Great jerky is an artisanal product. While commercial jerky makers do have to adhere to certain government mandated requirements in their processes, there are a number of methods of making jerky that are available to them. Smoking, cooking, and drying are some of the more common methods. No two jerkies are ever the same. For that matter, no two batches of jerky, even from the same manufacturer using the same recipe and process are ever exactly the same. Jerkies can be thick or thin, moist or dry, hard or soft, sweet or salty (or both), spicy or bland, organic, natural, or traditional, gluten free, low sodium, MSG free, nitrite free, sugar free, grain fed, grass fed, whole muscle, chopped and formed, ground and formed and even meat-free! They come in nearly every flavor imaginable and from nearly every animal imaginable. Many jerkies will contain a combination of the characteristics listed here.
Some of the things that contribute to the quality and character of a jerky are:
The species and breed of animal; where and how the animal was raised; What the animal ate throughout its life cycle(grass, grain, hay, etc); what the animal was fed during the finishing phase (the last 90 days before harvesting); the cut and quality of the meat; how long the meat was aged; how the meat was handled during processing, environmental conditions during processing, the process used (smoking, cooking, etc.); the marinade recipe; and even the region of the jerky maker.
Grass Fed or non-grass fed? I am not a particularly staunch advocate of grass fed (finished) jerkies over the other varieties. I do recognize that some of my customers are however and we make sure we have quality grass fed, grass finished jerkies to accommodate them. Some people have special dietary requirements and some people just feel that grass fed is better. Those people who consider this to be important should be aware that there are some manufacturers out there who claim that their jerkies are grass fed in order to gain a competitive advantage. In a very broad sense of the term they are not lying because in general, all cattle eat grass for the major portion of their lives. In the most common, stricter sense of the term however these would not be considered truly grass fed because they are fed grain or corn during the the finishing phase. The reason for this is that it quickly fattens up the animal and adds marbling to the meat and can improve flavor. The USDA has requirements for the percentage of grass in the animal's diet during the finishing phase in order to be USDA certified as grass fed.
So, what makes a great jerky? The combination of characteristics that you like best of course! All great jerkies however, do share a few common traits. Top quality cuts of meat, low in fat, with very little sinew and unchewable bits; marinades made from only the best quality, purest ingredients; a consistent manufacturing process with great attention to detail; and a certain artisan's touch that creates the perfect combination of flavor and texture. Most people tend to agree that the common supermarket and convenience store brands don't qualify as great. They generally produce jerky from a profit perspective rather than and artistic perspective so they are most often lower grades of meat, mass produced using chemicals to flavor and preserve.
That being said, jerky tastes vary widely from person to person. Some love their jerky dry and hard; others soft and moist; still others want paper thin, and yet others prefer extremely thick. Some want super spicy and others only want sweet. Whatever your preference, the perfect jerky for you is most likely made by someone with a passion for jerky making who insists on the best quality ingredients and is meticulous in their processes. Those are the makers we seek out and whose jerkies we provide to our customers.
