Should You Be Worried About White Spots On Your Beef Jerky?

If you are not the kind of person who experiences "food icks," then you probably won't understand what it means to be hyper-aware of foods. Although, even as a regular food-consuming human, we can all sense when something about our food seems a little, well, off. Like when you find a vein in your chicken, a green potato chip in the bag, or a mysterious white spot on your beef jerky. But should you be worried after noticing a few white marks on your beef jerky? It depends.

While the cooked chicken veins and green potato chips won't necessarily harm you, that white spot on beef jerky might — or it might not. The white spots could be mold, which is typically inedible and could cause harm to your health. Of course, all that alarm could be for nothing. If the white spots are salt or fat deposits, then you don't have anything to worry about. The best way to handle the situation is to evaluate your options rationally and use your senses to determine if those white spots are salt, fat, or mold. To ensure the process is perfect from start to finish, you could always try using our recipe for homemade beef jerky.

There are some pretty obvious tell-tale signs that your beef jerky has gone bad, and mold is certainly one of them. If your beef jerky was improperly packaged or left in an environment with too much moisture, it is very likely that spores developed into white mold spots, which you absolutely shouldn't eat. You will know that these white spots are actually mold because they will be fuzzy, with an almost spiderweb-like texture to them. They may also emit a strange smell. This is not like the mold found on blue cheeses; instead, it should be thrown away the moment you're sure what it is. Don't try to remove the mold or consume any part of the jerky, as the spores can burrow into the meat and ruin the whole thing.

However, don't be so quick to assume the white spots on your beef jerky are mold. It's just as likely that the spots are either fat or salt deposits. Fat deposits occur because beef jerky is natural, meaning that although it's usually made with lean meat, there are still instances where pockets of fat and oils make it into the production line. To determine if the white spot is a fat deposit, rub your finger over the mark to see if it smudges. If the white spots on the jerky are powdery, it could also be excess salt deposits. Use this simple rinsing tip to fix jerky that's too salty and go about your day with a less salty, less suspicious slab of beef jerky.