7 Elegant Ways To Serve Jerky as an Appetizer

The culinary world has many options that appeal to your appetite, and some unconventional choices, such as jerky, make a great appetizer. Jerky has a variety of tastes, flavors, and types of meat that make it a unique dish to serve before the main course. For those looking to take the starter up a notch, there are many creative ways to prepare and serve jerky as a delicious appetizer.

What Counts as an Appetizer?

An appetizer may come in various forms, but the general definition is a small dish that is part of a full meal. We eat appetizers to prepare our stomachs for food or to get our bodies in the mood for eating by stoking our appetite. An appetizer may include food options such as bite-sized cuisine, bread, soup, salads, or even a small cheese platter. It’s possible to have multiple appetizers, but it’s better to save room for the entrees instead.

Since appetizers are small, you can even serve them with your meal as a side dish. Preparing appetizers involves using various ingredients that become more delicious with every bit you add. The goal is to create something compact yet flavor-packed.

Using Meat in Appetizers

Meat is a special product in the culinary world, and many recipes have it as the primary focus of the meal. Using meat as an appetizer will give the dish a great taste and add to the food’s quality and nutrition. The various types of meat options, including beef, turkey, chicken, and venison, have numerous ways of presentation and preparation.

Preparations

Much like any food, there are numerous ways to prepare meat. Cutting the meat into small pieces is common, especially in appetizers. Meat is normally sold in pounds after extracting it from an animal, and butchers or cooks will then break the meat down into smaller portions to fit various dishes.

Chefs dry and season some meats to achieve a certain taste before adding them to a menu as an appetizer. Mincing dried meat into smaller pieces will allow a larger amount to mix into the food. Dried meat preparations can be a fantastic way to highlight unique flavors without toiling over a hot stove.

Application

Utilizing meat in an appetizer menu may occur in different ways. After mincing it into smaller pieces, you could sprinkle the pieces on top of the appetizer dish as a topping or garnish. The meat could also act as another ingredient for a soup or creamy appetizer to add taste to the dish.

The different ways to prepare meats will determine how they may incorporate into a dish. Jerky is one meat preparation that complements a variety of appetizer dishes.

Jerky and Cheese

You’ll find that many parties, either extravagant or small, will have a platter of cheese and meats. This entrée is great for the party guests since they have multiple options of how they want to start their meal. Many different types of cheese and jerky will go well together and create flavorful combinations.

Meat and cheese go well together because of their contrasting textures and tastes. Cheese has a certain amount of acidity or richness in its flavor, while meat’s saltiness balances either out. Combining a mild cheddar with a spicy slice of jerky or a slice of swiss cheese with some honey barbeque jerky will make a delicious appetizer. Using a fondue made of cheese will make a nice dipping sauce for your jerky and create a fantastic mixture of flavors. Plus, fondue gives guests permission to play with their food!

Jerky and Salad

Combining meats and vegetables, two opposing sides of the food spectrum, creates a wonderful combination of tastes. The salty, rougher taste of the jerky and the leafy texture of the salad work well together to make a healthy and delicious appetizer. Adding jerky to the salad helps round out the dish when other additions such as croutons or small fruits are present.

As mentioned before, mincing the jerky will allow it to easily incorporate into other foods. And small bits of jerky added to the salad will make a wonderful topping that will create a nice tang of meaty flavor. Use different jerky flavors to add different flavors, such as spicy or sweet, and potentially use other meat bases such as chicken or turkey to specialize the salad.

Loaded Into a Baked Potato

Loaded baked potatoes are amazing appetizers that allow you and your guests to stuff the inside of a fluffy potato with ingredients you love. But, if you want to enjoy your potato, you’ll want to try loading some jerky inside it. Many recipes for loaded baked potatoes involve meat combined with other ingredients such as cheese and some vegetables. The dried meat will complement the potato’s moisture, and adding butter and sour cream will create an explosion of flavors. If you plan on having a smaller entrée, this will make a hardy appetizer for your meal.

Jerky on a Kabob

Kabobs make a fun appetizer that’s great for parties and walking around. Although the concept of a kabob is simple, the food you could add to the skewer could be complex. Most of the time, meats feature on a kabob, and party-goers cook their skewer over a flame. Placing jerky on the kabob will make cooking easier, and you have the choice to add various types of jerky to create a plethora of flavors on a stick.

Jerky Bruschetta

Bruschetta mixed with jerky makes an elegant appetizer. Meat on bread is a delicious combo that people have made for generations. This Italian appetizer will bring out the taste of the meat with its savory garlic coating and crispy texture. Beef and chicken will pair well with this dish as both types of meat taste great with garlic added.

Pemmican Using Jerky

Pemmican is a dish originating in North America as a primary source of meat for voyagers hundreds of years ago. Like jerky, it uses dried meat mashed and mixed with other foods such as berries. You can shape the mixture into a bar or ball for convenient consumption. Jerky will work well with this dish since dried meat is the primary component. You could use various ingredients to pair with the taste, so don’t be afraid to experiment. If you’re seeking a unique appetizer option that will start conversations, pemmican may be the way to go.

Jerky Dip With Chips or Bread

A party favorite for many, dip will make a great starter for your appetite. It is possible to make your jerky drop using crushed jerky, butter, cheese, mayonnaise, and other creamy ingredients. Or you could buy the dip of your choice and enhance it with the high-quality jerky of your choice. Use chips or bread as the perfect vehicle for this elegant appetizer option.

Jerky is a wonderful food that pairs well with many dishes. Applying jerky to your next appetizer will give it an excellent taste that will prepare you for more. Browse our selection of hand-crafted beef jerky for sale at Lee’s Market Jerky to find the perfect fit for your appetizer recipe!