TIP OF THE DAY: What Guys Really Want For Valentine’s Day (& Every Day)
Melt-in-your-mouth gourmet jerky. Photo by |
Sure, there are guys who love chocolate and cupcakes.
But unless you know your guy is one of them, smart money is on gourmet jerky as the most welcome Valentine guy food gift. THE NIBBLE tastes a reasonable amount of jerky, sent for our consideration. Much of it is tough and chewy, leaving behind gristle that needs to be, well, disposed of. When we receive a gourmet jerky—tender, moist jerky that disappears to the last bit—we take notice. So we noticed the packages of Brandt Beef Jerky that arrived last week. Brandt Beef is a family owned, premium natural beef producer that serves the upscale restaurant and retail markets with filet mignon, ribeye, strip steak and other desirable cuts. |
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Brand has turned some of that fine beef into jerky in five flavors: |
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We truly enjoyed the long strips of tender meat, with no leftover gristle: flavorful, gourmet beef jerky.
Five packages are $39.99, in single flavors or a variety pack. Buy it online at BrandtBeef.com. WHAT IS JERKY? The word jerky derives from Quechua, the language of the Incas. Ancient man preserved meat by drying it over hot fires. The Incas called this dried meat “charqui.” While the prehistoric method of meat preservation was used by other ancient peoples, it was not known in Europe; the first European visitors to the New World found Native Americans making “charqui” from the meat of any animal they hunted (that which wasn’t consumed immediately). The word became Americanized to jerky. Today’s jerky eaters enjoy it as a snack rather than a necessity, and have the luxury of eating jerky marinated in a variety of spices, salt and/or sugar—seasonings that were not available to many ancients. |
 Jerky packaging tends to be plain: It’s what’s inside that counts. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE. |
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All the fat is trimmed from the meat because fat doesn’t dry. The jerky is then dried in low-heat smokers—not hung on racks to dry in the sun as was done pre-modern day. But like ancient jerky, the modern product can be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration. Chewy, grisly jerky doesn’t have a place at our table. But gourmet jerky? Bring it on! |
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