If you’re in a hurry and just want to find out what the best jerky gun on the market is, then we recommend the LEM Jerky Cannon.
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive ranking—along with information about why you should purchase one of these products in the first place—read on.
Beef jerky made from premium cuts of beef—such as eye of the round—is satisfying and delicious, but investing in all those high-priced roasts can be a daunting prospect. While there’s no reason to give up on the occasional splurge, why not try the more cost-effective method of using ground beef to make your jerky instead? All it takes to get started is a jerky gun—a long tubular device (similar to a cookie press) that you can use to extrude ground beef in the desired shapes for your favorite jerky recipe.
In this article, we’re going to review the following food dehydrator products that are great for beef jerky:
- LEM Products 468 Jerky Cannon
- JerkySpot Beef Jerky Gun
- 7Penn Beef Jerky Maker Kit
- Smokehouse Products Jerky Gun
- Sigval Beef Jerky Gun
- Open Country Aluminum Jerky Gun
Benefits of Using a Jerky Gun
When you use a jerky gun to shape your beef strips, you’re saving time on both the front and the back end. The meat is already ground, which eliminates the need for slicing. The rest of your prep time will be minimal, and cleanup is a breeze, especially if the gun’s components are dishwasher-safe.
Strips of jerky made from ground beef tend to have a chewier, less dense texture than their leathery counterparts, and some aficionados swear by their superior flavor. As a bonus, with ground meat recipes, you won’t have to marinate the meat overnight. Just mix the ground beef with the seasonings, load it into the jerky gun, and start cranking out those strips of beef.
Many jerky guns will come equipped with a wide, flat nozzle for making traditional jerky strips, but some may also include either a single- or double-barreled circular nozzle attachment. These can be used to shape the ground meat into long, thin straws that resemble commercially prepared Slim Jims. Feel free to experiment with the different methods to see which you prefer—the wider strips have a meatier texture, but they also take longer to dehydrate.
Best Jerky Gun Review Guide
Following is a list of jerky guns that meet all the satisfactory criteria for fashioning jerky strips out of ground beef. Which one you choose is largely a matter of personal preference, frequency of use, and how much you’re willing to spend. For your convenience, we’ve included a list of pros and cons for each model, to help you decide how they stack up against one another.
- Versatile Design: Our Jerky Cannon is capable of producing standard flat jerky or snack sticks. All you need to do is use the appropriate nozzle to get the result you're looking for. You can also use different types of ground meat.
- Durable Construction: Utilizes an anodized aluminum barrel, a piston made of heavy-duty plastic with a stainless-steel rod, and a plastic-coated steel handle so you can reliably use this cannon year after year.
- Cannon Functionality: When making jerky or meat snack sticks, you can quickly attach the correct nozzle with a half turn of the retaining ring. Load the cannon with up to 1-1/2 lbs of ground meat and squeeze the trigger.
- What's Included: This unique Jerky Cannon comes with two stainless steel nozzles, two bags of Backwoods Seasonings, and a nylon cleaning brush. You'll have everything you need to turn ground meat into jerky snacks.
- Stand Behind Our Products: We offer a one-year factory warranty on our Jerky Cannon and lifetime customer support for any of your questions. We also carry replacement parts and other accessories for a large variety of our products, past and present.
The LEM 468 sets the gold standard for this type of jerky gun and even manages to exceed expectations in some areas. The anodized aluminum barrel is equipped with a piston fashioned of heavy-duty plastic, as well as a stainless steel rod and a plastic-coated steel handle for an easy grip. The two stainless steel nozzles offer users a choice between flat strips and snack sticks measuring around a half-inch in diameter—a generous size that nonetheless shouldn’t take too long in the dehydrator.
This unit is capable of holding up to a pound and a half of ground meat at one time, which is fairly standard. There’s an instruction manual included, but the device is simple enough for children to use with a bit of supervision. Also included are two seasoning packets, enough to flavor a batch apiece of traditionally-shaped jerky and snack sticks.
This is a durable and reliable model, with a solid construct an ideal compression (meaning that very little liquid is expelled during the extrusion process). If you’re planning on making more than 10 pounds of beef jerky at a time, you might get slightly sore after pressing on the trigger so many times—but to be fair, that’s likely true of any of the models on our list. All in all, the LEM 468 is a great investment, set at a reasonable price.
