Do you need sodium nitrate for beef jerky?
To consider the meat cured, it is important that either sodium nitrate or the more common sodium nitrite is added. Sodium nitrite is responsible for both the distinctive flavor and color of beef jerky and it also prevents bacteria. Is it possible to find a nitrate-free substitute for your favorite beef jerky?
What makes beef jerky cured?
The curing process of meat is step one in making beef jerky. To consider the meat cured, it is important that either sodium nitrate or the more common sodium nitrite is added. Sodium nitrite is responsible for both the distinctive flavor and color of beef jerky and it also prevents bacteria.
Should you be eating jerky?
But there is reason to rethink making modern-day jerky a regular part of your diet, especially if the meat has been cured with nitrates (or their chemical cousins, nitrites).
What is the dark truth behind Beef Jerky?
This is the dark truth behind beef jerky. A 2018 study by Johns Hopkins Medicine found a strong connection between the consumption of processed foods such as beef jerky, salami, and hot dogs with mania, which is "characterized by hyperactivity, euphoria and loss of sleep," according to the study.
What is the purpose of sodium nitrite in jerky?
How much sodium is in a jerky?
Does jerky have nitrates?
Does cured meat cause mania?
Is dry meat a way of survival?
Is jerky good for you?
Does jerky cause cancer?
See 2 more topics
About this website
Does beef jerky have sodium nitrate?
Sodium nitrate is a kind of salt that has long been used to preserve foods. Ever heard of cured meat? Well, you can find it in many foods including bacon, beef jerky, ham, hot dogs, lunch meat, salami, and smoked fish. It creates a distinct flavor, controls lipid oxidation, and acts as an antimicrobial.
Can you make jerky without sodium nitrate?
Drying jerky in a dehydrator doesn't need nitrates because it's an aerobic environment. Adding nitrates to meat going in a smoker prevents botulinum bacteria from growing.
Why is beef jerky unhealthy?
Downsides of beef jerky It's very high in sodium, with a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving providing roughly 22% of your daily sodium allowance, which is set at 2,300 mg per day ( 5 ). Excessive sodium intake may harm several aspects of your health, including heart health, blood pressure, and stroke risk ( 2 , 6 ).
Do meat sticks have nitrates?
Customers appreciate that Beef Snack Sticks are nitrate, gluten, high fructose corn syrup, and MSG free. They generate stellar nutrition for young and old alike.
Is homemade jerky considered processed meat?
Beef jerky is a processed red meat Just like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs, beef jerky is a form of processed red meat. In 2020, researchers looked at the relationship between red and processed meat consumption and cancer risk.
Is cure necessary for jerky?
Is a cure necessary when making jerky? For safety, yes. Using a jerky cure will inhibit bacteria growth and prevent botulism or other foodborne illnesses, as jerky is dried at low temps, not cooked. Cured jerky will also lengthen the shelf-life of your product.
Is beef jerky anti inflammatory?
Beef source: The best healthy jerky brands use grass-fed, organic, and hormone-free beef. The better the quality of the meat, the higher the amount of nutrients such as the heart healthy omega-3s and anti-inflammatory conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
What happens if you eat too much jerky?
Eating too much beef jerky may lead to a slew of side effects, such as rapid weight gain and increased risk of heart disease. But it may also prevent you from eating other foods with adequate amounts of important nutrients you won't get from beef jerky.
Is beef jerky actually healthy?
Yes, beef jerky is healthy and has many health benefits including weight loss. When consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet, beef jerky is an excellent snack food that is low calorie, high in protein, and a good source of vitamins and minerals including zinc, iron, choline, and Vitamin B12.
Is beef jerky okay eating?
Even though fully dried jerky may appear done, it is not safe to eat unless it goes through an additional heat treatment. This can be done before or after the meat is dried.
Is beef jerky a carcinogen?
Processed meat Classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, it is connected specifically to colorectal and stomach cancer. Examples of processed meats that have carcinogenic properties include: Frankfurter hotdogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, beef jerky and canned or lunch meat.
Is beef jerky considered raw meat?
Jerky is a fully cooked product. It is never raw. Of course, merely cooking meat does not preserve it. Jerky can last so long without spoiling because it contains so little moisture.
What is the purpose of sodium nitrite in jerky?
