The Jerky Economy

October 23, 2017 6:06 PM

An average quality package of beef jerky costs around $1/oz, about the same as filet mignon (or at least what they call "tenderloin" around these here parts). Why is beef jerky so expensive? Am I being jerked around? Can you jerk my attention to some great jerky that's either cheaper, or really worth the price? Thanks.
posted by BeeDo to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

The main reason is that it takes two pounds of beef to make one pound of jerky after the water is removed.
posted by Grumpy old geek at 6:20 PM on October 23, 2017 [28 favorites]

Best answer: A lot of the weight of raw meat is water, which evaporates as you cook (this is why a Quarter Pounder at McDonalds does not feel like 0.25 lb in your hand). With jerky you cook... and cook... and cook... even further to get even more moisture out. So 1oz of jerky takes significantly more than 1oz of meat to produce. (And this isn't getting into the extra cost of spices, extra labour cost of making the stuff, etc etc)
posted by btfreek at 6:21 PM on October 23, 2017 [5 favorites]

Well the way you make an ounce of jerky is you take two ounces of meat and then evaporate one of them away. And of course there’s other expenses beyond the raw materials.
posted by aubilenon at 6:22 PM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

I’ve been on a jerky kick lately and tried a few different brands. IMHO Trader Joe’s jerky is both the least expensive and the tastiest.
posted by bendy at 6:26 PM on October 23, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: When I was in Scouting we made our own.

Now as a dad I’m just lazy. But you can season it just like you like it, typically we’d start with flank steak... Here’s an Allrecipes link.
posted by scooterdog at 6:34 PM on October 23, 2017 [3 favorites]

Since jerky rarely goes bad, we often pick it up at "dented can" type stores where it's more like two packs for a buck.
posted by jessamyn at 6:37 PM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you have a Costco near you, I highly recommend this Korean pork jerky. I think at my Costco it’s about $11-12/bag.
posted by skycrashesdown at 7:43 PM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

I realized this just recently, so I decided to make my own. I spent around C$5 plus an hour of actual effort plus 3 hours on the oven to make around 200g of jerky. A store-bought 80g pack costs about the same. I like the result and I plan to do it again with a larger cut of discount beef. But all things considered I can't say making your own is cheaper.
posted by KwaiChangCaine at 8:22 PM on October 23, 2017 [2 favorites]

I have always found that you lose about two thirds of the weight, meaning you are paying a about $.34/oz. of raw meat (or $5.33/lb of raw meat) which is pretty cheap when you factor is other ingredients, energy and labor.
Making it yourself is rewading, but I agree that you don't save a whole lot until you buy discount meat (or kill your own).
posted by Seamus at 8:51 PM on October 23, 2017

The comments above are correct (raw meat is expensive, jerky is more dense than raw meat).

However, this is also why most jerky is wet and sweet these days. Weight is added back in sugar and moisture, so you're paying more for less.

Sorta like how they add saltwater to chicken breasts. Up to 15 percent solution added means you're paying 15% more for the same amount of breast.
posted by fake at 6:49 AM on October 24, 2017 [4 favorites]