, made with clean ingredients, that creates the perfect protein-packed snack when hunger strikes.
Bonus: you don’t even have to use beef! You could make this smoked beef sticks recipe with venison or elk meat. That’ll definitely earn you extra points for the variety packs in your snack drawer!
Why You’ll Love Smoked Beef Sticks
If you love the bold flavors and convenience of beef jerky but want to make a superior quality version, this recipe is for you. With these smoked beef sticks, you know that you’re getting real meat thanks to using high-quality beef (you could even go with premium beef if you want!). No mystery meat, artificial junk or greasy regret here. From the first bite, your taste buds will be able to tell the difference of using quality ingredients.
I’m also incorporating cheddar cheese, jalapeños and my Cowboy Butter Seasoning to amp up the savory flavor. Finally, using the smoker will give us that real hickory hardwood smoke flavor that’s so much better than fake smoke. Your snack drawers, glove box, gym bag, office drawer or other weird snack stash spot will never be the same!
I used 90/10 ground beef so the homemade beef jerky is meatier and less fatty. Given this makeup, grass-fed beef could work well here. But again, use whatever ground red meat or game meat you like for diverse flavor profiles. Make sure the mixture is a wet-ish paste so it presses out better, and use a slightly larger jerky gun tip (about ½-¾”) so they stay more moist. The temperatures are to prevent breakage and dryness, so go slowly on the smoker. Also, you can eat the smoked beef sticks right off the smoker, but I recommend letting them completely cool as they might crumble if you don’t wait.
Looking for more snacks? Check out my recipes for Smoked Salmon Jerky, Beer Battered Texas Twinkies, Loaded Potato Skins and Jalapeño Popper Pigs in a Blanket.
Smoked Beef Sticks Ingredients
- Beef: I’m making these smoked beef sticks with 90/10 ground beef, cubed cheddar cheese, fresh jalapeño peppers and my Cowboy Butter Rub for a unique blend of seasonings. It’s an old-school way to do it, but sometimes that’s the best.
- Binder & Cure: These ingredients are key to making sure our specialty beef snack sticks stay together. Grab some Prague Powder #1 and ice water for this step of our protein-packed snack recipe.
Jerky Gun 101
This recipe calls for a jerky gun, which resembles a caulking gun— but for a versatile lineup of beef sticks! If you don’t have one already, I get the feeling that once you make this recipe, you’ll want a jerky gun in your live fire cooking arsenal. When you’re looking for a jerky gun, here are a few things to keep in mind for a good fit.
- Accessories: Does the gun come with other nozzles or attachments?
- Capacity: How much beef can you pack into the chamber?
- Material: What is the jerky gun made out of?
- Ease of cleaning: Bonus points if it’s dishwasher safe, am I right?
Bring the Flavor Home
How to Make Smoked Beef Sticks
First order of business: combine your 5 pounds of ground beef, 1/3 cup Cowboy Butter Seasoning and 1 teaspoon Prague Powder #1. While you’re mixing, slowly add 1/2 cup ice water. Mix aggressively until the meat becomes tacky/sticky. Fold in 10 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes, and 3-4 finely diced jalapeños at the end until everything is well incorporated.
Next, load the meat into a jerky gun. Grease some wire cooking racks and press out long ropes of the beef sticks with spacing between. Make sure to go slow and steady to not create breakage.
Add to the beef sticks to your smoker at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour to dry the outside and create a pellicle. Bump up the heat 10 degrees F every hour until the smoker gets to 170 degrees F. Let the beef sticks cook until the internal temperature of the beef sticks reaches at least 150 degrees F. Cooking should take about 5-6 hours total.
As an optional step, in the last hour, brush the smoked beef sticks with beef tallow. That process will give them some extra rich flavor and shine if you like.
Once the smoked beef sticks have reached temp, pull them off your smoker and place the whole thing in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Smoked Beef Sticks
Sure, this recipe is a great addition to your road trip stash. But, if you want to make a meal with these smoked beef sticks, serve alongside your favorite tailgate party snacks and call it dinner. I bet they’d be great leading into your favorite barbecue spread. Who says you can’t make a meal out of snacks?!
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover smoked beef sticks, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. No need to reheat — just grab and go!
For More Beef Snacks
FAQs
The top suppliers for this curing agent tend to be specialty butcher shops, stores that specialize in BBQ and grilling gear or online. You might find similar results with another curing agent or related products, but this one worked best for me.
The LEM Jerky Gun gets top marks for capacity, ease of cleaning and attachments. People also. like Axansiho or Smokehouse Products. Let me know if you have a favorite brand or model!
The team over at Bearded Butchers has this great detailed post about storing homemade beef jerky and the typical shelf life. Take a read and let me know in the comments if you have questions!
Get The Cookbooks!
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Smoked Beef Sticks
Ingredients
Beef
- 5 lbs 90/10 ground beef
- 10 oz cheddar cheese small cubes
- 3-4 fresh jalapeños finely diced
- ⅓ cup Cowboy Butter Rub
Binder & Cure
- 1 tsp Prague Powder #1
- 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
- Combine ground beef, seasoning, cure, and binder. Add ice water slowly while mixing. Mix aggressively until the meat becomes tacky/sticky. Fold in the cheese & jalapeños at the end until well incorporated.
- Load the meat into a jerky gun. Grease some wire cooking racks and press out long ropes of the beef sticks with spacing between. Make sure to go slow and steady to not create breakage.
- Add to your smoker at 130F for one hour to dry the outside and create a pellicle. Bump up the heat 10F every hour until the smoker gets to 170F. Let cook until the beef sticks are at least 150F internal. Cooking should take about 5-6 hours total. (Optional) In the last hour, brush with beef tallow to get some extra flavor and shine if you like.
- Once done, pull off and place in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Accessories: Does the gun come with other nozzles or attachments?
- Capacity: How much beef can you pack into the chamber?
- Material: What is the jerky gun made out of?
- Ease of cleaning: Bonus points if it’s dishwasher safe, am I right?