Sodium nitrite functions to block the growth of bacteria and give cured meats its characteristic reddish color and unique flavor. To get a similar effect without the additive, many jerky (and ham, bacon and hot dog) producers use celery powder and/or celery juice, which are naturally rich sources of nitrates (which convert to nitrites during processing). In the end, the amount of nitrite you get is basically the same, and your body does not know the difference. To minimize nitrates and nitrites in your jerky altogether, your best bet is to check the ingredients for any concentrated form of them, whether from celery or sodium nitrite.
How much sodium is in a jerky?
Most brands of jerky come in at around 400 mg sodium per once ounce serving, but I have seen some with as little as 250 mg and as much as 720 mg per ounce. To put that in perspective, one ounce of Lay’s potato chips has 170 mg of sodium. Advertisement. Story continues below advertisement.
Does jerky have nitrates?
You might think it is easy to skirt that issue by buying one of the many jerky brands that boast “no nitrates or nitrites added.” Not so fast. Bizarre as it may sound, those claims do not actually mean there are no nitrates or nitrites in the product. They simply means the additives sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate were not used to cure the meat. (To technically be considered “cured” the product must contain one of those. Sodium nitrite is most commonly used today.)
Does cured meat cause mania?
To be clear, the study does not show that nitrate-cured meat causes mania per se; the researchers just found a strong connection between the two, which they attribute to the nitrates in the products. In another study by the same researchers, rats that ate dried meat that contained nitrates displayed mania-like activity, while those given dried meat that did not contain nitrates had no abnormal behavior.
Is dry meat a way of survival?
Drying meat is one of the most ancient and common methods of food preservation world-wide, and it was certainly a way of survival for our ancestors. But there is reason to rethink making modern-day jerky a regular part of your diet, especially if the meat has been cured with nitrates (or their chemical cousins, nitrites).
Is jerky good for you?
As with anything, it is key to remember the all-important adage “the dose makes the poison.”. Based on these factors, it is best not to eat jerky, or any type of processed meat, regularly. Still, on occasion, jerky can be a reasonably good food option.
Does jerky cause cancer?
Processed meats such as jerky have also been class ified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as something that causes cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. For every 50 grams (a little less than 2 ounces) of processed meat eaten daily, they estimate an 18 percent increase in the risk of colorectal cancer. While nitrates and nitrites in these meats are part of the problem, smoking and cooking meat generates an alphabet soup of other potentially carcinogenic compounds, such as N-nitroso-compounds (NOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
How much sodium is in beef jerky?
One ounce of beef jerky contains a whopping 590 milligrams of sodium — that's 25 percent of the daily recommendation. "When there's extra sodium in your bloodstream, it pulls water into your blood vessels, increasing the total amount (volume) of blood inside your blood vessels," the American Heart Association explained.
Why is jerky recalled?
and Central Valley Meat Co. have recalled their beef jerky, citing a possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria, which causes one million food-borne illnesses in the United States every year.
What is the curing process of beef jerky?
The curing process of meat is step one in making beef jerky. To consider the meat cured, it is important that either sodium nitrate or the more common sodium nitrite is added. Sodium nitrite is responsible for both the distinctive flavor and color of beef jerky and it also prevents bacteria. Is it possible to find a nitrate-free substitute ...
How much is beef jerky worth in 2020?
The meat jerky industry has shown consistent growth in the last five years and, as of March 2020, is worth $1.4 billion. One 2019 study found that 70 percent of millennials worldwide prefer ...
Why do hot dogs cause mania?
Researchers attributed the cause of manic episodes to the nitrates that are used to cure (preserve) the meat. The study further revealed that "people hospitalized for an episode of mania had more than three times the odds of having ever eaten nitrate- cured meats than people without a history of a serious psychiatric disorder."
Is beef jerky shrinking the rainforest?
Beef jerky is shrinking the Amazon rainforest. Shutterstock. It's hard to fathom that a dried meat snack could be partially responsible for climate change. But, as with everything, there's a ripple effect when buying packs of beef jerky.
Is beef jerky a manly product?
Vegan activist Carol J. Adams detailed on her site the many ways beef jerky is advertised as a "manly" product, citing an edible beef jerky bouquet promoted as a potential Valentine's Day gift for a man. She explained, " [The] sexual politics of meat is expressed in new commodities whose purpose is to reassert that manly men eat meat." In the past, beef jerky brands have promoted their products to appeal to men, just like several snack foods that have adopted similar marketing tactics, adding to the socially-constructed ideas around masculinity and food.
