Vegetarians excepted, nearly everyone loves the taste of a good piece of jerky. But with heart and vascular disease on the rise, many of us look for other types of snacks to satisfy those middle-of-the-day cravings. Ever thought about buffalo jerky?

Buffalo jerky contains more protein and less fat and cholesterol than beef, and it also has a whole passel of vitamins and minerals your body appreciates, too. Niacin, Vitamin B12, zinc, and selenium all make buffalo jerky – and all buffalo meats – nutritiously sound food.

And though you may think protein is protein is protein, some protein contains more or less essential amino acids than other protein. Here’s the amino acids provided in buffalo jerky: tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine+cystine, phenylalinine+tyrosine, valine, and last but not least – histidine.

And here are a few fatty facts about buffalo meat versus beef: A 100-gram (3.5 ounces) serving of buffalo meat contains 2.42 fat grams, while the same amount of beef contains 9.28 grams of fat. So, let’s see … buffalo jerky or beef jerky? The choice should be obvious.

Scores of online purveyors sell buffalo jerky online. You may also find it in some specialty shops. When buying it anywhere, look for the all-natural kind with no preservatives, fake flavorings, or other weird additions that can affect the taste and/or texture of buffalo jerky.

Of course, for the purist, there’s no buffalo jerky better than that made at home. So here’s a recipe for those who like their buffalo jerky made from their own kitchen so they’ll know EXACTLY what their getting and not getting in their jerky:

Homemade Buffalo Jerky

Marinate 3 lbs. buffalo meat overnight in:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons finely minced garlic or 1 tablespoon powdered garlic

Dry off meat with paper towels and cut into strips approximately 1/4-inch thick, 3/4-inch wide, and 6 inches long for buffalo jerky. Hang from clean, oiled oven racks and dry at lowest setting for eight to 12 hours. Be sure and keep oven door cracked about one inch to help moisture evaporate.