What’s Wrong With Jerky?

Nothing, in and of itself.    

The concept makes a lot of sense; it’s a way to take a great source of protein, such as wild salmon or grass fed beef, cook it and make it far less perishable, thus allowing it to be transported without refrigeration and resulting in a viable protein option for on-the-go.

So what’s the issue, then?

None…as long as you’re making your own.

“Clean”, commercially prepared jerky is extremely hard to come by.  

Almost always, the packaged brands we see in stores are extremely high in sodium and contain soy, as it’s a common source of glutamic acid which serves to tenderize meat.  In addition, additives like sugar or even corn syrup, nutritional yeast are often present as well as hydrolyzed soy protein, milk solids, sodium nitrite, sodium erythorbate, malic acid, maltodextrin, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.

I’ve had enough and I haven’t even eaten any!  Nor will I.  Ick.

On the flip side, however, making your own at home is a snap.  In fact, there’s a simple recipe in The Paleo Diet Cookbook, which, along with Paleoista, is a must-have addition to anyone’s Paleo library!

You don’t even have to buy a food dehydrator- all you need is an oven, your favorite spices and your protein of choice.

Keep it clean, keep it Paleo!