# Is it my imagination or is beef jerky sold at absurdly inflated prices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756 "2007-01-27T20:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/1 "2007-01-27T20:40:27Z")
I just saw a 4 oz bag of beef jerky at the supermarket for 7.99. 7.99 for four ounces of dried, spiced beef. Why is it so expensive? The bag said “made from real strips of steak” but for all I knew it was made from cheap cuts like flank or skirt, coming from old cows besides. Is there some reason for this jerky being so expensive? It seems like all beef jerky (the kind made from solid strips) is rather expensive. A bag of Oberto costs 5.99, I think. A small bag of jerky from a local organic farm costs 4.99. I get the extra cost for organic meat, but why is the packaged supermarket kind also so pricey? I’m sorry if I sound stingy here. I fully admit that I know nothing about the economy of meat processing and if there is some reasonable reason for the high prices of jerky, I’ll accept that. So is there a reason, or is there just a jerky cartel inflating the prices? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/2 "2007-01-27T20:49:23Z")
I’ve made jerky on occaison, and a good sized piece of meat will dry into a very small amount of jerky. I know it seems obvious since the water is being removed, but I’ve filled all five trays of the dehydrator with meat, and ended up with a couple of baggies full of jerky. So that along with the cost of the dehyration, spices and packaging can make it seem expensive, but it’s really not too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/3 "2007-01-27T20:50:55Z")
Expensive compared to what? Unjerked beef? Well, keep in mind that the jerking (drying) process removes water, which is most of the weight of beef. That four ounces of jerky started out as about a pound of meat. And it’s been cut, seasoned, and preserved for you. Sounds like a bargain to me. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/4 "2007-01-27T21:07:52Z")
Yep, what they said. 4 ounces of jerky was once about a pound of meat. [cite.](http://www.askthemeatman.com/Food%20Safety%20of%20Jerky.htm) Now, is $5.99 a pound high for flank steak? (I’ve never seen $7.99, and I wouldn’t buy it at that price.) Yeah, but there is the processing and packaging to add in. Aldi has very good beef jerky, buy the way, for under $3 a bag. Even disregarding price, it’s my favorite jerky after homemade and the huge sheets at the Ren Faire. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/5 "2007-01-27T21:20:12Z")
Well, these sound like good explanations to me. I think I’ll try making some homemade jerky. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/6 "2007-01-27T21:32:27Z")
Making your own is the way to go. Massive savings, and you get to set the spice levels. I’ve made my own for years. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/7 "2007-01-27T21:36:26Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I think I’ll try making some homemade jerky. [/QUOTE] I highly recommend it. I made beef jerky and turkey jerky a while back and it was fantastic. No real recipe - just marinated it with everything I could think of. Then, IIRC I put it in the oven for like 7 hours at 150 or something like that. I know, I know. Alton Brown would say the heat is not dehydrating but cooking. But I don’t have the time or inclination to build an air filter jerkifier. So I like my way. The problem? Ate it all in about 2 days. All that work for 2 days of jerky decadence. ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/8 "2007-01-27T21:38:57Z")
I agree with everything said so far, but I have a slightly different take on it. “London Broil” was on sale today at my local supermarket for $1.87 lb. It is very lean and I figure that after I’ve trimmed off the little fat there was, I still paid under $2.00 lb. I dry it in my gas oven with the waste heat from the pilot and so I figure (including salt and spices) my home made jerky costs me less than $2.25 for that same 4 oz bag. I’m not saying this makes commercially made jerky a rip off, I’m just saying that if you’re into jerky, you can save a lot of money by making your own. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/9 "2007-01-27T21:44:13Z")
I have made jerky in the oven and only then did I understand why it is so expensive. Granted, I made it much cheaper myself but it still put things in perspective. I didn’t actually save money overall though because I always ate all of my jerky within a day anyway. $20 worth of homemade jerky is a fair amount but when you are in jerky mode, too much is not enough. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/10 "2007-01-27T22:03:07Z")
