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Learn How to Use Beef Jerky in Your Cooking

Tips and Tricks on How to Cook with Beef Jerky. Snack on it for a quick boost or incorporate it into your meals for added protein.

Learn How to Use Beef Jerky in Your Cooking
Old Trapper Old-Fashioned Double Eagle Beef Jerky chopped and formed coins. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)

For centuries, people all over the world have dried meat in various ways. The removal of water, or dehydration, helps to prevent spoilage and extends the shelf life of food. This method of preservation was especially useful before the invention of refrigeration and during times of scarcity when food was less abundant.

The earliest record of dried meat was found in the tombs of the Ancient Egyptians, who historians believe dried strips of water buffalo in the sun thousands of years ago. The earliest instance closest to our modern jerky was recorded in the 1550s, when the Inca introduced Spanish Conquistadors to “char'ki” -- salt-cured alpaca or llama meat that was smoked or sundried -- from which our word “jerky” was derived.

Native Americans had their own version of this food: The use of pemmican, made by pounding dried meat to powder and mixing it with animal fat and berries to increase nutrition and calories, is found among tribes all across North America. In the 1500s, pemmican also played a major role in sustaining European fur traders and trappers in the American backcountry, who valued pemmican for its high caloric content and portability.

Jerky is still as popular as it’s ever been. Today’s backcountry hunters carry jerky for the same reasons early Americans and explorers did 500 years ago: Jerky is lightweight, nutrition-dense and doesn’t require refrigeration. It’s also versatile. Enjoy jerky by itself for a quick pick-me-up while you’re on the move or, use it to increase the protein content of your outdoor meals after you stop to make camp.

For cooking, I prefer Old Trapper’s Old-Fashioned Double Eagle Beef Jerky, which is chopped and formed. It rehydrates easily with hot water and absorbs flavors from broths well, making it ideal for camp cooking. Old Trapper is available in many major retail grocery stores around the country, including Kroger, Walmart, Costco, Safeway, and many others, as well as in most major convenience stores.

Here are a few ideas on how to cook with jerky.

Ramen

beef jerky ramen
Incorporating beef jerky in your ramen is an easy way to add protein to the meal. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)

Ramen has long been a staple among outdoor adventurers. Lightweight, inexpensive, carbohydrate-rich, high in fat and full of the sodium many crave after a high-intensity trek, ramen has a place in many packs. Unfortunately, ramen isn’t a good source of protein, which is important to maintaining your muscles, feeding your brain and keeping up your immune system while you’re out on the trail. Easily increase the protein content of ramen by adding jerky.

Rip or slice jerky into smaller pieces and add it the cooking water while you wait for it to boil, which not only makes a “broth” but also gives the jerky more time to soften, as opposed to pouring hot water over it at the same time you do the dry ramen. Because jerky is salty already, I wouldn’t add all of the ramen flavoring packet in one go -- add it gradually and season to taste.



Old Trapper’s original flavor is the most versatile. But for ramen, you could also try hot & spicy or teriyaki.

Freeze-dried Meals

freeze dried meal in bag
Spice up a freeze-dried meal by adding pieces of beef jerky to it. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)

Freeze-dried meals are lightweight, convenient and space saving in your pack. Although store-bought meals are developed to be nutritionally balanced, there might be times when you want the extra calories and protein. Simply rip or cut up jerky into smaller pieces, drop them into the package of freeze-fried food, and prepare the meal as directed with boiled water.

Similarly, if you make your own freeze-dried food and find that you’re not happy with the amount of protein you originally included -- jerky can save you there, too.

Recommended


Skillet Potatoes with Jerky

skillet potatoes with chopped beef jerky and bell peppers
Breakfast potatoes with chopped beef jerky and bell peppers. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)

Skillet or breakfast potatoes is one of the tastiest, most satisfying dishes you can make at camp, especially if you have the option to basecamp and aren’t limited to cooking over a tiny backpacking stove. Like jerky, potatoes keep well. And although the bell pepper is optional, make sure you’re not skipping on other essential nutrients when fueling yourself outdoors. Red bell peppers, especially, are one of the most Vitamin C-rich foods available.

If you really want to cut down on prep, use drained canned potatoes and skip the steaming. Note that canned potatoes are mushier and won’t brown as well as fresh. If you use fresh, choose a waxy potato such those along the yellow or red varieties -- russets will just turn to mush.

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of yellow or red potatoes, sliced
  • ½ to 1 cup of water
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped jerky, or to taste
  • Half a green/red bell pepper, diced (optional)
  • Oil or butter
  • Onion salt, to taste

Directions:

  1. Add sliced potatoes and chopped jerky to a skillet with enough water to steam. Bring to a lively simmer and cook covered for about 7-10 minutes, or until potatoes become tender but not mushy, adding more water as needed. Then uncover the skillet and allow remaining water to evaporate.
  2. Add enough oil or butter to coat potatoes, along with diced bell pepper. Cook until potatoes are slightly browned and pepper softens, stirring gently and occasionally. Season to taste with onion salt.

Jerky Scramble

scrambled eggs
Beef Jerky Egg Scramble Breakfast (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)

A sedentary adult needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That means that a 150-pound female requires 54 grams of protein while a 180-pound male will need 65 grams of protein to meet their daily minimum requirement. So, if you’re looking to pack out an elk in the mountains, for example, your body’s requirement of protein will only go up.

A hearty breakfast of two large eggs, plus four Old Trapper Double Eagle coins, can provide a whopping 22 grams of protein at the start of your day. Even better -- if you have any leftover skillet potatoes mentioned in the previous section, toss it into the scramble for added carbohydrates and vitamin C.

If weight, packability and refrigeration are important considerations, freeze-dried eggs are awesome.

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