homemade beef jerky

Best Beef Jerky Brands in Australia

Are you a fan of beef jerky and cannot do without them? Have you been scouring the supermarkets and trying out various brands but not hit upon the best one yet? We have the answers to all your queries. Go ahead and read where you can source the best beef jerky in Australia and how you can buy them without craving for it for days.

Quality is of the highest importance

Jerky’s taste depends on a lot of factors. The quality of protein used is of significant importance to someone that believes in healthy snacking. The best beef jerky gets made from organic meat or from animals that are only fed on grass. This is a better alternative. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties.

If you are health conscious or an athlete or are watching your weight, grass-fed meat is best for you. The jerky will then have lower fat and higher proteins. It will also be filling for you when you grab it between your meals.

There are many jerky brands in Australia

Buying the best beef jerky can be quite a challenge because there are not two or three or four brands selling them. There are at least ten and counting. It can be hard to know which one to pick up. Here are a few things that you must know and look for before buying the one for your family.

Jerky is the national favorite snack

Meat is first seasoned and marinated. The marinated meat is then cut into thin strips and dried at a temperature of fifty degrees centigrade. The drying process can take up to 15 hours or more.

Mass-produced beef jerky Vs. quality jerky made by small businesses:

Jerky that has been available in Australia for years has customers complaining about its quality and taste. The traditionally available jerky is mass-produced. They may not be the best in raw materials. Small businesses are taking it forward by procuring good quality meat and making them in smaller batches. They sell it on various e-commerce sites to keep the costing under the tab.

Because of the low markup on prices, bigger businesses settle for low-quality meat to make profits. Mass-produced jerky also has undesirable ingredients in them like sugar more than permissible, water, artificial color, flavors, and preservatives that can be harmful to your health in the long run.

The perfect snack

Homemade Beef jerky is a marinated steak that has a fantastic shelf life. To top this, they come in bite-sized pieces, which make them not just convenient but also nutritious. They are so portable you can take them with you wherever you go, whether to the beach, the mountains or the cinema. You can even take it to your office and snack on it instead of carb-laden snacks from the canteen.

homemade beef jerky

Storing the jerky

Make sure to consume the packet of jerky within three to four days max. Jerky left in the open spoils because its fats oxidize in the air. They will turn rancid and can even have mold growing on it.

If you are consuming jerky that is a couple of days old, make sure that you eat them in a place where you can inspect their appearance. They should still have their original color, and they must taste the meat. If you suspect them to be spoilt because of discoloration or notice the growth of mold, discard them immediately. Jerky with too much fat spoils faster.

That is precisely why you must go for the smaller packaging of jerky. That way, you can finish them quickly and do not risk spoiling them. Supermarkets across Australia sell jerky in medium and large packets. You must pick them up only if you are confident that you will consume them quickly.

Things to keep in mind when you open your favorite packet of jerky:

  1. As a rule, go for jerky with lesser fat on them;
  2. Jerky with more fat can spoil fast and so have shorter shelf-life;
  3. Store the open packet of jerky in the fridge and keep the oxygen away by clipping the plastic bag;
  4. Refrigeration will slow down the spoiling of jerky;
  5. If there is no fridge, invest in an airtight container or a vacuum sealing pack to empty the contents;
  6. Put your money into jerky that comes with thicker packaging, zip sealing bags, and oxygen absorbers.

The best Australian jerky is cut against the grain:

While many jerky makers cut it with the grain, we highly recommend jerky that is cut against it. This is because the blade of the knife intersects the natural lines of beef. The steak cut against the grain is easier on the teeth. All the hard work of cutting the fibers is already done, and so the jerky is super soft to eat. Softer, less chewy jerky will be easy to eat when you are on the move.

The final word:

Buy jerky in smaller packaging and from smaller businesses. You can procure them online instead of buying them off the supermarket shelves. Make sure you are buying jerky with less fat on them. It must also be cut against the grain for the perfect tasty snack. Enjoy your jerky, and thank us later!