FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
Why is beef jerky so expensive?
In a nut shell, beef jerky is made by taking a lean cut of beef and drying it out in an oven over the course of several hours. This process removes any excess moisture that is contained in the beef itself.
Even very lean cuts of beef, like the top round we use to make our beef jerky, loses anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 of its total weight during the cooking process.
On average 1 pound of top round loin only makes about 4 ounces of beef jerky when all said and done.
Why is beef jerky made from lean meat?
Leaner meat is mostly muscle and contains very little fat. Fat retains a lot of water, so jerky if you make jerky from a cut of meat that has more fat it is much more likely to spoil quickly – Gross!
How long does beef jerky last?
The mass-market beef jerky that is sold in places like supermarkets and local gas stations uses a lot of artificial preservatives so that it can last, unopened, for about 1 year.
Hand-made jerky, like the kind we make at Ojai Jerky doesn’t have all those chemically preservatives, so we cook our jerky around the clock every week to make sure you get a fresh bag that will taste great and be safe to eat up to 2 months after we cooked it for your order.
Is beef jerky good for you?
Beef jerky is a high-protein, low-carb snack that is a fantastic addition to many different kinds of diets. Ojai Jerky does not contain nitrates or the crazy amounts of sugar you see in mass-market brands either.
Our Western Beef Jerky and Hot Beef Jerky flavors are also gluten free!
Is it cheaper to make beef jerky at home?
We get asked this question a lot. People have been making their own beef jerky at home for a long time. Most people aren’t too familiar with all the things that can go wrong when making beef jerky though.
Did you know that the dehydrators used in home kitchens can’t kill off the bacteria in meat that can cause e.coli or salmonella?
Did you know that if you infect your oven with bacteria when trying to make your own jerky you will contaminate any meals you may cook in it afterward?
We have been making beef jerky for over 60 years at Ojai Jerky in our state-inspected oven and have learned all that goes into delighting our customers with great-tasting beef jerky flavors that are prepared with the food safety measures and care that you would come to expect from your local butcher shop.