Pros
- Durable construct
- Seasoning packets included
- Easy to use
- Generous capacity
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Cons
- Inside of tube has a seam that can interfere with the consistency of strips; seam also makes cleanup somewhat difficult
- Not recommended for very large batches (10 or more pounds)
This model boasts a whopping 2.7-pound capacity—easily the most of any jerky gun on our list. That advertisement is somewhat misleading—there are two anodized aluminum barrels included in the kit, and each one holds a standard amount of ground meat product. One tube must be refrigerated while you make strips or snack sticks with the other, so some changing of the guard is required in the process.
However, that’s not a fatal flaw, considering all the other benefits of the JerkySpot gun. The included stainless steel nozzles—one flat, one round—are easy to clean, and an extra-long brush is included to aid in the process.
Since JerkySpot is a leading manufacturer of beef jerky products, it stands to reason that the company knows how to turn out a decent jerky-making accessory. This product delivers, and so does the company—customer service is some of the best you’ll find in the industry. In fact, they offer consumers a 100 percent guarantee with every purchase of the JerkySpot Beef Jerky Gun.
Pros
- Durable construction
- Easy to clean
- Cleaning brush included
- Generous capacity
- Excellent customer service
- 100 percent quality guarantee
Cons
- Two aluminum tubes can’t be connected for faster production
- Relatively high price point
- [Create Home-cooked Snacks]: Enjoy your own protein-filled beef jerky snacks with the 7Penn Ground Beef Jerky Maker Press Kit; This 9-inch meat extruder beef jerky slicer works with ground beef, turkey, venison and more; Make on-the-go meaty strips and snacks for hikes and camping trips
- [Easy to Use]: Squeeze the slide-release trigger on the back of the jerky blaster to set and load up to 1-pound (16oz) of ground meat and jerky seasoning into the beef jerky tube; Attach nozzles, then squeeze the trigger to make beef jerky sticks or strips
- [Built to Last]: Jerky stick maker deer jerky extruder has a thick, durable plastic meat chamber and a stainless steel trigger mechanism and push rod that withstands repeated use; A whole pound of ground meat can fit in the aluminum 9-inch (22.9cm) tube of this dehydrator jerky tool
- [Choose Between 2 Nozzles]: Cone nozzle allows you to create perfectly round 1/2-inch (1.3cm) beef sticks while the flat head nozzle allows you to make 3/4-inch wide by 1/4-inch thick (1.9 x 0.6 cm) strips
- [Easy to Clean]: Place the removable tube and nozzle into the dishwasher to clean; Wipe down the steel push bar and shooter handle with a de-sanitizer rag
7Penn’s model features three separate extrusion nozzles: one flat (for making 3/4 by 1/4 inch jerky strips), one round (for making snack sticks that measure 1/2 inch in diameter), and a two-in-one option that allows users to turn out two flat strips at one time. The aluminum tube measures 9 inches long and has a one-pound capacity—not the most generous we’ve seen, but sufficient for casual users. A hefty plastic chamber tube and a stainless steel rod and trigger round out the set.
There’s a nylon brush included in this purchase, but the unit is also dishwasher safe. If you use the double nozzle regularly, be sure to scrub it out thoroughly after each batch, even if you use the dishwasher—ground meat tends to cling tenaciously to those tiny nooks and crannies. Otherwise, the 7Penn is remarkably easy to use and to clean.
While there are no fancy seasoning packets or extra tubes included, this set can be considered a great value.
Pros
- Low price point
- Dishwasher safe
- Includes both flat and round nozzles, plus a two-in-one option
Cons
- Double-nozzle can be tricky to clean
- Low capacity
- [Create Home-cooked Snacks]: Enjoy your own protein-filled beef jerky snacks with the 7Penn Ground Beef Jerky Maker Press Kit; This 9-inch meat extruder beef jerky slicer works with ground beef, turkey, venison and more; Make on-the-go meaty strips and snacks for hikes and camping trips
- [Easy to Use]: Squeeze the slide-release trigger on the back of the jerky blaster to set and load up to 1-pound (16oz) of ground meat and jerky seasoning into the beef jerky tube; Attach nozzles, then squeeze the trigger to make beef jerky sticks or strips
- [Built to Last]: Jerky stick maker deer jerky extruder has a thick, durable plastic meat chamber and a stainless steel trigger mechanism and push rod that withstands repeated use; A whole pound of ground meat can fit in the aluminum 9-inch (22.9cm) tube of this dehydrator jerky tool
- [Choose Between 2 Nozzles]: Cone nozzle allows you to create perfectly round 1/2-inch (1.3cm) beef sticks while the flat head nozzle allows you to make 3/4-inch wide by 1/4-inch thick (1.9 x 0.6 cm) strips
- [Easy to Clean]: Place the removable tube and nozzle into the dishwasher to clean; Wipe down the steel push bar and shooter handle with a de-sanitizer rag
The first thing buyers tend to notice about the Smokehouse jerky gun is its unique construct, which bears a closer resemblance to a caulking gun than a kitchen appliance. While this may make it more appealing to the home-improvement-project-minded, it also makes the unit exceptionally difficult to clean. Fortunately, it can be put in the dishwasher (be careful to use the air-dry cycle only), but the components should be scrubbed out thoroughly first, just in case.
