Meat, Demystified: How's Jerky Made?

Back in the days before refrigeration, people needed a way to keep meat from spoiling. Preserving meats and seafood was a crucial survival skill many cultures utilized to keep food stores stocked in the leaner months. While jerky is no longer necessary for survival, it still makes for a great on-the-go snack for just about anyone who enjoys a salty, protein-packed bite.

How is Jerky Made?

Traditionally, jerky was produced using sun, wind, and smoke from fires to preserve and extend the shelf life of animal meats. During this process, salts and spices were often applied to help with the curing and drying process of the animal meat.

If you want to make your own jerky at home, you can go for a few different methods, from sun-dried, to oven-dried, to microwaving, smoking, and dehydrating. Experts generally agree that the safest way to make it at home is in the oven, but it's a time-consuming process, which is why we at Craft Jerky Co focus on curating delicious jerky selections for you and delivering them to your door!

What's is jerky made out of?

Jerky can be made from practically any animal meat, from the traditional to the exotic. Jerkies around the world have been made out of mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, and even plants. You can try jerky made out of alligator, alpaca, beef, buffalo, camel, coconut, duck, elk, fish, fruit, kangaroo, mushrooms, ostrich, salmon, seaweed, soy, trout, tuna, turkey, venison, wild boar, and even yak!

What kind of flavors can you try?

The modern "classic" jerky recipe is made with marinating beef in soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, garlic onions and spices. Due to the magic of culinary experimentation, there are now literally hundreds of other flavors you can enjoy.

Looking to try a variety of beef jerky flavors? Try one of our jerky subscription boxes out today. Our beef jerky subscription is perfect for anyone looking to try a wide variety of different beef jerky flavors and brands. Craft Jerky Co is committed to making sure you can try as many flavors as you dare to experiment!