Chopped and formed beef jerky or natural?

Natural

Chopped and formed as in the disks they sell for a quarter?

Hit up a butcher for jerky. It can be cheaper than the dried up shit you get in bags at 7/11 and can be really tender. Like melt in the mouth tender.

Natural. The best comes from the meat lab at TAMU.

Natural. If the meat is prepared properly, it isn’t all that tough. The meat needs to be bias sliced and properly marinated and then dried correctly. And you can season it however you like. I have tried making jerky out of ground beef that was rolled out and formed, but it is too crumbly. If you are buying the pre-formed stuff at the store, you are adding all sorts of preservatives into your jerky eating.

Sorry, I’ve NEVER met a piece of beef jerky that I liked so neither!!!

Depends on the taste. Might matter if you’re going to use it in soup/stew.

Older folks usually like chopped, like you said, easier to chew. But as @seawulf575 says, it can get crumbly if you over dry it.

We usually just cut strips, marinate and use the dehydrator. Everyone loves it.

Getting a very lean cut also helps. Less connective tissue to make it tough. I like a nice London Broil as a starting point.

@seawulf575 Our deer jerky is the best! It’s so lean and tasty.