On the grand scale of delicious bites to nibble on with your favourite drinks, jerky rates pretty highly. There is more to making a great beef jerky than you might think. We sat down with Elisa from Just Jerky to talk about one of our favourite bar snacks.
Tell us how Just Jerky started. Why do people need to try this jerky?
We were on a snowboarding trip in Canada and were absolutely blown away with all the great authentic beef jerky over there! Apart from the epic snow and slopes, stopping at the top of the mountain with mates to share a pack of jerky was the highlight of the trip, so the first thing we did when we arrived back in Australia was buy a dehydrator and started recipe testing! Above all else, we think flavour is the most important thing about any food – that’s why we combined the best whole ingredients to create these unique flavours. You need to try Just Jerky so you can experience how much we care about creating the tastiest beef jerky around.
How are these made and what’s so special about this jerky? Did you have to do a lot of “taste testing” to perfect the flavours?
It’s such a simple process – slice, spice and dry. Taste testing is key to making sure you create the perfect jerky recipe. Also, your friends love you for constantly providing samples to taste!
Are there any drinks you would match with the jerky?
Celebrate by chilling some beers, inviting some friends around and opening a heaps of packs of Just Jerky! We love to pair Original Jerky with a pale ale and Chilli with a lovely crisp riesling!
What tips would you give young food producers who want to start their own snack brand?
Try, try and then try again until you get your product as close to perfect as possible (and know that it will never be perfect right away)! All along, you have to make sure you are watching what consumers are doing and making sure they want to eat what you are creating – what your consumers want is always more important than what you want.
How important is design when it comes to your packaging?
Well, after two complete Just Jerky rebrands in five years and soon to be an evolution of our current packaging, I can confidently say that it is one of the most important factors with any product. I mean, who hasn’t bought a beer or wine simply because they liked the label?!
Just Jerky original and chilli are delivered by Tipple in under 60 minutes to select postcodes. Check out our website for further details.
Images via Just Jerky
