The LEM Jerky Cannon (Jerky Gun) review is for people who want to make beef jerky at home from ground meat rather than sliced whole muscle — a practical approach that’s cheaper per pound, produces uniform strips, and uses the same economics as home-ground sausage making.
Why Ground Meat Jerky Changes the Economics
Whole-muscle jerky requires trimmed lean cuts (typically top round or eye of round) that retail at $5–8/lb. Ground beef (80/20 or higher lean) can be significantly cheaper, especially when on sale. The LEM Jerky Cannon extrudes seasoned ground meat through a nozzle into uniform strips or sticks that dry evenly in a dehydrator.
The result is jerky with a different texture than whole-muscle — denser, more uniform, without the natural fiber structure of sliced beef. Taste is virtually indistinguishable when properly seasoned; texture is slightly more compact and less fibrous. This texture works better for some people who find whole-muscle jerky too tough.
How We Tested It
We loaded the LEM Jerky Cannon with 85/15 ground beef mixed with a commercial jerky seasoning kit (salt, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper) and extruded 1-inch-wide strips onto COSORI dehydrator trays. Strips were consistent in thickness and width across the entire batch. Dried at 160°F for 4.5 hours. The result was clean, flavorful jerky with a consistent texture throughout the batch — no variation that whole-muscle hand-slicing can introduce.
Who Should Buy This
The LEM Jerky Cannon is the tool for home jerky makers who want to use ground meat (cheaper, more widely available), hunters who want to process trim and ground venison or elk into jerky, and anyone making large quantities of uniform snack sticks or beef sticks rather than traditional strips.
How It Compares
Against hand-slicing whole muscle for the COSORI, the jerky gun produces more uniform strips from cheaper meat. Against buying commercial jerky, a jerky gun plus ground beef reduces cost-per-ounce substantially over 4–6 batches. It’s a tool for committed home jerky makers, not casual snackers.
