Beef, cured, dried

Dried cured beef is sliced paper-thin and sold in small jars or vacuum packs, the same style used for old-fashioned creamed chipped beef on toast. The slices are simmered briefly in a milk-based white sauce until they soften and season the gravy, then spooned over toast or biscuits for a savory breakfast. Outside of that classic dish, the thin slices work rolled around a smear of cream cheese as a simple appetizer, torn into salads for a salty, chewy contrast, or folded into scrambled eggs and omelets in place of ham or bacon.

Because it is a salt-cured product, it is sold shelf-stable but should be refrigerated once opened and used within the window on the label. Its defining trait is a concentrated protein content, about 31.1 grams per 100 grams, roughly 62% of the Daily Value, alongside 13% of the Daily Value for iron, which makes it a way to add a meaningful amount of protein to a dish in a small quantity, while fat stays low at under 2 grams per 100 grams. The tradeoff is sodium, at 2,790 milligrams per 100 grams, so it is worth rinsing slices briefly or pairing them with unsalted starches like plain toast or rice to balance the saltiness.