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Is Beef Jerky Healthy?
Jerky is no doubt a delicious snack to grab as you’re running out the door or as a post-workout protein hit. However, there are quite a few concerns some people have about consuming cured meats. People often think of beef jerky as another “junk food” that has no nutritional benefits. But guess what? We believe jerky brings more to the table than just a burst of flavour. So if you’re wondering “is beef jerky healthy?”, keep scrolling to learn why you don’t really have to feel guilty about snacking on this good stuff. What makes a food “healthy”? What kind of food do you think of when you see the word “healthy”? Fruits? Vegetables? Most people will agree that a healthy diet consists of whole, unprocessed foods which provide your body with essential nutrients that it needs to keep your health, mood, and energy levels in check. So it’s really all about balance: making sure that your body gets enough nutrition from a variety of whole food sources. And nutritious snacks are part of the equation. That’s why we think that asking “is beef jerky healthy?” is too simple a question. Because while jerky is a snack food, it can be a great source of some key nutrients. Does beef jerky have health benefits? When it comes to beef jerky, some people might think that it’s all fat and salt. But did you know that depending on the cut and source of jerky, they can be really low in fat? Plus, they are really low in carbs and can be a great source of protein, zinc, iron, and other essential minerals. Check out the Nutrition Information Panel labels on the back of our cured meat snack packs or head to our About Us page to see for yourself! Okay, but it’s still full of salt. Isn’t salt bad? While too much sodium can be harmful to your health and body, you can also become sodium deficient if you cut it out completely. Again, it’s about balancing what you eat with what your body needs. Unless you’re eating jerky for every meal, every day, tossing a handful of this good stuff into your gym bag or kid’s lunch box can have more benefits than downsides. Being a rich source of protein, zinc, and iron, a bit of jerky can keep you going for longer while giving your body a nutrient boost. Cultures all over the world and throughout history have used salt to keep meat from going bad and breeding bacteria. As jerky is a type of preserved meat, it can be quite high in sodium. But like most things, jerky is best enjoyed in moderation and as part of a varied diet - even though it’s tempting to just keep chomping away on them! Should you snack on jerky? If you already have a diet containing the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs - great work! But we know that in our often busy modern lifestyles today, it can be tricky to eat and snack right. So that’s why we think that cured meats can be a great way to give you a protein and iron boost on the go, helping to keep you staying focused and fuller for longer, while curbing your appetite for a bag of chips or lollies. When should you eat jerky? Jerky, as well as our other choices of cured cuts, is such a versatile snack that just works with many types of lifestyles and schedules. If you’re a busy parent, grab some jerky to toss into your kids’ lunchboxes as one of their snack options. If you’re looking for a protein and iron boost to complement your workout, toss a pack of jerky into your bag on the way out. Jerky is also a great snack idea whether you’re going on a road trip, to the beach, or to the movies. We’ve got a deliciously great range of cured meats to suit different lifestyles, make sure to check them out! Pick your protein We use only topside MSA beef to create our premium, air dried cuts. Good for your tastebuds and the Aussie beef industry. Win-win! And if you find yourself tossing up between biltong vs jerky, it really comes down to what food textures you prefer and what your body needs as these are both great iron and protein sources. So go on, grab yourself a handful of our sweet bbq biltong, droewors, or chilli beef jerky as you head out for a run. But just a word of caution: you might find yourself running straight to one of our stores for more!
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Why MSA Grade Beef Matters
We love meat. And we want to make sure you can taste our passion for a quality chunk of meat in every bite. That’s why we choose only topside MSA beef to create every delicious piece of air dried meat that you know and love. But it's not just about the quality and flavours - choosing MSA beef means directly contributing to improving the Australian beef industry. Below, we’ve summed up what you need to know about MSA beef into bite-sized chunks. What is MSA? Meat Standards Australia (MSA) is an industry description system that helps the consumer by taking the guesswork out of buying beef. They do this by labelling each cut with an eating quality grade and recommended cooking method. Before hitting supermarket shelves, MSA graded meats must meet the standards set by consumers at one of three quality levels: MSA 3, MSA 4 or MSA 5. Basically, MSA beef helps make the quality and price of beef reliable and consistent. Hold up - who’s calling the shots? Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) have put in place the MSA grading system for beef that puts the customer’s needs first, values accountability through transparency, and outcomes that have a positive impact on the Australian red meat and livestock industry. What is the impact of MSA grading? The MSA labels advise consumers of the correct cooking method for every piece of beef to assure a standard eating quality result. At the retail level, these labels can help determine the price of meats, which replaces the complex and misleading system of cut names and quality descriptions that may be unregulated. Who determines the MSA grade? The MSA grade is decided by you, the consumer. All MSA beef is graded on the basis of the consumer test score predicted for a particular beef muscle cooked by the nominated method. It’s a big topic but you can find out more about it on the MLA website or MSA Tips & Tools: How MSA grades are determined. How does MSA grading work? The MSA grades are established by taking into account the effects of all factors that can affect the final eating quality. These grades are set from the analysis of consumer test results. To date, a huge database of over 86,000 consumers across 8 countries have participated in MSA consumer testing providing scores on the eating quality of over 603,000 beef samples. That’s a whole lotta opinion on beef to cover! The MSA-trained graders also collect information from cattle suppliers, abattoirs, and chillers. This info is then put into a computer that takes into account each of these factors and estimates their effect on eating quality. The MSA grade score is then produced, which takes into account tenderness, juiciness, flavour, and overall liking scores. What makes MSA grading reliable? MSA accredited graders grade on behalf of the industry. Graders are frequently monitored, assessed, and analysed to maintain the accuracy of their work. Every bit of unsatisfied consumer feedback is heard and traced back to the source. Who gets to use the MSA grading system? Anyone that chooses to participate in the MSA system is licensed and on the basis of providing detailed audits and total product integrity. MSA training is available to all sectors of the beef supply chain to ensure participants have a solid understanding of the MSA system fundamentals. Help yourself to another bite Now that you’ve read up on these cool facts, you’re probably wondering “how is beef jerky made?” or already reaching for another handful of chewy, protein-packed goodness. Either way, make sure to check out our delicious range of handcrafted air-dried meats. The Jerky Co uses the finest grade of MSA beef in our jerky, biltong, and snack sticks so you get the best culinary experience in every bite. And while you help yourself to another piece, just tell your mates you’re also helping out the Aussie beef industry!
