A list of common words and terms used in the jerky and meat industry.
| HEALTHY | |
| NEUTRAL | |
| UNHEALTHY |
| JERKY GLOSSARY |
| Abbatoir |
| Another name for an animal slaughterhouse. |
| Adaptogen |
| An overall tonic for the body. Will act differently between people, depending on what the body needs are. |
| Antibacterial |
| An agent that destroys or inhibits the growth of bacteria. |
| Anticaking |
| An additive added in food to prevent the formation of lumps, known as caking. |
| Antifungal |
| An agent that destroys or inhibits the growth of fungi. |
| Antioxidant |
| Any substance that counteracts the damaging effects of oxidation. Some antioxidants protect body cells from damage caused by the oxidative effects of free radicals. |
| Artisan |
| A term used to describe a worker in a skilled job. In this case jerky, which implies the jerky was hand made, including hand sliced. Artisan jerky is almost always superior to your typical standard fare jerky out there. |
| Adaptogen |
| An overall tonic for the body. Will act differently between people, depending on what the body needs are. |
| Bhut Jolokia |
| The actual name of ghost peppers which are insanely hot. |
| Biltong |
| Strips of lean meat dried in open air for about 10 days and of South African origin. |
| Bromelain |
| A plentiful and powerful enzyme found in pineapples. Widely used in the food industry as a meat tenderizer. |
| Bison |
| Similar to Buffalo and have a hump. An excellent source of meat. |
| Bourbon |
| A kind of American whiskey distilled from maize and rye. |
| CDA |
| An acronym for Canada Department of Agriculture (CDA). Jerky sold in Canada must be inspected by the CDA to be distributed or for sale online. |
| Capsicum |
| Any of various tropical American pepper plants, having mild or pungent seeds enclosed in a pod-shaped or bell-shaped fruit. Usually referred to the hot variety of peppers. |
| Carcinogenic |
| A cancer causing substance or agent. |
| Carotenoids |
| An orange-yellow to red crystalline pigment, found in animal tissue and certain plants, such as carrots, squash and bell peppers. Converted to Vitamin A primarily in the liver. |
| Chopped and Formed |
| Made from chopped meat that are molded and formed, then cut into strips. Stay away from. |
| Cholula |
| A popular hot sauce made in Mexico. |
| Chunked and Formed |
| Made from chunks of meat that is molded and formed, then cut into strips. Stay away from. |
| Country |
| A flavor of jerky similar to the Original flavor, very plain. |
| Cure |
| A prepared mixture of salt and sodium nitrite, where less than 1% should be sodium nitrite. |
| Dehydrator |
| A machine used to dry meat at a low temperature, around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. |
| Delicatessen |
| A store that specializes in selling cold cut meats, typically high in sodium and nitrites. While these meats are cured and cooked, they are not classified as jerky because the meat is minimally dried. |
| Du Du Bo Kho |
| A green papaya salad with beef jerky strips, and Vietnamese in origin. |
| E. coli |
| A kind of bacteria that is sometimes found in food, that can cause severe food poisoning. |
| Emulsifier |
| A compound or substance that acts as a stabilizer for liquids in order for them not to separate, and promotes the liquids to form together. |
| Enzyme |
| A group of complex proteins that are produced by living cells, and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions. |
| Establishment Number |
| Starting with EST, a number displayed on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or Canada Department of Agriculture (CDA) stamp to identify the manufacturer. |
| Everything |
| A flavor of jerky where the maker mixes all their flavors into one. |
| Export Gift Pack |
| Jerky that can legally be sent overseas, but not for sale. |
| Free Radical |
| An atom or group of atoms that has at least one unpaired electron, and is therefore unstable and highly reactive. In animal tissues, free radicals can damage cells, and are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-related diseases. |
| Free Range |
| Livestock raised in natural conditions with freedom to move. |
| Game Meat |
| An animal not normally domesticated. Typically, game meat is superiorly healthier than beef. |
| Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) |
| An organism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering in a way that is not natural. Current laws do not make GMO labeling mandatory in ingredient lists. There is much controversy on the potential dangers of eating GMO products. |
| Ghost Pepper |
| One of the hottest peppers in the world. Also known as Bhut Jolokia, and is insanely hot. |
| Gluten |
| A protein found in cereal grains, especially wheat. People with celiac disease are more prone to having a gluten allergy. The levels of gluten in wheat today are much higher compared to wheat from 100 years ago. |
| Grain |
| The distinctive lines of muscle fibers running parallel with each other in meat. When slicing jerky, I normally slice down these lines. That way you can tear the jerky into smaller strips down the grain. |
| Gourmet Jerky |
| A style of making jerky where sauces and/or liquids are used to marinate the meat. The opposite of gourmet jerky is old fashioned jerky where no liquid marinade is used, just a dry rub normally with spices. |
| GRAS |
| A CDC term for an ingredient that is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). |
| Halal |
| Foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines. The aim is for a Muslim to slaughter the animal, limiting the amount of pain the animal will endure. |
| Hydrolyzation |
| Normally cooking something in a vat of acid. This sludge is known to contain the unhealthy and controversial trans fats (trans fatty acids). |
