A Jerky Renaissance

Who thought this day would ever come?

Reports the Wall Street Journal:

Sally Stryker, 39, a Nashville, Tenn., retail-space planner, says she sampled a pack of Perky Jerky a few years ago at a friend’s house and it changed her ideas about jerky. She had tried it before, mainly as a road-trip snack, but found the texture dry. “You had to gnaw on it a while,” she recalls.

Now, she keeps a couple packs of jerky in her desk at work for when she gets a potato-chip craving. “Protein fills you up so much better than carbs anyway,” she says. Carbs “make you feel bloated and guilty that you ate something fattening.”

The whole jerky industry seems to be undergoing a sort of renaissance, with some brands offering more meaty looking strips with flavors like Sweet Chipotle, Pineapple Orange, and Basil Citrus. This is good news for those living in “jerky shame.” As Journal reporter Anne Marie Chaker notes, “Some male consumers have told the company they are embarrassed to eat jerky in front of their girlfriends…. Oberto has set out to ‘rehabilitate’ jerky, removing corn syrup, dextrose, the preservative sodium nitrite and flavor-enhancing monosodium glutamate from its products.”

And for those of us who still like to Snap Into a Slim Jim (and who are married and therefore have no shame), rest assured, while the brand has rolled out its Steakhouse Tender Steak Strips, the old sticks will remain on shelves.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *