I have predominantly been eating jerky lately, for two meals of the three meals of my day. I have made jerky out of lamb roast, beef brisket, beef heart, beef chuck roast, and as of this morning, beef liver!
So far my favorite is beef heart. Since it is a denser meat, I am able to slice it very thin and it gets really crispy. It is so flavorful too! My next favorite is lamb roast. But I used up my last lamb roast last night! So now I'll be trying some new beef cuts: rump roast, round roast, and sirloin tip roast.
I was curious how the beef liver would come out. I was surprised at how sweet it is! I am not adding any salt or seasoning at all on my jerky. But the liver seems very sweet to me. I store my jerky in the freezer to keep it more crispy. I'll be curious once it freezes if it still tastes so sweet.
In the Carnivore Cast with Dr Paul Saladino, the doctor mentioned that he makes liver jerky, which is what gave me the idea. He was talking about the importance of organ meats for getting a good intake of nutrients that are lower in regular muscle meat, such as vitamin A and C. He also mentioned that making jerky is a good way to keep more nutrients in the meat, since it "cooks" at a much lower temperature than regular cooking. For example, when cooking my roasts in the slow cooker on low, the temperature is around 200F. But when making jerky, the temperature is only 140F. So that allows for more nutrient retention. I also leave a little bit of fat on my jerky, just a little, since the fat is where all the fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A are stored.
Speaking of fat-soluble vitamins, I think that as long as one is eating some of the fat on grass-finished red meat, I do not think that eating liver is really necessary, except for maybe once in a while. The fat should contain vitamin A (you can see it when the fat is a more golden yellow like butter, not white), D, E and K.
I have been feeling like jerky is not only better because of the lower temperature allowing for more nutrient retention, but also it feels easier to digest as well. And the simplicity of traveling with jerky is really nice. No need to worry about cooking or reheating, just grab and go. I also like that there is very little waste with jerky. I do end up trimming some fat off of the fattier cuts, but otherwise there is no waste at all. Whereas when I cook roasts in the slow cooker, there are juices left over, which unless I save them and give them to my friend's dog, I usually just throw them out. I do not like drinking them myself. So I really like jerky in that there is no waste. And it's so easy to eat, no plates, no forks. Just a fistful of jerky!
I am eating jerky for breakfast and lunch, and I might have a little freshly cooked meat at dinner, or a little leftover cooked organ meats such as sweetbreads or kidney. But I sometimes eat jerky for dinner too! Mmm mm!
I just had to be more careful in calorie counting because it really has a lot more calories than regular muscle meat per gram. It takes just a few pieces of jerky to make a meal! So when tracking my calories in Cronometer, I had to start using "Zapata Dried Beef" instead of whatever cut the jerky had been made from. That way it registers as a higher calorie count as it should. The Zapata entry for jerky is still probably lower than my homemade jerky, since mine also includes a little fat. And fat has 9 calories per gram instead of meat which has 4. So it has made it difficult to track calories. I have gained two pounds so far, but I'm trying to get that sorted it out and get back down! I am still registering as 14% bodyfat using the US Navy bodyfat calculator, so that's still pretty good!
I wanted to add that my cat is still zero carb too! He has been eating Tiki brand "After Dark" series, which is chicken breast, liver, heart, and gizzards, along with quail egg, pork, lamb, or beef, and a nice broth of the chicken juices, tuna oil, and some added vitamins. When I have to be away for an extended period and he'll miss a wet food meal, I have been giving him PureBites freeze-dried chicken breast. He loves it! And he doesn't regurgitate it like he did with regular dry cat food. So I feel good about giving him that. And it is kind of like jerky too!
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