Turkey jerky is a low-fat, high-protein snack made by dehydrating lean turkey meat. The quality varies depending on the amount of sodium added. Making your own can be cheaper, but a good dehydrator is needed. Lean meat is best for jerky, and there are many flavors available.
Turkey jerky is a variation of the popular beef jerky. These are dehydrated slices of lean turkey, usually breast meat. Essentially, all of the moisture is stripped from the meat, resulting in a dry, chewy, and often spicy snack. Unlike beef, turkey meat tends to be low in fat and can actually be quite nutritious. One serving, which is about 1 ounce (28.34 g), can contain a whopping 16 grams of protein.
The quality of turkey jerky varies, and this often has to do with the amount of sodium added to the meat. While this jerky can be high in protein, it can also be very high in salt. There are recipes that can make spicy, low-sodium produce, however.
Many people who like various types of shots find it cheaper to make their own than to buy commercial brands. Processing any type of meat into jerky means significantly reducing the amount of meat served, and after removing the moisture, only about a third of the original meat is left. Beef and turkey jerky are chewy, however, and may take as long to eat as in their original form.
Jerky is one of the first means of preserving meat. Little strips of lean meat would be salted, perhaps, and hung in the dry sun. Drying meat in the sun is not recommended, as turkey can contain some pretty nasty bacteria. The benefits of a quick cooking method, which includes boiling the meat in a marinade until it reaches 160°F (71°C). Usually the turkey is then placed in a food dehydrator. If a cook does a lot of jerky or loves dehydrated fruits and vegetables, a good dehydrator can be a great investment.
All types of jerky benefit from starting as lean meat. Fattier meats, like dark turkey meat, don’t dry out like white meat. Additionally, leaner cuts of meat are generally more nutritious, as they are very low in fat and high in protein.
Turkey meat became popular in the 1990s as an alternative to beef jerky, providing fewer calories and less fat. Now shoppers can find many different styles to try out. A simple search of most grocery stores will reveal Cajun, Teriyaki, black pepper, or many other flavors. You can also find a plethora of recipes on the internet that are sure to appeal to jerk lovers.
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