Jerky is meat that has been cut into strips trimmed of fat and marinated in a spicy, salty or sweet liquid; then dried with low heat (usually under 70°C/160°F) or occasionally salted and sun-dried. The result is a salty, stripped, semi-sweet snack that can be stored without refrigeration. Jerky is an early application of food preservation techniques.

The word 'jerky' derives from 'charqui' a Quechua term meaning 'to burn' meat.

Kenny Kelly, who's the production manager at Jerky has pointed me to the company website, where you'll find more kinds of jerky than you could imagine. If you know someone in the military, it's a good gift. There's much to learn on the site, including how to make your own, which seems a generous gesture from a commercial enterprise.