Jerky is a product of drying raw Meat on the Drying Rack for two game days. Jerky has a low rate of spoilage of 20 days, and restores 25 Hunger, 20 Health, and 15 Sanity. Jerky provides the same amount of Hunger, but more Health and Sanity than its raw or cooked counterparts. Jerky can also be used in a Crock Pot as normal Meat. See general meat uses. Unharvested Jerky will not start to spoil as long it's left on the Drying Rack, making it possible to keep it fresh for an indefinite amount of time.
Due to the fact that Jerky restores Health, Hunger and Sanity at the same time, this item can be useful for recovering from Woodie's Werebeaver transformation. The same effect can be achieved with Small Jerky, albeit, with weaker restorative properties than normal Jerky.
Reign of Giants
In the Reign of Giants DLC, Jerky will begin to spoil immediately upon creation on a Drying Rack, regardless of whether it is harvested or not.