Beef Jerky. America's favourite Snack!

By Aleck Mann

The web definition for ‘Beef Jerky’ is: Dried, preserved beef where salt is used in the curing process, whatever that means. Anyway, who cares! I’m a diner not a chef but I think this is probably the most delicious snack of modern times!

You know, some things in life are just perfect, like those rarities that need no altering of any kind. These are what make life easier and more enjoyable. One of those flawless treats in my opinion is the good ole American beef jerky. Can you really get any better than a stick of beef jerky? Come on, this is the food America was built on. That ideal compact energy source that the cowboys toted around in their saddle bags and gnawed on by the fire ring. How can you top that?

Ever since I was a lad, I always loved the taste of a good beef jerky. My father even had the stuff made locally. It was marvelous. In fact, I loved the whole idea of this tough, smoky flavored meat. We were an outdoor family back then, and often took hikes through the forest, and camped by the river. We needed that longstanding traditional nourishment. It was easy to haul around a portion of beef jerky in our pockets or rucksacks. Late in the evening when you're seated around the crackling camp fire, and the moon is drifting overhead, it's just great to pull out a tender cut of beef jerky to nibble on while soaking up the rough country atmosphere. Yes, those really were the good old days.

Beef jerky is still all the rage, although many of the youngsters of today tend to be a bit more civilized and prefer to frequent trendy steak houses where they can choose from a variety of cuts of natural meats like traditional beef steaks , rap beef, Kobe beef Angus beef, wagyu beef and all manor of other beef options.

But you can still walk into any supermarket and find a nice spectrum of beefs, deer, turkey and various other jerked meats. All of which taste just great if you get the right ones. One of the respectable brands of beef jerky is Jack Links. It is also fun to try the specialty grocery store brands.

If you shop at a fine grocery store that offers a lot of the more high-end foods, then chances are they will have a fresh beef jerky. The one near my place of residence carries a variety of quality jerked meats. If you have trouble locating a fine beef jerky, you can always jump online. This is where you will find the greatest selection out there. It doesn't matter if you're in search of beef jerky, turkey jerky, buffalo jerky, or deer jerky, you will certainly find your craving on the Internet. Pretty much any stores such as Wal-mart, Target, and K-mart carry a variety of dried meats.

If you're not a beef jerky fan, then how about the other meats. It really doesn't matter anymore which meat you love or prefer; you can likely find it in a jerky form. While there certainly is an array of jerked meats on the market today, beef jerky still remains the champ in terms of popularity especially among the middle aged and older. The great thing is, it's typically very low in fat so is great source of protein for all you dieters. So go on, jump on the beef jerky band wagon today.