I got into beekeeping last year (after putting it off for 20 years) and part of my final impetus was that nearing 50 means my physical capability will eventually restrict the amount of hobbies I can meaningfully engage in since I'm not getting any younger. (unsurprisingly 🤦♂️)
As a result, I've started thinking more intentionally about developing hobbies that I can continue well into old age. Beekeeping has been a great addition because it gets me outdoors, gives me something to learn, and provides a tangible reward at the end. But what about making beef jerky? Is it similar to beekeeping in that it yields a tangible reward but only incidentally and not guaranteed to be pleasing/edible until you've mastered the flavor and safety techniques?
Part of me sees it as a hobby because there seems to be a lot to learn: selecting cuts of meat, experimenting with marinades and seasonings, mastering dehydration techniques, food safety, and constantly refining recipes. I can imagine spending years (possibly decades) trying different approaches and enjoying the process. I saw an old youtube account of mine recently that had a 15 year old video of me making Cuban sandwiches, which I've been honing/improving over the last 18 years and have never lost the obsession!
If beef jerky making is a hobby then I plan to pursue it. If it's more akin to a culinary skill, then I plan to go on a deep dive to the back bottom corners of my closet to find my rock wool cubes and plant 20 hydroponic tomato seeds before the end of this weekend. (I have a ton of hydroponic equipment but it's all been sitting in my closet unopened for the better part of 8-10 years)
3 Jun 2026 22:24
My take is a hobby is what you enjoy doing in your down time. Even if you made the exact same recipe the exact same way every week, so long as it's the thing you choose to do to relax, I'd call it a hobby.
3 Jun 2026 22:36
Why do you need other people to decide that for you? It is both culinary skill and hobby. Life does not fit in categories described by single words.
3 Jun 2026 22:40
nearing 50 means my physical capability will eventually restrict the amount of hobbies I can meaningfully engage in
That's largely due to lack of mobility training. I would highly suggest making that one of your hobbies.
...
Drying meats is a hobby sure. I wouldn't consider it a culinary skill.
I love growing hydro. I would definitely suggest doing that regardless if you decide to learn to dry jerky.
3 Jun 2026 22:42
Why don't you consider culinary skills as hobbies?
I think learning how to make jerky is a perfectly fine example of a hobby one can take up. My father once went on a journey to make the best salmon jerky he could. He spent years trying out different smokers, different cuts of fish, different times, different wood chips, etc. I definitely consider that hobby activity!
3 Jun 2026 22:43
Taking a step back, I don't understand why it matters. Hobbies and skill-sets regularly cross over. If you're finding personal enrichment learning how, I don't think it really matters.
If the answer is that you're just curious how to classify it, then I'd say it's a culinary skill, which is also a hobby.
3 Jun 2026 22:43
Barbecuing counts as a hobby, as does cooking in general. I think that if you are doing it in a utilitarian fashion - like, in an assembly like exactly the same way each time for the purpose of saving money on beef jeeky - then I think it is just, like, a chore. But if you are doing it for the sake of experimentation or creativity, etc, then it's a hobby.
3 Jun 2026 22:43
Another user already made the point about enjoyment, but allow me to add another one: Every activity can be turned into a hobby if it is pursued with intent and intensity: You can flip burgers and the you can triple-flip burgers, salting them in midair and send them flying into a bun you juggled in your other hand.
Jokes aside, if you enjoy making beef jerky and spend your time perfectioning this particular skill, it is certainly
your hobby.
3 Jun 2026 22:45
Definitely counts as a hobby. It just happens to be a hobby that requires and develops cooking skills.
3 Jun 2026 22:58
Ngl, and I don't think you are a bot, but this _feels_ like one of those astroturfed askreddit questions that come from bots.
Like who cares other than you as to what you feel like you should do with your weekend be it make jerky or plant tomatoes?
3 Jun 2026 23:01
Cooking can be a hobby. This is just a subset of it.
3 Jun 2026 23:02
You want a hobby that you can take into old age that promotes self sufficiency, raise chickens and ducks. Eggs that taste fuckin amazing compared to store bought. Can set up to support yourself and scale to supply eggs for a whole community without moch added effort. Theyre fun little idiots when it comes to pet quality. Then eat them when youre done with them.
3 Jun 2026 23:03
Sounds to me like you are about to start two hobbies.
3 Jun 2026 23:13
Any skill can be a hobby if you're acquiring it just because instead of because you need it.
3 Jun 2026 23:18
Why do you need other people to decide that for you? It is both culinary skill and hobby. Life does not fit in categories described by single words.
Mainly FOMO (fear of missing out on a more "valid" hobby) but also to get others perspectives, including those I might disagree with because I'm often wrong in my initial judgment about stuff. I don't want to look back 20 years from now and realize I deluded myself into counting something as a hobby that isn't one, when the opportunity cost might be a better hobby that I've also been putting off getting started for the past 5-10 years (hydroponic gardening, wall/rock climbing, telescope star-watching, etc.)
3 Jun 2026 23:21
Lemmy
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