Construction issues aside, the Smokehouse model has its strong points. The metal barrel is corrosion resistant, as are the stainless steel nozzles (one flat for turning out one 1/8-inch jerky strips; one round for making round 1/2-inch snack sticks). The aluminum handle is both durable and lightweight, making the product easy to handle and thereby ideal for larger batches, despite its relatively low one-pound capacity.
This is an undoubtedly eye-catching unit, sure to impress your friends should you invite them over for a jerky-making marathon. Reasonably priced—you might end up purchasing a second set as a gift for someone, especially if they help themselves to more than their fair share of your finished product.
Pros
- Appealing design
- Lightweight and easy to handle
- Low price point
- Can go in the dishwasher if the air-dry cycle is used
Cons
- Difficult to clean
- Low capacity
Like the 7Penn offering, Sigval’s entry into the jerky gun race features three stainless steel nozzles: one round, one flat, and one double-flat. The round nozzle turns out snack sticks that are slightly thicker than the standard, at 9/16 of an inch in diameter, while the flat strips come out at 7/8 of an inch wide by 1/8 of an inch thick. If you prefer your jerky on the razor-thin side, this might not be the best choice, but if you love meaty strips that you can really sink your teeth into, then it’s definitely worthy of consideration.
The anodized aluminum barrel attaches securely to its heavy-duty plastic end caps, meaning that you won’t have to worry about leakage during the extrusion process. There are also air-relief vents in the seal, making for ideal compression. The metal handle offers a quick trigger release, so you can easily use this unit for extra-large batches of jerky.
Sigval offers consumers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee with every purchase. At just one pound, the capacity is on the lower side, an issue that’s exacerbated by the fact that the narrow barrel tends to be difficult to load. On the plus side, the unit is highly versatile—you can use it to stuff homemade pasta such as ravioli or tortellini or to decorate crackers with fancy cheese spreads during the holidays.
Pros
- Durable construct
- Quick trigger release
- Three nozzles included—round, flat, and double-flat
- Highly versatile
- 100 percent satisfaction guarantee
Cons
- Relatively high price point
- Low capacity
- Narrow barrel can make loading difficult
- 1.5 lb capacity
- 15" durable aluminum barrel
- 2 stainless steel attachment nozzles, 1 for flat jerky and 1 for jerky sticks
- 1 large cleaning brush, 1 push rod and 1 funnel
- 3 Original Jerky spice and cure packets
Open Country Campware is throwing its hat into the jerky-making accessory ring with this quality offering, which includes all of the necessary components and a few extras that help to make the higher price point worth the investment. The kit comes equipped with an aluminum barrel, a heavy-duty plastic piston, and a coated die-cast metal handle. The requisite flat and round stainless steel nozzles are also on hand, as is a handy brush to aid in the cleanup.
This model also includes three spicing and curing packets, enough to season a total of three pounds of meat. Since the unit has a capacity of 1.5 pounds, you can easily experiment with a different flavor for three separate batches (just be sure to clean the barrel in between, to avoid cross-contamination). A wide assortment of flavors are also available on the company website, from Sweet Hardwood to Hot & Spicy.
The trigger mechanism on the Open Country gun is one of the most complicated we’ve seen, making for a somewhat difficult and fiddly cleaning process. The problem can be alleviated somewhat by attempting to keep the trigger clean during the extrusion process, but that’s not always feasible when you’re working with ground meat products.
Pros
- Durable materials
- Three spice packets included
- Strong company reputation
- Generous capacity
Cons
- Relatively high price point
- Complicated construct
- Difficult to clean
Final Thoughts on Our Jerky Gun Review Guide
Given the amount of time and effort you can save by using one of these products to take your jerky to the next level, you’ll find that the investment is well worth the initial cost. While the LEM Jerky Cannon is our top pick, all of the units listed above should give you the results you crave. When you enlist the aid of a jerky gun, turning out high-protein ground beef snacks becomes as simple as clicking the trigger mechanism.
"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."
-- Jeff Foxworthy
