Certified Kosher Beef Jerky: 10 Tender Flavors

Certified kosher beef jerky in ten flavors, made twenty minutes from Lakewood

Jerky Munch makes kosher beef jerky in Jackson, New Jersey, under the hashgacha of the CRC Hisachdus. Ten flavors. Every bag holds 2 oz, and you buy them in packs of 1, 3, 5 or 8.

The thing people notice first is the texture. Most jerky is dry and needs work. This is soft and tender, and it is the reason a bag opened at a kiddush disappears.

The spice level runs from none at all to genuinely hot, and each flavor is built around one clear idea rather than a long ingredient list.

The ten flavors, and how to pick one

Start with what you already like in a barbecue.

• Savory and smoky.Barbecue is the best seller, and the one that tastes most like the beef itself. Hickory Barbecue leans deeper and sweeter. Smoky Nashville brings heat in behind the smoke.
• Sweet.Teriyaki is the classic, sweet and tangy. Maple Bourbon is made with pure maple. Asian Glaze is the mildest sweet in the range. Sweet Chili sits between sweet and hot.
• Hot.Jalapeno is straight heat. Fire Popper is heat with depth behind it. Cracked Pepper is not really hot, it is sharp, with black pepper in every bite.

If you cannot choose, the 10 Flavor Sampler is 20 oz with one 2 oz bag of each, at $130. The three-flavor packs at $39 are the cheaper way in, and they are all in the sampler collection.

How much to order

Every flavor comes in the same four pack sizes, at the same four prices.

• 1 pack, $13, 2 oz
• 3 pack, $39, 6 oz
• 5 pack, $65, 10 oz
• 8 pack, $104, 16 oz, a full pound

One 2 oz bag is a snack for one person. A 3 pack covers a car trip or a week of lunches. The 8 pack is a full pound, which is what people order for a shabbos with company or to keep in the office.

There is also Fatty Ends, a full pound for $15. These are the fatty end cuts, richer and softer than the bagged flavors, and almost nobody else sells them.

What kosher certification actually means here

Certified kosher meat is not meat with a sticker on it. It has to come from a kosher animal, slaughtered and processed under supervision, with every ingredient and every surface it touches held to the same standard. That is what a hashgacha certifies, and it is why Jewish dietary law makes the shelf so much shorter than it looks.

Jerky Munch is certified by the CRC Hisachdus, and the details are on the kashrus page.

This is also why kosher beef jerky and biltong are not the same thing, even though both are dried beef. Biltong is a South African preparation, cured and air-dried rather than smoked and sliced the way jerky is. Jerky Munch makes jerky.

Most jerky sold in a regular supermarket carries no hashgacha at all, so a household that keeps kosher ends up choosing from a specialty aisle rather than the whole shelf.

A snack that travels

Dried beef strips keep without a fridge, which is why they end up in glove compartments, carry-on bags and camp packages. It is a savory, on-the-go snack rather than something you plate.

Questions about the brand, the meat and the ingredients

Is Jerky Munch beef jerky kosher?

Yes. It is made in Jackson, New Jersey under the hashgacha of the CRC Hisachdus.

Is the jerky tough or soft?

Soft. Tender enough to eat easily, which is the difference people mention most.

How many flavors are there?

Ten: Barbecue, Teriyaki, Smoky Nashville, Cracked Pepper, Sweet Chili, Fire Popper, Hickory Barbecue, Jalapeno, Maple Bourbon and Asian Glaze.

Which is the spiciest?

Fire Popper and Jalapeno. Cracked Pepper is sharp rather than hot, and Sweet Chili is mild. They are all in the spicy collection.

Do you ship, or is this local only?

Both. Jerky Munch ships nationwide and delivers locally around Lakewood. For a large or corporate order, call 732-784-7554.