Beef Jerky

Beef jerky is lean beef that has been trimmed of fat, cut into thin strips, and dried, historically to preserve the meat without refrigeration, a technique with roots in indigenous South American and North American food preservation methods. The drying process, often combined with salting, smoking or marinating in seasoned brines, removes most of the moisture from the meat, concentrating its flavor and giving it a chewy, dense texture that can be stored for extended periods without spoiling. Modern beef jerky is produced commercially in a wide range of flavors and is popular as a shelf-stable, high protein snack food, particularly for hiking, travel and military rations.