Beef jerky

[DNW]

Title says it all. What's your favorite? My favorite is Vietnamese-style jerky. But they're not widely available outside of California, and Vietnam (duh!). So, the best alternative I've been able to find so far is Jack Link's Peppered Beef Jerky. I'm interested in finding some other tasty jerkies for similar prices.

 

[kwilkinson]

We normally make our own, which is extremely good if you get good beef.

When I buy commercial, I must say +1 to your Jack Link's peppered!

 

[whodini]

Jim Beam puts out a decent jerky (big chunks) but it always surprises me how expensive a small bag can be.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Home-made is best, but I eat quite a bit of store-bought as well.

The key is to find jerky with a good blend of moisture and texture. Jerky that is too moist is basically eating semi-dried, cooked beef. Jerky that is too dry is like eating strips of rawhide. It's hard to find the right balance.

So here are my ratings for store-bought (the ones available here):

1. Pemmican brand jerky: two thumbs down. Way too much moisture. Possibly the worst store-bought jerky I've tasted.

2. Oberto: thumbs down. Slightly better than Pemmican brand, but still too much moisture.

3. Jack Links: pretty good, although a bit on the dry side. Not dry enough to make it unpalatable.

4. Blackbeard: okay, now this is good stuff (for store-bought). Good balance of moisture -- not dry enough to require you to gnaw on it, but not wet enough to lose the whole "dried beef" aspect of good jerky. Leaves a touch of fat on some strips to provide a little extra pleasure. I get my supply from Dark Run Jerky; I am a particular fan of their jalapeno flavor, which has crushed red pepper bits and spicy marinade.

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by Ace Rimmer

Home-made is best, but I eat quite a bit of store-bought as well.

The key is to find jerky with a good blend of moisture and texture. Jerky that is too moist is basically eating semi-dried, cooked beef. Jerky that is too dry is like eating strips of rawhide. It's hard to find the right balance.

So here are my ratings for store-bought (the ones available here):

1. Pemmican brand jerky: two thumbs down. Way too much moisture. Possibly the worst store-bought jerky I've tasted.

2. Oberto: thumbs down. Slightly better than Pemmican brand, but still too much moisture.

3. Jack Links: pretty good, although a bit on the dry side. Not dry enough to make it unpalatable.

4. Blackbeard: okay, now this is good stuff (for store-bought). Good balance of moisture -- not dry enough to require you to gnaw on it, but not wet enough to lose the whole "dried beef" aspect of good jerky. Leaves a touch of fat on some strips to provide a little extra pleasure. I get my supply from Dark Run Jerky; I am a particular fan of their jalapeno flavor, which has crushed red pepper bits and spicy marinade.

Out of these four, I've only had Oberto and Jack Link's. Ditto on Oberto, not good beef jerky and only passable if one's desperate. This Black Beard stuff sounds good. But how much (weight wise) do you actually get for a $26 35 count jar?

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

Out of these four, I've only had Oberto and Jack Link's. Ditto on Oberto, not good beef jerky and only passable if one's desperate. This Black Beard stuff sounds good. But how much (weight wise) do you actually get for a $26 35 count jar?


I just glanced at the jar I have in my office. It says 1.33 lbs. The weight will vary by jar so you are not going to get the same weight each time. I usually buy three 35ct jars at a time so I get the reduced rate ($25/jar ... yeah, not a huge discount).

 

[rjmaiorano]

All the homemade stuff I've had has outclassed the stuff on the market, as it should. But I'll agree with you on Jack Links as being my favorite readily available.

 

[JayJay]

I've never liked it, but then again, I've never had homemade.

 

[Recoil]

Jack Link's is my favorite and I've sampled many of your standard store bought brands. Link's is moist, most are very dry and I can't stand the extra dry.

 

[ts4them]

I like the JL peppered as well. Have made it at home once, and that was amazing.

 

[kwilkinson]

I'll thread-jack a bit here for a second. I heard a lot of guys saying they've made it at home. When you do that, what do you use?
I normally just find the best steak I can buy and after letting it marinate in my recipe, I let it sit in a dehydrator on full power for 24 hours straight without checking it or anything. Between 22 and 26 hours and it is perfect.

What do you guys do?

 

[why]

Best store-bought is Pemmican.

 

[Piobaire]

My wife makes ours. She uses London broil Kwik. She does a shoyu and black pepper type flavor and a teriyaki type flavor. She has a dehydrator she uses and leaves it on over night.

 

[ts4them]

^^ I believe I used London broil as well, it's been many years and I have since given away my dehydrator.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

What do you guys do?

I use my oven, but I should probably look into a dehydrator. It's probably more efficient from an energy-usage standpoint.

Tip: get the beef either pre-sliced or put it in the freezer for a bit before slicing. It's much easier to get nice thin slices if the meat is a bit "hard" from freezing.