Why is one of the nicest men in Baltimore wearing a hat that says “Head Jerk”?

Because Adam Kaufman is the man behind a brand called Jewish Jerky, which has been selling its four flavors of the dried, spicy snacks ever since 5781 — that’s 2021 on the secular calendar. And because Kaufman, a Los Angeles native and recent Baltimore transplant, spent most of his career in marketing, he knows how to lean into a theme.

“Your first thought is, ‘Jewish jerky, that’s a joke. Jews don’t make jerky,’” Kaufman said, noting that most people associate Jewish cuisine with the comfort of their grandmothers’ kitchens — kugel, bagels, matzo balls. “But then you think, ‘What if Jews did make jerky?’ Maybe it would represent where the diaspora ended up. You can look at it as an adventure of culinary tastes — jerky through Jews.”

Kaufman, 63, started with the basic Jewish flavors. There is Tzimmes Style, which takes its flavors from the stewed fruits and carrots popular on the High Holy Days, and Charoset Style, inspired by the cloves, dates, raisins, and almond mix that Sephardic Jewish families eat on Passover (Sephardim have Spanish and Mediterranean roots.) Both of those are vegetarian, a nod to Kaufman’s concern that American diets are too meat-heavy. He also offers Merguez Style, which he calls “Middle East Meets Midwest” and is certainly spicier than your corner store’s Slim Jims. Lastly, there is Pastrami Style, which tastes like a Katz’s Deli sandwich.

The jerky costs between $7 and $9 a bag at several of the city’s farmers markets, including those in Fells Point, the Baltimore Farmer’s Market beneath the JFX, and in Waverly. He sells about 100 bags a week. The beef comes from Roseda Black Angus Farm in Monkton; the charoset and tzimmes vegetarian varieties are based on recipes he developed over time. None of it is certified Kosher, but Kaufman said he’s working on that. Kaufman is also working on jerky pairings with Full Tilt Brewery and hopes to have other collaborations and to sell his protein-friendly treats online, but he is awaiting USDA certification before he can move forward.

To make the meat jerky, he slices and marinates the meat, then dehydrates it for 4 hours and 15 minutes, checking a timer on his iPhone to rotate it every 30 minutes. The vegetable mixtures follow a similar dehydration process.

Now graduated from making jerky in his Canton home, Kaufman makes it all at B-More Kitchen, an airy, shared commercial kitchen space in Govans where the music ranges from gospel to rap and the smell of chicken wings and fresh-baked cookies fill the air.

Kaufman never planned to move to Baltimore, nor did he plan to make jerky, Jewish or otherwise. He and his partner, Kate Meigneux, have three daughters. After the children all moved to New York City, their parents wanted to be closer to them, but not in their backyard. They found a house for rent in Canton and decided, why not Baltimore?

On the drive cross-country, Kaufman said, he kept seeing signs for jerky. That made sense driving through meat-loving Texas, but it was the “fresh jerky” that puzzled him. Wasn’t jerky the opposite of fresh?

Then, he saw a sign for brisket jerky. Jewish Jerky, he told himself. And wouldn’t it be fun to be the “Jewish Jerk”? A few hours and $9.95 later, he became the owner of www.jewishjerkybrand.com.

Who knew Baltimore had one of the largest Jewish populations in the U.S., at nearly 100,000? Or that the city was friendly to a maker culture and myriad markets selling everything from jewelry to soap? Kaufman didn’t. He just got lucky, he said.

In another lucky stroke, one of Baltimore’s most beloved jerky purveyors, “Dundalk Dan,” was getting out of the business and he shared some recipes with Kaufman. Jerky, Dundalk Dan said, is not that hard to make. Slice, marinate, dehydrate, sell. The hard work is in the marketing, and Kaufman already knew how to do that. So, maybe it was all besheret — Yiddish for “meant to be.”

Just as there are Jews everywhere in the world, so will there be jerky representing many different cultures. Next up for Kaufman is Kilishi, a Nigerian-style jerky made from goat, cow or lamb meat and seasoned with peanuts and cloves. It is a dried form of the popular Nigerian street food Suya, and Kaufman was inspired to make it after his neighbor at B-More Kitchen, Temi Ogunjemilusi, whipped up a batch of the marinade and shared it around.

Kaufman knew Jewish people had settled in Ethiopia, so he wondered if Jewish communities existed in Nigeria. They do; Nigeria has about 80 synagogues and thousands of Jewish residents, nearly all of them members of the Igbo ethnic group.

Ogunjemilusi, who goes by Temi Jemi, offered to work on the marinade for a Kilishi Jewish Jerky to honor the Igbo Jews.

“I’m a fusion kind of person anyway, so when it came to the cooperation with Adam, it just made sense,” said Ogunjemilusi, 25, a recent Morgan State graduate with an engineering degree who runs his own business, Fit Prep Meals. He said the Kilishi marinade, months in progress, is almost ready. “We’re really close.”

There is a smorgasbord of other flavors to try. And he’ll give another go to the gefilte fish jerky. It didn’t work the first time.

Most cultures dry and ferment food, especially people who are on the move from persecution. Kaufman jokes that, just as Jews made matzo on their journey through the desert, so too did they make jerky for sustenance. And while humor may be a bedrock of his people, Kaufman is serious about making connections through food.

“I hope people ask me, ‘How is that related to Judaism?’ And then people can pull on that and learn that story.”

Rona Kobell is a freelance writer.

Read more:

• The paradox of Francis Scott Key: Was he for or against freeing enslaved Black citizens?
• EatMoreBeMore’s 11 bites that you just can’t miss at the Maryland State Fair
• ‘Lunch is served’: The best Latin meals in Baltimore may be the ones served before restaurants open their doors for dinner