I’v recently discovered an alternative to beef jerky. Cheap, delicious, healthy. It’s vegetarian, but it’s every bit as hearty as beef. [Seasoned roasted seaweed strip-snacks.](http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/405834.html)🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/11 "2007-01-27T22:12:57Z")
Jerky is sold at somewhat inflated prices. Homemade is cheaper, but there are also costs for electricity and spices in addition to the meat. It might be a third the price to make at home, but maybe not worth the extra work since you’ll just eat more. Got to agree with Stephen Colbert that jerky companies are where to invest if there is a rise in minimum wage. Teriyaki crack. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/12 "2007-01-27T22:37:12Z")
Oh, man, what a timely thread this is. Just yesterday, I went to my favorite coffee shop and they had free samples of habernero beef jerky that the manager had made as an experiment. It was _awesome_! I’m not usually a huge jerky eater–I buy a couple of bags a year, usually for a long car trip. I like it, but it isn’t worth the price, and it can’t be healthy to eat that much beef as a snack. But this stuff . . . oh! He must have basted it in ambrosia and crack! I got him to sell me 4 oz for five bucks, and what a deal. He says he’s thinking about making it as a sideline, and that he’ll have flavors like orange-ginger and curry. I never understood how anyone could like jerky enough to make it at home, but now I realize if I tried to make it at home, I’d eat a cow a day. The difference between the stuff in convenience stores and this was just unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/13 "2007-01-27T22:52:31Z")
If you’re too lazy to do it yourself, [Big John’s Beef Jerky](http://www.bigjohnsbeefjerky.com/beefJerkyStore.php) makes excellent jerky, from very high quality meat, for much more reasonable prices (they have monthly email specials that lower the price quite a bit). Probably not as cheap as making it yourself, but still quite a bit cheaper than the stores and IMO far high quality. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/14 "2007-01-27T23:25:40Z")
I actually invested in one of those jerky makers that looks like a grease gun, so you can use ground meat as a base. It makes the whole job a lot easier, and the jerky isn’t as tough. If you buy ground beef in bulk for jerky, it amounts to a tremendous savings. I already had the dehydrator. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/15 "2007-01-28T00:36:33Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I actually invested in one of those jerky makers that looks like a grease gun, so you can use ground meat as a base. It makes the whole job a lot easier, and the jerky isn’t as tough. If you buy ground beef in bulk for jerky, it amounts to a tremendous savings. I already had the dehydrator. [/QUOTE] See, that makes me nervous, and I’m usually a (forgive the pun) pooh-poo’er about _e. coli_. But jerky’s not cooked at all. And ground has the best chance of being contaminated. Aren’t you worried you’re gonna off yourself with snack food? Or do you bake it instead of dehydrate it? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/16 "2007-01-28T02:51:59Z")
My electric oven has a minimum setting of 170 F., and apparently that’s too hot; my jerky cooked instead of dried. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/17 "2007-01-28T03:01:40Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] My electric oven has a minimum setting of 170 F., and apparently that’s too hot; my jerky cooked instead of dried. ☹ [/QUOTE] Leave the oven door open? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/18 "2007-01-28T03:06:41Z")
Lumpy, you could open your oven door a crack and probably get to the drying temperature. In the winter, maybe not a terrible waste of energy as you can heat the kitchen at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/19 "2007-01-28T03:14:01Z")
[QUOTE=Doctor Who] …turkey jerky… [/QUOTE] You’re shittin’ me, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756/20 "2007-01-28T03:18:50Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Making your own is the way to go. Massive savings, and you get to set the spice levels. I’ve made my own for years. [/QUOTE] You should start a thread about jerking your meat. A friend of mine used to make beef jerky about once a month, but he wouldn’t give me the recipe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-my-imagination-or-is-beef-jerky-sold-at-absurdly-inflated-prices/389756.md?page=2)