Making your own beef jerky is perfection (recipe here). You know what you’re getting when it’s home made, but now you can also get more than you bargained for in the deal if you think of beef jerky in a new way.
I make hamburger jerky fairly regularly (the texture is perfectly chewy yet substantial), but aside from enjoying the meat leather plain, it’s even better when all of its realities are actualized.
Are you missing crackers or don’t want to spend the carbohydrates? Are you following a paleo plan and/or need options for work, home, travel, camping, or other ‘on the go’ food that travels well at room temperature?
Using jerky as a base, you can enjoy just about anything in place of your favorite cracker (or even celery).
Top: Jerky is amazing stuff, even plain. Using various flavors, you can make just about anything to either complement spreads or to enjoy au nekkid (I mean you eat naked jerky. I don’t care about what you’re wearing when you eat it).
Lower left: Cream cheese, tossed with some dried dill seed and microwaved for 30 seconds ends up as a fantastic, warm dill spread on jerky.
Lower right: Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese, in a bunch of different flavors, is easily spreadable even when cold! One small wedge goes a long way, giving more bang for the carb buck.Here I chose their garlic flavor. It covered at least three decent-length slices of the meat candy.
Whether you need high fat, need low fat, meat-only, or maintenance (or anything else), there’s no wrong way to enjoy your jerky, especially with:
- Spinach artichoke dip
- Any dip
- Salsa
- Hummus
- Cheese ball
- Queso
- Seafood dip
- Flavored butters
- Pimento spread
- Almond butter
- Dipped in meat sauce
- Pate
- As Mini pizza strips
- Chili
- and more!
My snack today? Jerky Nachos.
What’s even better, melting the cheese on the beef gives the meat an even chewier, more almost-bacon texture (30 seconds in the microwave). I enjoyed mine with salsa and fage yogurt, but options are as limitless as your imagination. And I know you have an imagination. You were mumbling something about Sasquatch Smurfs in your sleep. (It’s ok. Grumpy is not going to step on your petunias).
Never mess with Sasquatch.
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