"Jerky" in the Epstein Emails: A Research Report

Analysis of 300 messages across 252 threads in the jmail.world email archive

1. Executive Summary

The word "jerky" appears in 300 messages across 252 distinct threads in the Epstein email archive, spanning May 2012 to April 2019. The overwhelming majority of these messages concern the sourcing, preparation, shipping, and quality control of homemade beef jerky for Jeffrey Epstein's personal consumption.

The evidence reveals a remarkably detailed supply chain: a private chef (Francis Derby) was hired in May 2012 and immediately began producing artisanal beef jerky from scratch using a dehydrator, specific cuts of steak, and a custom Asian-inflected marinade. When Derby departed in late 2012, his replacement staff were trained via a formal "jerky class." A parallel supply line ran through restaurateur Steve Hanson (B.R. Guest Hospitality), who also made and shipped jerky to Epstein's properties. The logistics of keeping Epstein supplied with jerky across his residences in New York (9 E 71st St), New Mexico (Zorro Ranch), Palm Beach, Paris, and Little St. James island consumed significant staff time and generated substantial email traffic.

Epstein consumed jerky as a core part of a high-protein diet. He ate it for breakfast, as a travel snack, and demanded it be stocked at every property. He became visibly angry when the supply ran out or the recipe was altered. The jerky was sent to a lab for professional nutritional analysis. Staff used a dehydrator that consumed 25-30 pounds of raw beef to produce four large Ziploc bags of finished product.

One message uses "jerky" in a non-food context ("politically snarky and jerky"), and one message is a marketing email from Fab.com advertising KRAVE Jerky. Every other instance refers to literal beef jerky.

2. Frequency Analysis

Overview

Note on duplicates: Many threads in the archive contain duplicate OCR variants of the same email (multiple EFTA document scans of identical correspondence). The raw count of 300 messages overstates the number of unique communications. The actual number of unique email exchanges is estimated at 150-180.

Monthly Distribution

The data shows a clear intensity peak in 2012 (the year Derby was employed as private chef), a secondary peak in late 2012/early 2013 (transition period after Derby left), and then a long tail of declining frequency through 2019 as the jerky infrastructure became routine and required less coordination.

3. Persons Involved

Sender Breakdown

* Epstein sent from both jeevacation@gmail.com (33 messages attributed to "Jeffrey Epstein") and an additional 17 messages attributed to the email address alone. Combined total ~55.

** The archive contains many messages with blank, redacted (█████████), or generic sender names due to OCR processing of scanned documents.

Key Figures

Francis Derby — Professional chef hired in May 2012. His introductory email to "Sarah" outlines his plans to produce artisanal jerky: "JE is interested in beef and turkey jerkys — I know one company out of Brooklyn that does a great grass-fed product, its like high end jerky, great stuff. I plan on having that here when he arrives as well as some I will be making. Again we can purchase it, but to make our own is much nicer because we can make it taste however he would like. Smokey or sweet or even have some Asian notes to it..." He ordered a dehydrator, developed the recipe, and made jerky daily at the NM ranch. He left Epstein's employment around November 2012 but returned to give a paid "jerky class" to train replacement staff.

Steve Hanson — President of B.R. Guest Hospitality, a multi-concept restaurant group. Served as a secondary jerky supplier, making batches and shipping them to Epstein's properties. Arranged for Epstein's jerky to be tested at a nutritional lab. In one memorable email, reported that his dog ate the jerky sample intended for lab testing: "Old saying, dog ate my homework well my dog ate the beef jerky."

Karyna Shuliak — Coordinated food logistics across Epstein's properties. Authored the comprehensive LSJ refrigerator inventory that included "Beef jerky" as a permanent item. Managed the "food bag" system for travel.

Jennie Enterprise — Founder of CORE, a New York social/business club. Close social contact of Epstein. Her emails are effusive and casual: "MISS U !!! U still eating beef Jerky for breakfast lunch and dinner :-)" She sent jerky as gifts (Thanksgiving 2013: "Beef Jerky delicious !!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU !!!" — though context suggests Epstein may have gifted it to her).

