The name "Jerky" comes from the Quechua term "ch'arki", meaning dried meat.

When discovered by the Spanish, llama jerky was being used by the Inca empire to store meat in tambo (Inns) along the Inca road system so that travelers could eat meat when between cities. The Inca used a freeze drying process that took advantage of both the cold dry mountain air and strong sun in their homeland. The meat used was llama meat, a camelid also used as a pack animal.

Throughout human history and cultures, drying meat was, and still is, a common method of preserving it. By drying sliced meat in the sun and wind, next to a smokey fire, insects were prevented from laying their eggs in the raw meat.

Modern beef jerky is essentially beef that has been cut into strips with the fat trimmed off, then marinated, and dried with low heat, usually under 160°F (70°C). The result is a strip of rather salty or semi-sweet beef snack that can be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration, similar to pemmican and biltong. Traditional beef jerky, made from sliced meat, is readily available in the USA in specialty stores and websites.

Recently, turkey, ostrich, and other meats have been employed. Whatever the meat, most of the fat must be trimmed off because it does not dry and can cause the whole concoction to become rancid. Typically, jerky has less then 3 per cent fat content. Modern vacuum packing and chemical preservatives can alleviate this concern somewhat.