About Beef Jerky
Most meats need to be cooked or grilled before consuming, but if you visit a grocery store and have an instant craving for some meat, then beef jerky will do the trick because it can be eaten right out of the bag. Beef jerky is commonly made out of beef, but the creation has expanded onto other types of animals and the food remains popular among hunters, meat lovers and regular people in general. Beef jerky is a great food that you can even make on your own.
Features
Beef jerky, or sometimes just referred to as jerky, is seasoned and dried-out meat, usually cut into thin layers. Some of the most common beef jerky flavors include spicy, teriyaki, smoked or original. Beef jerky can be cut into small thin rectangular shapes, long sticks for holding in your hand or even ground up in a chewing tobacco style.
History
The word jerky comes from the Spanish word "Charque," which translates into a phrase meaning "to burn." During ancient times when freezers were not available, tribes in Egypt and the United States along with other countries needed a method of preserving their meat. They used smoke and the sun to dry the thin layered meat and this is what creates the jerky. Today, meat can be frozen, and jerky is made more as an option to cooking than for preservation.
Function
No matter what type of meat used to create the jerky, the process is usually the same for the creation and drying process. First, the fat must be cut off all of the meat because fat never dries out and this ruins the jerky before it is eaten. Next the meat is put into a salty marinade and then seasonings are added. The seasonings are what truly makes a lot of the jerky unique and provides extra flavor. Many jerky companies tout their "secret seasoning recipes" that make theirs the "best tasting."
The easiest way to finish the process is by using a food dehydrator. You could also use an oven, but the jerky will take a lot longer to cook there, and dehydrators are made specifically for this process, so the machines will do most of the work. After the dehydrating process is complete, the jerky is ready for consumption or storage in a refrigerator.
Geography
While most stores in the United States offer packaged beef jerky, many specialty shops in Hong Kong offer fresh beef jerky as well as jerky in other types of meat forms. This jerky is sold really thin and consumers have been flocking to these shops since the 1970s for fresh beef jerky. Beef jerky is also popular in other countries like Australia, Canada and Mexico.
Misconceptions
Many packages at grocery stores in the United States will have their food labeled as "jerky," as the meat available is not the traditional style of beef jerky. The meat is actually processed from a plant and can be far different than the original product. Good examples of this are products from the Slim Jim company. Original Slim Jims and other meat sticks are merely processed meats and do not have the texture that real beef jerky does.
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