EXTRUDED MEAT JERKY PRODUCT

Lengthwise coextensively aligning jerky which has fiberous portions aligned generally parallel to the length of the jerky is prepared by extruding an alignable meat dough through an appropriately-sized loaf horn and/or a directional flow bar extruder under conditions such that fibers in the dough are in general coextensively aligned, preparing the fiber-aligning dough into cuttable jerky, for example, by freezing, and cutting the jerky first generally perpendicular to the axis of flow then generally parallel to the axis of flow. Drying can be carried out for example in an oven. The resulting lengthwise coextensively aligning jerky typically has a generally rugged, natural-like appearance and feel. The procedure can be highly efficient especially with employment of a directional flow bar extruder of, say, twenty or more inches in width.