Hong Kong style unpackaged jerky

Jerky is meat that has been cut into strips trimmed of fat, marinated in a spicy, salty or sweet liquid, and then dried with low heat (usually under 70°C/160°F) or occasionally salted and sun-dried. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer Marination, also known as marinating, is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned often acidic liquid before cooking The result is a salty, stripped, semi-sweet snack that can be stored without refrigeration. Refrigeration is the process of removing Heat from an enclosed space or from a substance and moving it to a place where it is unobjectionable Jerky is an early application of food preservation techniques. Food preservation is the process of treating and handling Food in a way that preserves its edibility and nutrition value

History and origins

The word "jerky" itself comes from the Quechua term Charqui, which means "dried meat". Quechua ( Runa Simi) is a Native American language of South America. Charqui or charque is a form of jerky common in South America made from dried and salted Meat, usually from Horse, but also Beef. ^[1][2]

Drying has always been a common way to preserve meat. By being dried in thin slices in the sun and wind next to a smoky fire, the meat is protected from insects that would otherwise lay eggs in the raw meat. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Ancient peoples—for example, the Inca—prepared jerky from the animals they hunted or husbanded. The Inca Empire (or Inka Empire) was the largest empire in Pre-Columbian America. Animal husbandry, also called Animal science, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agricultural practice of breeding ^[2]

Preparation

Any single preparation, or recipe for jerky typically uses only one type of meat. Of the many types of meat that may be used, beef is the most common. Beef is the Culinary name for Meat from Bovines especially domestic Cattle (cows Meat from other animals—such as wild game, venison, and elk—, as well as caribou and moose, is also used. Venison is the Culinary name for Meat from the family Cervidae. The elk, or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest Species of Deer in the world and one of the largest Mammals in ^[3] Recently, other meats have come to market, such as turkey, ostrich, salmon, alligator, and tuna. A turkey is either of two extant Species of large Birds in the Genus Meleagris native to North America. The Ostrich ( Struthio camelus) is a large Flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East) Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. for differences between alligators and crocodiles please see Crocodilia An Alligator is a Crocodilian in the Genus Tuna, are several Species of ocean-dwelling Fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. The meat must be dried quickly, to limit bacterial growth during the critical period where the meat is not yet dry. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have To do this, the meat is thinly sliced, or pressed thinly, in the case of ground meat. Drying is performed at low temperatures, to avoid cooking or overdrying the meat and making it brittle.

In present-day factories jerky ovens are made of insulated panels. Inside these large ovens are many heater elements and fans with exhaust ports to remove moisture-laden air. The combination of fast moving air and low heat quickly dries the meat to the desired moisture content usually within a few hours. The raw marinated jerky strips are placed on racks of nylon screens which have been sprayed with a light vegetable oil for separation. The screen trays are placed closely in layers on rolling carts which are then put in the drying oven.

In addition to dehydration, usually some other form of preservative is used in the preparation of jerky. Dehydration ( hypohydration) is the removal of Water ( hydro in ancient Greek) from an object A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods pharmaceuticals paints biological samples wood etc Smoking was the traditional method, as it preserved, flavored, and dried the meat simultaneously. Smoking is the process of flavoring, Cooking, or preserving Food by exposing it to the Smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials Salting is the most common method used today, as it both provides seasoning to improve the flavor as well as preserve the meat. While some methods involve applying the seasonings with a marinade, this can increase the drying time by adding moisture to the meat, so methods that use a dry rub are generally faster. Marination, also known as marinating, is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned often acidic liquid before cooking

Some jerky products are made naturally or organically. Natural and organic jerky makers use meat from animals which are raised on organic feed and minimally processed. Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional Pesticides artificial Fertilizers These animals are not treated with hormone enhancement and are not fed animal by-products. Additionally, these jerky products do not contain MSG, preservatives, artificial flavors, or erythorbate and are gluten free. Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a Sodium salt of the non-essential Amino acid Glutamic acid Gluten is a composite of the proteins Gliadin and Glutenin. These exist conjoined with Starch, in the Endosperms of some

Packaged

Jerky label, showing ingredients and nutritional information. A 30 g serving of this jerky has 21 g of protein, 1 g of fat, 515 mg of sodium, and no carbohydrates.

After the jerky is dried to the proper moisture content to prevent spoilage, it is cooled, then packaged in re-sealable plastic bags, either by nitrogen gas flushed or vacuumed packed. In order to retard spoilage, the sealed packages often contain small pouches of oxygen absorber. Oxygen supports the growth of microorganisms and causes changes in color and rancid odors in packaged foods These small packets are filled with iron particles which work to retain oxygen and excess moisture that may be present, or from air introduced after the seal is broken (due to partial consumption).

