The Unexpected Protein That Gives Your Sauces A Savory Boost

Sometimes you make a sauce with incredible texture and color, but it's lacking a little something. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly where you may have gone wrong, but we do have one tip that can resolve your problem quite easily: Just add a little shredded beef jerky!

All that's required is shredding or grinding the jerky as finely as possible and sprinkling it into the sauce like any other seasoning. However, since jerky is a cured meat and has little to no moisture, you'll need to bring the sauce to a simmer to let the heat rehydrate it and open up its flavor. Much like blooming spices or simmering bones for a broth or a consommé, jerky needs a gentle application of heat to impart its flavor properly. If you skip this step, you'll likely have to use much more jerky to flavor your sauce, which could potentially make it feel gritty from all the little shreds of meat.

Jerky comes in a wide variety of marinades and is quite shelf-stable, so it's easy to keep a range of different flavors on hand for when they're needed. Conversely, making homemade beef jerky is a cinch that only requires time and an oven, letting you tailor your flavor enhancers to your specific preferences. This trick is applicable to most sauces, but different marinades work better for some than others. The first step for this trick is knowing how to properly grind or shred your secret ingredient to the desired consistency.

There are many tools you can use to grind or shred jerky, ranging from a mortar and pestle to coffee grinders. Regardless of your choice, it helps to break the jerky up by hand into smaller pieces first so you aren't just pounding, slicing, chopping, or grinding away at a five-inch piece of dried meat.

If you're opting to grind your jerky, a mortar and pestle is a good place to start. However, whether you choose a cheap variety you can buy at most stores or an authentic molcajete, you'll need to apply plenty of elbow grease. Start by pounding apart pieces of jerky to break up the muscle fibers into smaller shreds. They should separate easily, but they might still have little white strands connecting them. Once you've broken up the fibers, grind them with firm, even pressure until they've reached your desired consistency.

An easier, more high-tech option is to use a coffee grinder or food processor. Grinding jerky follows the same rules as grinding spices, meaning you'll need to use a grinder dedicated solely to seasonings and not coffee. Break the jerky into pieces that fit in the grinder, and run your machine until it reaches a powdered consistency. To prevent your other dishes from adopting a beefy flavor, be sure to thoroughly wash your grinder after using it.