4. Communication Patterns

The Jerky Supply Chain

PRODUCTION
  Francis Derby (chef, May-Nov 2012)
    → Made jerky daily at NM ranch using dehydrator
    → 25-30 lbs raw beef → 4 large Ziploc bags
    → Developed custom recipe (tamari/ginger/lemongrass)
    → After departure: returned for paid "jerky class"

  Steve Hanson (restaurateur, ongoing)
    → Secondary producer via B.R. Guest Hospitality
    → Shipped batches to Epstein properties
    → Arranged nutritional lab testing

  Replacement staff (post-Nov 2012)
    → Trained by Derby and Karyna
    → Continued production using Derby's recipe

LOGISTICS
  Karyna Shuliak → food bags, shopping lists, LSJ inventory
  Lesley Groff → forwarded lab results, coordinated shipping
  Rachael Bova → Steve Hanson's assistant, handled shipping/customs
  Brice Gordon → island shopping lists
  "Lynn" → house staff at 71st St, daily muffins and food prep

DISTRIBUTION POINTS
  9 East 71st Street, New York (primary residence)
  Zorro Ranch, New Mexico
  Little St. James Island, USVI
  Palm Beach, Florida
  Paris, France
  Travel "food bags" (private plane)

Who-to-Whom Patterns

The communication flow reveals a hub-and-spoke model centered on Epstein:

• Epstein → Derby: Direct demands about quality, critiques ("you NOTICED it, and did nothing to fix it???"), recipe questions ("did you leave out the ginger and the lemon grass or just one of those")
• Epstein → Karyna/Staff: Instructions to keep supply stocked, complaints when it runs out
• Derby → Sarah K / Karyna: Progress reports, logistics, departure negotiations
• Karyna → Island Staff (Anna, maids): Detailed inventory instructions, freshness standards
• Hanson/Bova → Groff: Lab results, shipping coordination
• Karyna → all staff: Food bag checklists before travel

5. Contextual Analysis

5.1 Chef Francis Derby's Meal Prep and Jerky Production (May–Nov 2012)

Derby was hired as Epstein's private chef in May 2012. His first emails show a professional, enthusiastic approach. He ordered kitchen equipment including a "dehydrator for dried fruits and house-made jerkys" and sourced a Brooklyn grass-fed jerky company as a comparison product.

By August 2012, Derby was making jerky "almost everyday" at the New Mexico ranch. He estimated using 25-30 pounds of raw beef to produce four large Ziploc bags. He also explored exotic meats: "I found elk at one place. They would have to order it and will take 3 days. Its very expensive. 39 dollars a pound and we will have to buy a minimum of 12-14 pounds... 480$ for a meat I'm almost sure will be very similar to the bison. Very lean and flavorless when dried."

Derby's relationship with Epstein deteriorated over several incidents (food not being ready, miscommunications about scheduling). By October 2012, Derby was exasperated: "This is just bananas. I did everything that was asked of me and somehow I'm in trouble for it..." A staff member's list of duties included "Letting [him] in and out the house at all hours to make jerky."

5.2 The Recipe

Derby's recipe, preserved in the archive, is for 2 lbs of jerky:

• 1/3 organic tamari soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 2 tablespoons ginger
• 2 tablespoons fresh-cut lemongrass

This Asian-inflected marinade was applied to steak and dehydrated. The recipe evolved over time — Epstein demanded more ginger and lemongrass for spiciness, and different dehydrators at different properties produced different results. A heated exchange in April 2013 shows Epstein furious that the recipe had been altered: "you NOTICED it, and did nothing to fix it???"

5.3 Steve Hanson (Restaurateur) Making and Shipping Jerky

Steve Hanson, president of B.R. Guest Hospitality (the restaurant group behind venues like Dos Caminos, Bill's Bar & Burger, and others), served as a parallel jerky supplier. He made batches at his restaurants and shipped them to Epstein's properties.

In one email, Hanson reported: "Old saying, dog ate my homework well my dog ate the beef jerky. I was looking for the beef jerky as I knew it was in my suitcase and then thought maybe I left it at the beach only to find the small plastic bag near my dogs bed, hence no beef jerky."

