7 Delicious Ways to Enjoy Jerky With Your Food
Are you craving for some jerky? Here are 7 ways you can add more jerky to the food you love!
Do you have a pile of jerky lying around in your pantry from last month’s groceries? Did you accidentally buy jerky instead of bacon? Or are you a home cook who’s wanting to experiment with some new recipes? In any case, you may be looking for ways to add jerky to your food and enjoy it to the fullest.
With a little bit of imagination and creativity, you can whip up a dish filled with flavors. I’ve compiled a few unique ways to add more jerky to your day-to-day meals which will leave you coming back for more!
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Reasons to Eat More Jerky
Jerky gets compared to bacon quite a lot. Most of the time, bacon is the more popular choice of protein but there are some solid reasons as to why you should substitute bacon for jerky.
Jerky in contrast to bacon contains proteins and fewer fats. Per serving of jerky, you get around 82 calories (5.12 grams of fat and 6.64 grams of protein). Bacon, on the other hand, has 174 calories (17.12 grams of fat and 4.41 grams of protein). From the numbers and ratios of fat to protein alone it’s very easy to understand which is the healthier option.
Running low on iron? Jerky is a delightful solution to that; it’s jam-packed with iron that’s ready to boost your circulatory system. One serving of beef jerky contains just the right amount of your daily iron needs, whether you’re a man or a woman. Besides all that, jerky comes in a number of tasty varieties like ostrich jerky, turkey jerky, or shark jerky (for those with adventurous taste buds). With all that being said, it’s time to look at some ways to add this gem to your daily meals.
Sprinkle It Over Salad
Say you’re on a diet. You might think that the greens you’re having to take are lacking flavour and are simply boring. If that’s the case, then jerky is here to save your day. Fortunately, jerky comes in a lot of interesting flavours as already mentioned.
There are a lot of beef jerky brands out there that offer these options, so do some digging around to find flavours to make your meals more joyous. All you need to do from there is crumble your jerky up and sprinkle it onto your salad. Mix in your favourite veggies and dressings for a beautifully creative jerky salad!
Eat It With Breakfast
This option is certainly not uncommon. Having jerky as a side dish during breakfast is pretty popular. Jerky is packed with a lot of proteins as mentioned above, therefore adding to the overall nutrient content of your dish.
Poach an egg and fire up your toaster. Then, toast your bread and cover it with a delicious avocado spread. Lastly, add a few pieces of jerky to your plate and you’re done! If you want to get creative, try infusing pieces of jerky into an omelette filled with your favorite mushrooms and, of course, cheese.
Check one of the best places for breakfast, St. Louis can offer.
The Perfect Burger Buddy
Recently, burger places have been adding bacon along with their patties. Since we have already discussed the health benefits of jerky, it’s safe to say that adding jerky to your burgers as an alternative to bacon is a great idea. Not only are you cutting down your calorie intake, but you’re also adding more variety to your burger. A beef and jerky burger is something you can definitely make for your friends and family on the weekends!
Add It to Cornbread
Cornbread is a quick bread that is made from cornmeal. The dish is mainly native American and can be eaten alongside roasted chicken or pork. Why not spice things up and incorporate jerky into your cornbread? Mince some jerky (use flavoured ones if you want to) and add to your cornbread batter. To give the cornbread a little bit of heat, you can try adding some jalapenos as well.
Related: Is Cornstarch Gluten-free?
Use It to Make a Thick, Creamy Tomato Sauce
Cooking enthusiasts all around are without a doubt passionate about making their own sauces. The problem is, when making their DIY tomato sauce, it’s often difficult to get the correct consistency. Jerky can easily clear up that obstacle! Go through with your preferred recipe for tomato sauce.
When you’re done simmering the ingredients and blending it into a paste, add all of it back to the frying pan and toss in your jerky to thicken your sauce. Simmer it once more on low heat to fully blend the jerky into the sauce and violà, you have yourself a nice and thick homemade tomato sauce. As a bonus, you can also use this in your spaghetti, meatballs, or pasta sauce!
Spicy Oatmeal With Jerky
Here is an unconventional method of adding more jerky to your diet. Oatmeal isn’t something that’s always well received. Regardless, it’s good for your diet and if the sweet version isn’t your thing, then try cooking up some spicy oatmeal.
In most cases, you don’t even have to start from scratch; most oat brands these days sell flavoured oats (e.g. curry). All you have to do is make a batch of it, throw in some jerky, and top it off with a sauce of your choice!
Mix It in With Soup
Soups definitely allow you to get more creative with the ingredients you add in. Instead of adding your regular helping of protein, like chicken, beef, or pork, consider putting in some jerky! It’ll make everything more savory and warm to the taste. Mixing jerky is a way to improve the flavour of any soup that you make. Additionally, it meshes just perfectly with vegetables. With the right kind of seasoning, you’d wish your bowl of jerky-infused soup was bottomless!
Finally, the simplest way to enjoy some jerky is to eat it straight from the packet. That’s right, you can enjoy your jerky on the go. It doesn’t need to be cooked or prepared beforehand; it saves a lot of time when you’re running late and need to grab a few snacks on the go. It’s also a more nutritious option compared to a regular bag of potato chips.
