Explore the fourteen unique ways of adding beef jerky into your meals to amp them up anytime. All meat lovers have a soft corner in their hearts for beef jerky! The chewy yet crunchy thin strips of meat can be eaten all day without a break. We had it on our list of most portable hiking snacks, but now we’ll delve deeper. Beef jerky can amp up any boring food with its unique taste. In addition to the taste, it adds a filling protein to your meal. If you do not know how to use beef jerky in your meals other than as a salad or pizza topping, you are at the right place.
Check out the 14 exceptional meal ideas with beef jerky below. I promise the beef jerky will be the hero in these meals! You can also check out Mahogany Smoked Meats for more variety of jerky that you like.
Must-try Meals with Beef Jerky
1. Fried Rice with Beef Jerky
Have you ever thought of adding beef jerky to your regular fried rice? If not, do it the next time you order, and see how it takes the taste of your boring fried rice to the next level. A few strips of those sodium-rich meat strips add a nice flavor and a good amount of protein to the rice. Your kids will love the crunch and taste. If you want the jerky strips to stay crunchy, mix them in just before serving the fried rice as cooking with beef jerky will soften it.
2. Spicy Beef Kimchi
If you are a Korean food lover, we have a beef jerky idea for you. Add it to your kimchi while you are preparing it. As the kimchi ferments, the beef jerky will also release its flavor. The more you add, the more the jerky’s flavor will be incorporated with your kimchi. Hence, apart from probiotics, you are also getting some protein from your kimchi. However, you should measure out the quantity because too much of the jerky can overpower the original kimchi taste.
Those who do not want to play with their kimchi recipe can avoid adding the beef jerky. Later, you can add the jerky while you are having the kimchi with your ramen or rice.
3. Beef Jerky in Soups
Beef jerky in soup is definitely a better improvement from regular chicken and bacon. The versatility of beef jerky is that it goes pretty well with any kind of soup. You are free to experiment with your soups by adding all kinds of flavors of beef jerky. There are many beef jerky brands selling some extraordinary flavors of these meat strips.
4. Serve on Charcuterie Board
Although it is not traditional, the addition of beef jerky to the charcuterie board is something more than unique. You get numerous flavor profiles with beef jerky which makes it more versatile than any other meat. Moreover, it will easily pair with any item on the charcuterie board. The jerky will add a different texture and flavor to the board, and it will add a protein profile. This addition is guaranteed to tickle the taste buds of your guests, and you won’t be disappointed.
5. Make Thicker, Richer Homemade Sauces
You might be thinking this recommendation will be about adding texture, flavor, and protein to your sauces. Yes, it is common to think so, but beef jerky is another amazing benefit for sauces. It will thicken your sauces. Sound surprising? Indeed, the secret to many thick and non-vegan sauces in the market is beef jerky. Although you will find many recipes to thicken tomato sauce with beef jerky, the hack works for every sauce, including your pasta’s white sauce.
However, make sure that you soften the beef jerky strips in boiling water for a few minutes, or the sauce will have that crunch and chewiness of beef jerky.
6. Beef Jerky Stuffed Bread
If you are tired of making plain bread, garlic bread, and stuffed chicken bread, then replace it with beef jerky. The combination of beef jerky and bread seems peculiar, but it won’t seem odd after it is stuffed inside the bread and baked. Add your regular stuffing spices with the beef jerky before stuffing. You can also make beef jerky stuffed buns for a change in your homemade bun baking.
7. Add with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts have many health benefits and serve lots of nutritional purposes. However, it is one of the least tasty vegetables in the world.
(That’s what Americans think!) You will find many nutritionists or gym trainers suggesting Brussel sprouts as a part of the diet. To cut its boring taste, people often add bacon bits to it. However, the fat and calories in bacon will take away from the health benefits of the sprouts. In that case, beef jerky plays an integral part in adding a nice flavor to your boring Brussel sprouts without adding any calories. While you are roasting the Brussel sprouts, add the jerky strips too. The jerky will roast together to bring out the exotic flavor into your sprout. You can choose any flavor of jerky you want.
8. Brighten Your Breakfast with Protein
Breakfast is normally the boring meal of the day, and most of us can’t arrange so much in the morning. Moreover, mornings are busy! Therefore, instead of cooking a whole meal or brainstorming to make different breakfasts every day, amp up your current breakfast meals. To your daily omelet, add a few bits of beef jerky to add a crunchy texture. Moreover, you are getting dual shots of protein from both the egg and beef jerky to start your day with a filling breakfast. Also, you can garnish your savory oatmeal with beef jerky for a change in taste.
9. Add into Pasta Preparation
As with fried rice, beef jerky will change the taste of your pasta too! If you have never tried beef jerky in pasta, then it is high time you do so. You can either directly add the jerky strips into the pasta or make a thick beef jerky red pasta sauce or white sauce.
10. Sweet & Savory Protein Bar
If you want a chance to make a quick energy snack, then make a sweet and savory protein bar by incorporating some beef jerky. For the sweet portion, add dry fruits, like raisins. Add different types of seeds and beef jerky bits to complete the bar. You can carry these energy bars during your trips for a quick snack.
11. Replace Bacon with Beef Jerky
Replacing bacon with beef jerky is a great idea to cut both calories and fats from your meals. Beef jerky eaten in moderate amounts is heart-healthy. If you have a high blood pressure problem, choose the ones with low sodium. Moreover, there are many varieties of flavors of beef jerky with which you can experiment with tastes in different foods. You won’t find that many options in terms of bacon.
12. Add as a Sushi Filling
Let go of that classic sushi filling with salmon and try a different type of sushi with beef jerky. It is pretty unconventional; the taste will be meaty, but it will compliment your sushi’s salty seaweed wrap. The next time you make it, try this different type of protein filling by keeping the other ingredients the same in your sushi.
13. Dumpling Filling
Since you have had a lot of chicken dumplings in your life, why don’t you replace them with beef jerky ones? Since the jerky is in strip form, cut it into and mix with other spices to make them more stiff and flavorsome.
14. Bloody Mary Topping
Most of us love bacon as a topping to our brunch delight, bloody mary! Bacon is very common to garnish such a drink. But for a more flavorsome and healthier garnish on your bloody mary, add beef jerky on top.
Final Thoughts
All these recipes of beef jerky are tried and tested. Try a few of these recipe ideas and incorporate the beef jerky in your pantry. Apart from these ideas, you can come up with your own innovations to include beef jerky in your regular meals and make them more special. However, don’t be too generous with adding a lot of beef jerky at once because too much protein can make your muscles sore. Also, beef jerky has some preservatives as a part of its production process.
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