With any cut of meat, most of the fat must be trimmed off in the process because it does not dry, potentially causing rancidification of the fat (modern vacuum packing and chemical preservatives have served to help prevent these risks). Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water Rancidification is the decomposition of Fats Oils and other Lipids by Hydrolysis or Oxidation, or both Food preservation is the process of treating and handling Food in a way that preserves its edibility and nutrition value A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods pharmaceuticals paints biological samples wood etc

Because of the necessary low fat and moisture content, jerky is high in protein. A 30 g (about 1 oz) portion of lean meat, for example, contains about 7 g of protein. By removing 15 g of water from the meat, the protein ratio is doubled to nearly 15 g of protein per 30 g portion. In some low moisture varieties, a 30 g serving will contain 21 grams of protein, and only one gram of fat. This leads to the high price of such brands of jerky, as it takes 90 g of 99% lean meat to generate that 30 gram serving.

There are many products in the marketplace which are sold as jerky which consist of highly processed, chopped and formed meat, rather than traditional sliced, whole-muscle meat. These artificial products, with their far higher fat and water content, often include chemical preservatives to prevent spoilage.

A typical 30 g portion of jerky contains 10-15 g of protein, 1 g of fat, and 0-3 g of carbohydrates. Since traditional jerky recipes utilize a basic salt cure, sodium can be a concern for some people. Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 A 30 g serving of jerky could contain more than 600 mg of sodium, which would be about 30% of the recommended USRDA. The Dietary Reference Intake (or DRI is a system of Nutrition recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM of the US National Academy of Sciences

Unpackaged

A jerky specialty shop in Chongqing, China

Unpackaged fresh jerky made from sliced, whole-muscle meat has been available in specialty stores in Hong Kong at least since the 1970s. Chongqing ( Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The cuisine of Hong Kong is Cantonese cuisine with extensive influences from parts of non-Cantonese-speaking China (especially Chaozhou, Dongjiang, Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The products are purchasable by kilograms, and customers choose from 10 to 20 types of meat used to make the product. Some are sold in strands instead of slices. Macau has opened up numerous specialty shops also, many of which are franchise extensions of stores from Hong Kong. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. Compared to the sealed packaged versions, unpackaged jerky has a relatively short expiration date.

This type of jerky has also become very popular in convenience stores in the USA. This product is called "slab" jerky and is usually marketed in plexiglass containers.

Availability

Traditional jerky, made from sliced, whole-muscle meat, is readily available in the United States and Canada in varying meats, brands and qualities, both as packaged and unpackaged. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page These products are available in nearly every convenience store, gas station, supermarket, and variety shop in those countries.

A similar product is made from highly processed and formed meat paste, and is often labeled as jerky. This artificial product is also widely available, and generally much cheaper, in general interest stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads or at gas/petrol stations.

Also popular is shredded jerky sold in containers resembling snuff or dip. Snuff is a type of smokeless Tobacco. There are several types used in different ways but traditionally it means Dry/European nasal snuff which is inhaled Dipping tobacco, also known as American moist snuff or spit tobacco, is a form of smokeless Tobacco. Jerky made in the traditional style is also a ubiquitous staple of farmers' markets in rural areas all over North America. Farmers' markets, sometimes called greenmarkets, are Markets usually held out-of-doors in public spaces where Farmers can sell produce

In addition to being quite common in the United States and Canada, jerky is also gaining popularity in supermarkets, convenience stores and pubs of many European countries. In Australia and New Zealand, jerky products are available and becoming more common. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island They are carried by some major supermarkets, and now also smaller stores.

Jerky floats in zero-g aboard the International Space Station with Earth visible through the window.

A similar product, biltong, is common in South African cuisine; however, it differs very much in production process and taste. Biltong is a kind of cured meat that originated in South Africa. Cuisine of South Africa has had a variety of sources and stages Cookery practised by indigenous people of South Africa such as the Khoisan and

Since 1996, jerky has been selected by astronauts several times for space flight due to its light weight and high level of nutrition. ^[4][5]

See also

• Pemmican
• Biltong
• Bakkwa
• Dried shredded squid
• Pastırma

References

External links

• Commercial Item Description (CID): Beef Snacks, Cured U. S. Dept. of Agriculture specification
• Jerky (drying) at the Open Directory Project
• Jerky (shopping) at the Open Directory Project