Jerky refers to meat that has been cut into strips, trimmed of fat, marinated in a spicy, salty, or sweet liquid, and dried or smoked with low heat (usually under 70°C/160°F) or is occasionally just salted and sun-dried. The result is a salty, savory, or semi-sweet snack that can be stored for a long time without refrigeration.
Jerked meat was one of the first human-made products and was a crucially important food preservation technique for survival. Beef jerky comes in many flavors, until recently none was kosher.
Over the weekend I picked up at Pomegranate, my favorite supermarket, three different flavored packages of R. J.s Kosher Beef Jerky. These were:
Original: sligtly spiced and marinated.
Original flavor
Teriyaki: for that sweet oriental flavor.
Teriyaki flavor
Spicy Strips: with just enough spice for you to notice.
Spicy Strips
Of the three the last one was my favorite. I went on a few hours drive yesterday and this was a perfect snack as I didn’t have to worry about refrigeration.
Beef jerky textures
Beef Jerky is normally associated with America’s early cowboys, however, while these cowboys may have popularized such snacks on our shores, various encyclopedias tell us that the process of making jerky has been around from the earliest time. In fact, a booklet from R.J.s traces this particular method of preserving meat all the way back to biblical times.
The hechsher is given by the Rabbinical Council of California (RCC). Their website lists many other mouthwatering flavors and products, I’ll have to try them all! Meanwhile I found these three packs very tasty!
CS
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