Buying the best beef jerky online isn’t easy. There are many brands to choose from, and it’s hard to know where to start. Let us help you with this quick guide that demonstrates how easy it is too purchase the best beef jerky online!
What is Jerky?
Jerky is seasoned, marinated meat that has been cut into thin strips and then dried. Drying happens at around 50C, and it can take up to 15 hours.
In Australia, traditional mass-produced products have been available for decades. High quality products have only recently become available, and the small businesses that make them have flourished with the ability to sell the best beef jerky online.
When do I eat Jerky?
A high quality jerky is really just a bite-sized, marinated steak. The bonus is, it’s completely shelf stable!
Beef jerky is the perfect snack. You can take it hiking, to a sporting event, to the cinema, or even to a boring office meeting (your office drawer makes a perfect home to beef jerky). Of course, some jerkies are better suited to some activities than others.
How do I store Jerky?
Once a bag of jerky is open it will last about three days. Jerky spoils when oxygen in the air oxidises fat in the product. Once this happens the product goes “rancid” – so be particularly careful with fattier jerkies. Mold growth can also occur (eek!). Jerky that is good to eat should have it’s original color, have no visible mold, and smell meaty.
There are a few things you should be thinking about when buying and storing large amounts of jerky
Buy smaller bags
- Once a bag is open, it has to be eaten in 3 days. So – just buy smaller bags. 1kg bags are rarely appropriate.
Avoid fattier products
- Fats oxidise and go rancid. Jerkies with more fat have shorter shelf life (this is a downside to wagyu jerky)
Once open, store your jerky in the fridge and keep oxygen away
- the fridge will slow down the deterioration of the product
- Buy products with thicker bags, zip seals, and oxygen absorbers
- Keep jerky in an airtight container (or use a vacuum sealer to repack the jerky).
Cutting with or against the grain?
This is a passionate topic, so much so that we’ve written an entire article on the subject. Check that out here
In Summary,
- With the grain: results in chewier jerky
- Against the grain: results an easy to chew jerky.
KOOEE! jerky is cut against the grain, so your teeth are biting in the same direction as the grain. Our jerky is for people on the move, so we wanted to create a slightly softer texture.
So, what jerky should I buy?
Our recommendation: Buy online from a small business instead of a mass-produced product from your supermarket.
The best beef jerky is rarely found in large supermarkets. These jerkies never sell for more than $5, and with such low prices manufacturers are forced to find ways to maintain decent profit margins.
They achieve this by using cheap meat, and then using it in the smallest amounts possible. A quick look at a mass-produced product reveals that there are some other ingredients diluting the meat protein. Commonly we’ll see extremely high sugar content, and very moist products. It makes sense – sugar and water is much cheaper than beef!
Mass-produced jerkies typically have lots of articificial colours, flavours, and preservatives. In short – if you want a quality jerky you’re looking in the right place. Buy the best beef jerky online.