Metalware Open Country Beef Jerky Works Kit

by Nesco

Product Features

• Makes beef jerky from ground meat
• Quick and easy: jerky finished in about four hours
• 9-inch jerky gun with three attachments for strips and sticks
• Five spice packets and five jerky-cure packets included
• Use with any food dehydrator

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 9.5 x 5.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004W4VD
• Item model number: BJW-1
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,153 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #62 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Specialty Appliances > Dehydrators

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Make perfect jerky sticks and strips with ease every time using the Jerky Works! This kit contains everything you need to start making flavorful beef jerky. The jerky gun includes three attachments: a flat tip for making jerky strips and 2 round tips for making large and small jerky sticks. Kit includes five jerky spices and cures in original, Cajun, and pepperoni flavors.

Product Description

Take ground beef, use the included seasonings, use the gun to squeeze the misture into strips or rolls, dehydrate using your dehydrator and voilA, you've got jerky! Fun, economical and easy, the whole family will enjoy making and eating it for snacks, camping, lunches and so on.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It works, July 17, 2003

By 

Thomas E. Tweedel (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Metalware Open Country Beef Jerky Works Kit (Kitchen)

I purchased their Jerkey Making Kit. I was skeptical of turning ground meat into jerky. I figured it would dry out, fall apart and turn to something like Pemican. To my great surprise it held together and I was using Venison (lower fat content). The Nesco Flavor packets were quite tasty. The Ground meat Jerkey lacks the feel of tradtional strip beef jerkey but makes it easier to eat, especially those with dental issues.

The one problem I have with the jerkey Kit is that it is too small, you get less than 1/2 lb of meat per load, so you have to load the gun at least twice, usually 3 times per pound of meat. Sometimes it can gugle and spit when their is air in the meat. Usually by the last half of the tube the air has call compressed out but then you have to reload. If you really want to make Jerky I would get a gun with a larger capacity. But this gun proved to me it could be done (I had a lot of doubt).

One tip, squirt the meat onto wax paper and then transfer it onto your drying racks (I use the nesco snackmaster) when I squirted directly onto the racks it shoved meat between the grills and made it tough to remove. Maybe I should try it with that herb tray insert

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ground beef jerky? Yes! And it's great!, September 24, 2002

By 

Wendy A. B. Whipple (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Metalware Open Country Beef Jerky Works Kit (Kitchen)

I have to admit when my husband presented me with this contraption, I was a little skeptical. My experiences with beef jerky were limited to the leathery stuff you buy in convenience stores. My first concern about using ground beef was safety. My Snackmaster dehydrator dries at a high enough temp that that was no longer a concern.

My second concern was taste. What on earth would ground beef jerky taste like? So, hesitantly, I bought extra-lean ground beef, and used the seasoning packets that came with the "jerky gun."

If you've ever used a press, you are going to LOVE how easily this thing makes jerky that's uniform and attractive. (Okay, I know most folks don't care what it looks like so long as it's good, but *I* care.) The only criticism I could have of this is that it doesn't hold very much at a time, so I would have to stop and refill it. But this is so easy to use, I was still done in no time.

Several hours later, the jerky was dried. I took a smaller piece out of the tray and nibbled on it. Hey, this stuff's great! Really tasty!

Once you've used up your seasoning packets, you can find kits online at various camping/hunting stores, or you can experiment and make your own. This is so simple, and so good... and you save so much money making it yourself. (That store-bought ick works out to at least [money]/pound.) The jerky gun is one of the niftiest gadgets in my kitchen. I *highly* recommend this kit.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet Delicious, December 24, 2002

By 

Rich Hale (Wyoming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metalware Open Country Beef Jerky Works Kit (Kitchen)

My wife and I recently received the Nesco American Harvest Jerky Works Kit as a gift. I was somewhat skeptical of this product because I have always made my venison jerky out of steaks and roasts.
The first time I tried this product, I was very impressed by the texture and taste of the jerky. Since then, I have made several batches of jerky with it, and everybody that has tasted it can't believe that I made it.
I haven't gone back to my other method of making jerky since I have tried this product, and I don't expect that I ever will.