I just bought a little beef jerky. Haven’t had any in quite a while. It was supposed to be spicy. What I got was something sweet, rubbery and gummy, with barely a hint of heat. (In the US) W.t.f.
When I was a kid, jerky was dry AF, thin, salty, tooth-rippingly tough sometimes, never sweet unless you specifically got a teryaki flavor or something. If you wanted spicy, it was covered in pepper and your mouth would be on fire after just a couple pieces. It was awesome.
Now it’s sugary and chewy. Why people gotta put sugar on everything? Can’t find that dry, thin, peppery stuff anywhere.
What food of yours has disappeared or been wrecked in order to appeal to more people?
Even that appears to have a higher moisture content than what I recall. It does look good, though.
This is closer: https://www.oldworldjerky.com/our-jerky/
Except they say “crispy”. The stuff I recall could be crispy, but it was also more fibrous and could be chewy. Just not very uniform the way these brands strive to be.
I’m personally a huge fan of Werner, I order from them every month. I’ve got some of their jerky chew in my lip right now. They also sell some very interesting candies, like Chamoy gummy bears/worms/rings and some amazing salt water taffy. The Cucharitas (Mexican tamarind based candy) are absolutely delicious. They’re a small-ish family owned business, operating in Oregon since 1994. Takes about a week for shipping, but that’s not too bad.
If you’re looking for something really dry, People’s Choice Beef Jerky is the driest jerky I’ve ever had. Just make sure to order the “Old Fashioned” and not the “Classic” if you want the super dry stuff. Their Carne Seca is pretty good too, I like the limon con chile flavor. They also try out new flavors/products all the time, if you like variety. Right now, their Test Kitchen is selling a Nashville Hot flavor, and that stuff is damn good. They had a really nice Gochujang flavor, but it’s been sold out for weeks.