Jerky Joys

How chefs and entrepreneurs are reimagining your favorite protein-packed road-trip snack

- Lia Picard

I USED TO THINK OF JERKY as a gas station snack you bought only in a pinch: tough, leathery, utilitarian. When I was feeling peckish at a coffee shop recently, a bag of Rogue Jerky Co.’s Maple & Brown Sugar beef jerky caught my eye. The forest-clad packaging was more aesthetically pleasing than those bags of yore, and when I dove into the bag, I discovered that it tasted better, too—chewy yet tender, with a balanced sweetness and a deep, rich beef flavor. Jerky is nothing new; cultures around the globe have been curing and preserving meat for millennia. But right now, it’s clearly having a renaissance, with a glut of new artisanal jerky products to indulge in. Here are five brands that represent the best of the trend.

SIDE PROJECT JERKY