| Inhalometer |
| A term used to describe how food is consumed in lightning quick fashion, typically occurring when the flavor is so satisfyingly intense, we can’t waste time chewing it, we “inhale” it… |
| Jalapeno |
| A popular type of bell hot pepper, which is usually the least spicy of jerky hot flavors. |
| Jerky |
| Strips of dried meat. |
| Jerky Gun |
| A small hand held kitchen appliance that is used to form and mold raw ground meat into strips. |
| Kosher |
| Foods that are allowed under Jewish dietary guidelines. |
| Lycopene |
| A bright red carotenoid found in fruits or vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelon and grapefruit. A powerful antioxidant, and known to be very healthy. It is said that cooking lycopene makes it even healthier. |
| Mammal |
| A warm blooded animal that has fur and females that secrete milk for nourishment of the young. |
| Marinade |
| A liquid mixture used for soaking food. Common is water, vinegar, soy sauce. |
| Marinate |
| Soak (meat, fish, bird) in a marinade. |
| Mesquite |
| A type of tree or bush used to smoke the jerky usually in a smoker. |
| MSG Added |
| Monosodium glutamate is a food additive used to enhance flavor. Known to be unhealthy. MSG can be naturally occurring in small amounts. |
| Nitrites |
| A salt or ester of nitrous acid. Typically mixed with salt and called Sodium Nitrite. Known to be quite unhealthy. |
| Nitrosamines |
| A chemical compound produced when cooking meat at high temperatures, when nitrite is included. Known to be carcinogenic, but not all of them. |
| NSF Certified |
| Means that the food dehydrator complies with all standard requirements by the National Safety Foundation. |
| Old Fashioned Jerky |
| A style of making jerky where no sauces or liquids are used to marinate the meat. Only a ‘dry rub’ is applied, generally spices. Gourmet Jerky is the opposite where the jerky is soaked in a liquid marinade. |
| Organic |
| Produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other artificial chemicals. |
| Original |
| Generally a plain jerky flavor, and a base for other flavors. Could also be called traditional or country. The actual meat flavor should stand out the most. |
| Papain |
| A plentiful and powerful enzyme found in the fruit papaya. Widely used in the food industry as a meat tenderizer. |
| Pasteurization |
| Heating a liquid or solid at a specific temperature for a specific period of time to kill any harmful organisms. This is done to prevent disease, spoilage or undesired fermentation. At the same time, many healthy nutrients, and vitamins are destroyed in the heating process. |
| Pathogen |
| Any disease producing agent, especially a virus or bacteria. |
| Peppered |
| A jerky flavor using black pepper and/or crushed/cracked peppercorns. |
| Peri Peri |
| A jerky flavor of South African origin, used on Biltong and mildly spicy. Very tasty. |
| Potassium Hydroxide |
| A caustic white solid, used as a bleach, and in the manufacture of mainly industrial uses. |
| Poultry |
| Domestic fowl such as chicken, turkey and duck. |
| Preservative |
| A substance used to preserve jerky from decay. Salt is easily the most abundant preservative. |
| Private Label |
| A company who usually manufactures jerky under another company’s brand. |
| QR Code |
| A machine-readable code consisting of an array of black, and white squares, typically used for storing URLs, capable of being read by the camera on a smartphone. |
| Salmonella |
| A type of bacteria where when found in food can cause sickness. |
| Satay |
| Pieces of meat marinated and grilled, served with a spicy sauce, usually containing peanuts. Has Indonesian and Malaysian origin. |
| Smoked |
| Jerky that is dried typically using smoke from a smoker. |
| Smoker |
| A machine used to smoke jerky as a part of the drying process. |
| Sodium Nitrite |
| A very common preservative used for jerky. Not known to be healthy. |
| Sorbic Acid |
| A crystalline acid obtained from unripe fruits, or synthesized, and used especially as a fungicide and food preservative. Known to have antimicrobial properties. |
| Standard Fare |
| Jerky you would typically find for sale in stores by the largest jerky makers. They tend to have unhealthy ingredient lists. |
| Stock Recipe |
| A recipe from a private label company, shared with other companies. |
| Szechuan |
| A style of Chinese cooking that is spicy, oily and especially peppery. |
| Tenderize |
| To make meat tender by pounding it to break down the fibres, by steeping it in a marinade, or by treating it with a tenderizer, like an enzyme. |
| Top Round |
| A cut of meat taken from the inner section of a round of beef. One of the higher quality cuts of meat from a cow. |
| Traditional Jerky |
| A style of making jerky where only dry rubs are used, with no marinating. |
| Trail Mix |
| Jerky that is commonly mixed with fruits and nuts. Typically an excellent combination. |
| Trans Fats |
| Also known as Trans Fatty Acids. A by-product of adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils, boiling in a vat of acid to make them more solid. |
| USDA |
| An acronym for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Jerky sold in the United States must be inspected by the USDA to be distributed or sold online. |
| Vegan |
| Jerky containing no animal products. Technically is not jerky, but generally healthy. |
| Venison |
| Meat from deer. Typically a very healthy choice. |
| Whippet |
 Jerky Ingredients mascot Lexi, who has participated in over 600 jerky reviews. A medium sized sighthound Whippet dog breed that is smaller than a Greyhound, but bigger than an Italian Greyhound. A quiet, intelligent, couch potato by nature, and Whippets can run over 35 miles an hour. |
Leave a Comment