One of the most ancient food preparation techniques is drying. It may have been the very first thing man learned to do to his food other than eat it. With a little help from nutritional anthropologist Deb Duchon Alton explores the probable history of dried meat. Then he explains what cuts of meat yield quality jerky and how to get from a juicy cut of meat to a chewy strip of dried meat without inviting bacteria to the party or inadvertently cooking the meat. His marinade recipe includes liquid smoke, available in stores – or cooks may follow Alton’s directions for making their own. A side trip to see W discusses various gadgets marketed to help the home cook dry meat. Alton turns a flank steak into Beef Jerky and also shares a Jerky Tomato Sauce recipe.