How to keep jerky from getting bacteria?
The key to preventing bacteria is to dry it completely. Moisture means bacteria can grow, so if you dry it so it is crispy, you'll be fine. That's how real jerky is supposed to be anyhow. A lot of people don't like it that dry but then you need to use nitrate.
Why is there a humidity requirement for jerky?
This is why there is a humidity requirement for USDA establishments making jerky also, to make sure the organisms don't dry out and become heat resistant. A small bowl of water in your smoker will evaporate and fix this, remove it after temps are acceptable and finish drying.
What temperature do nitrates need to grow?
Botulinum bacteria need four things to grow: 1) moisture 2) lack of oxygen 3) temps between 40F and 140F and 4) time.
What is the real danger of freezing meat?
The real danger is botulism. Cures or nitrates prevent the growth of botulism. If it grows in the meat it will release toxins and these are unaffected by freezing.
What to do if you don't use jerky?
If you don't use them, make sure to freeze your jerky.
Can you add nitrates to celery?
If you are concerned about adding nitrates you could look at celery powder/crushed celery seeds/celery juice. If I remember correctly govt regs require celery cured meats to be labeled "uncured" when in fact they are cured using the naturally occurring nitrates in the celery.
Can jerky cure E. coli?
A study by Univ if Ge orgia in 1998 tested jerky both with cure and without. They contaminated both with E Coli, cooked identical then tested the amounts of pathogens left. The cured jerky reduced them quite a bit more. Part of the study indicated that E. coli could survive 10 hours at 145 if the meat was too dry before it reached 160.
What is the purpose of sodium nitrite in jerky?
Sodium nitrite functions to block the growth of bacteria and give cured meats its characteristic reddish color and unique flavor. To get a similar effect without the additive, many jerky (and ham, bacon and hot dog) producers use celery powder and/or celery juice, which are naturally rich sources of nitrates (which convert to nitrites during processing). In the end, the amount of nitrite you get is basically the same, and your body does not know the difference. To minimize nitrates and nitrites in your jerky altogether, your best bet is to check the ingredients for any concentrated form of them, whether from celery or sodium nitrite.
How much sodium is in a jerky?
Most brands of jerky come in at around 400 mg sodium per once ounce serving, but I have seen some with as little as 250 mg and as much as 720 mg per ounce. To put that in perspective, one ounce of Lay’s potato chips has 170 mg of sodium. Advertisement. Story continues below advertisement.
Does jerky have nitrates?
You might think it is easy to skirt that issue by buying one of the many jerky brands that boast “no nitrates or nitrites added.” Not so fast. Bizarre as it may sound, those claims do not actually mean there are no nitrates or nitrites in the product. They simply means the additives sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate were not used to cure the meat. (To technically be considered “cured” the product must contain one of those. Sodium nitrite is most commonly used today.)
Does cured meat cause mania?
To be clear, the study does not show that nitrate-cured meat causes mania per se; the researchers just found a strong connection between the two, which they attribute to the nitrates in the products. In another study by the same researchers, rats that ate dried meat that contained nitrates displayed mania-like activity, while those given dried meat that did not contain nitrates had no abnormal behavior.
Is dry meat a way of survival?
Drying meat is one of the most ancient and common methods of food preservation world-wide, and it was certainly a way of survival for our ancestors. But there is reason to rethink making modern-day jerky a regular part of your diet, especially if the meat has been cured with nitrates (or their chemical cousins, nitrites).
Is jerky good for you?
As with anything, it is key to remember the all-important adage “the dose makes the poison.”. Based on these factors, it is best not to eat jerky, or any type of processed meat, regularly. Still, on occasion, jerky can be a reasonably good food option.
Does jerky cause cancer?
Processed meats such as jerky have also been class ified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as something that causes cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. For every 50 grams (a little less than 2 ounces) of processed meat eaten daily, they estimate an 18 percent increase in the risk of colorectal cancer. While nitrates and nitrites in these meats are part of the problem, smoking and cooking meat generates an alphabet soup of other potentially carcinogenic compounds, such as N-nitroso-compounds (NOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