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How is Beef Jerky Made?
Thanks to modern technology, there are now many ways you can get your hands messy making some jerky right in your kitchen.
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DEVILISH MARTINI & CHILLI JERKY – COCKTAIL PAIRING
Cocktail Pairings: Chilli Jerky X Devilish Martini The Devilish Martini is the perfect weekend starter! Difficulty 4/10 | Spice Level 10/10 | Serves 1 Ingredients:100ml Cranberry Juice Juice of ½ a Lime 30ml Cointreau 30ml Vodka ½ Teaspoon Chilli Powder Pinch of Himalayan Salt Sliced Jalapeño (To Taste) Himalayan Salt (To Rim Glass) 2 Red Chillies (To Garnish) Instructions: Add cranberry juice, lime juice, Cointreau, vodka, chilli powder and salt to a cocktail shaker filled with ice Shake until cold Rim a martini glass with salt & garnish with chillies Strain into the martini glass & enjoy! Purchase your Chilli Jerky online & have it express shipped to your door.
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TIPSY TEXAN & TEXAN JERKY – COCKTAIL PAIRING
Cocktail Pairings: Texan Jerky X Tipsy Texan Getting tipsy with some Texan Jerky to match! Difficulty 2/10 | Spice Level 1/10 | Serves 1 Ingredients: Juice of ½ a Grapefruit Juice of ½ a Lime 80ml Orange Juice 60ml Tequila 30ml Cointreau Sea Salt Wedge of Grapefruit Instructions: Squeeze ½ a Grapefruit and ½ a Lime into a cocktail shaker Rim a glass with Sea Salt Add 80ml Orange Juice, 60ml Tequila & 30ml Cointreau Fill with ice & shake Strain over ice into glass Garnish with a wedge of Grapefruit Purchase your Texan Jerky online & have it express shipped to your door.
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GINGER JACK & SMOKEY JERKY – COCKTAIL PAIRING
Cocktail Pairings: Smokey Jerky X Ginger Jack A little bit of ginger beer, a little bit of jacks! Difficulty 3/10 | Spice Level 1/10 | Serves 1 Ingredients: 60ml Jack Daniels Juice of ½ a Lemon 120ml Ginger Beer Orange Peel to garnish Instructions: Squeeze ½ a lemon into a cocktail shaker Add 60ml Jack Daniels Add 120ml Ginger Beer Fill with ice & shake Strain over ice into a whiskey glass Garnish with an orange peel twist Purchase your Smokey Jerky online & have it express shipped to your door.
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CLASSIC MOJITO & TRADITIONAL JERKY – COCKTAIL PAIRING
Cocktail Pairings: Traditional Jerky X Classic Mojito A classic pairing to get the party started! Difficulty 3/10 | Spice Level 2/10 | Serves 1 Ingredients: 60ml White Australian Rum 1stp Granulated Sugar Fresh Lime Juice Handful of Mint Leaves Soda Water Instructions: Muddle lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a cocktail shaker Add white rum, ice and soda water to taste Shake well Strain over ice into a highball glass Garnish with mint & lime Enjoy! Adjust the ratios to suit your taste and enjoy! Purchase your Traditional Jerky online & have it express shipped to your door.
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APEROL SPRITZ & BBQ JERKY – COCKTAIL PAIRING
Cocktail Pairings: Sweet BBQ Jerky X Aperol Spritz A summery flavour pairing perfect for an Aussie afternoon barbeque. Difficulty 1/10 | Spice Level 2/10 | Serves 1 Ingredients: 60ml Aperol Schweppes Agrum Blood Orange Prosecco Ice Orange The Jerky Co. Sweet BBQ Jerky Instructions: Fill a large wine glass with ice Add Aperol, Schweppes Agrum Blood Orange and Prosecco Garnish with a slice of orange Adjust the ratios to suit your taste and enjoy! Purchase your BBQ Jerky online which can be express shipped to your door.
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PREPARE HEALTHY KIDS LUNCHES & SNACKS USING BILTONG & JERKY
Looking for ideas for your kids’ school holiday lunches? Sometimes it’s hard to come up with fun and interesting lunches that your kids will enjoy, but if they’re a fan of Biltong and Jerky – lunch prep for your kids will be a breeze! Biltong and Jerky are both very high in protein – 55g in every 100g of product to be exact*, and a tasty meal option. It can be packed into your kids’ lunch boxes with little to no preparation as it is all ready to eat. Because the process of making Biltong is a little different to Jerky there is little to no sugars – less than 1g in every 100g of product. So, do away with those sugary treats! Biltong and Jerky are both quite low in fat content which also makes it a healthy and nutritious meal option. It can be used in sandwiches, cheesy jaffles, scrambled eggs or however creative way you would like to prepare it. The options are endless, so you kids won’t get bored of eating the same lunch time snack! There are also 9 different flavours of Biltong and 6 flavours of Jerky available to purchase which will also change the taste of the meal prepared. If your kid likes hot food, Chilli Biltong and Jerky would be perfect! All flavours can be purchased via our online store, or at our 13 store locations in Perth! Photographed – @betsywynterwinnie *Based on an average batch, and average product flavour.
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