Mom makes these spicy beef pepper sticks for humans, but I get to taste them (just a little piece). They are the best pepper sticks I have ever had, free from ANY chemicals! Just natural smoking preserves them in the refrigerator for up to three months, but they are gone way before then. Here’s how mom does it.
You need:
- 3 pounds of grass-fed Kincaid Ranch ground beef (any ground beef will do, but this is the best)
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 teaspoons kosher sale
- 3 teaspoons chile powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/4 cup crushed, dried jalepeños
Mix all of the above ingredients together in a bowl, then load it into a jerky gun with a tip for making sticks of jerky rather than strips. Preheat a Traeger or similar smoking grill to 200 degrees F. Squeeze the sticks onto racks (we put three baker’s cooling racks stacked on top of each other in a cast iron baking sheet) and smoke for 1 hour. Turn the temperature down to 180 degrees F and continue baking until the beef is darkened to nearly black on the edges, dry to the touch, and pliable, 3 to 3 1/2 hours more. Remove the beef from the smoker and cool. Store the sticks in a resealable plastic bag or container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months and in the freezer for up to 6 months.