Hanson also arranged for professional nutritional testing of the jerky through his executive assistant Rachael Bova, who forwarded lab results (a "COA_DEFAULT_EMAIL.pdf" attachment — Certificate of Analysis) to Lesley Groff.

5.4 Karyna Shuliak Coordinating Logistics

Karyna authored the most detailed food management emails in the archive. Her comprehensive LSJ refrigerator inventory listed "Beef jerky" as a permanent item alongside yogurt, muffins, butter spray, and berries. She established strict standards: "Mr. Epstein has been very disappointed with the condition of the refrigerator on LSJ. He finds it being disrespectful to him if we keep it in such way."

She also coordinated the "food bag" system — insulated bags packed for private plane travel with a standard checklist:

Muffins, Butter Spray, Ginger drink, Pink Sweetener, Mint, Shaker, Ground Coffee, Small French Press, Sweet and Low, Half and Half, Jerky, Steak, Red grapes, M and Ms

5.5 Travel Food Bags

Jerky was a mandatory item in travel food bags for trips on Epstein's private plane. Staff were instructed: "Also, you should take the food bag with you in Chicago unless JE says otherwise. I'm guessing he will want his muffin, jerky and ginger drink."

Destinations mentioned in connection with jerky travel packs include Little St. James, Paris, New Mexico, and Palm Beach.

5.6 Lab Nutritional Testing

Epstein had his homemade jerky professionally analyzed. Rachael Bova (Steve Hanson's assistant at B.R. Guest Hospitality) forwarded the lab results: "Jeff had asked to have a sample of his beef jerky tested for nutritional value. Attached are the results I just received." The attachment was titled "COA_DEFAULT_EMAIL.pdf" — a Certificate of Analysis, the standard format for food lab testing.

5.7 Recipe Sharing and "Jerky Class" Training

When Francis Derby left Epstein's employment around November 2012, the jerky recipe and technique needed to be transferred. In May 2013, a staff member reported: "Francis has time to come tomorrow to show me how to make it!!! Jerky class anyone? He will also bring you a taste of his new jerky recipe from the restaurant. And sends a warm hello. He is working at a restaurant called Cannibal and cooks... wait for it... Beef Jerky and Steak!"

Derby himself wrote: "I will come to teach a jerky class and we can also cover chocolate cream pie if you can agree to pay me through this pay period." This was a paid training session — Derby negotiated receiving his final paycheck in exchange for the knowledge transfer.

5.8 Epstein's Anger When Supply Runs Out

Multiple emails document Epstein's sharp reactions when jerky was unavailable or substandard:

• "you NOTICED it, and did nothing to fix it???" — After staff acknowledged the jerky tasted different but didn't adjust the recipe.
• "you are responsible for the food, and its availability" — Berating Derby when muffins and jerky weren't ready.
• "no muffins, either... this is very wrong" — Escalating complaint about missing food items.
• "you making decision based on seeing a schedule is not acceptable" — Furious that Derby assumed he wouldn't need food based on a calendar entry.
• "do you mean you prepared only 3 oz per day?" — Questioning the quantity of jerky allotted.

A December 2012 email from staff reads: "Rachel, the people on the island are telling me Jeffrey didn't like the last batch of jerky that Steve sent to him. Not sure if its too late to stop the shipment!"

5.9 Gifts from Outsiders

Linda Stone: An associate sent jerky as a gift. Staff email: "Linda Stone has sent JE an assortment of jerky. Should arrive Friday maybe Sat. Please be on the lookout and let me know when it arrives."

Jennie Enterprise (CORE): Sent jerky as a gift, possibly reciprocated. Her Thanksgiving 2013 email: "Beef Jerky delicious !!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU !!! LOVE U ... HAPPY THANKSGIVING" — suggesting Epstein had sent her jerky along with a Microsoft Surface tablet.

Another staff member noted: "[She] wants you to know she is available! She also says she would be very happy to make you some beef jerky if you like :)"

5.10 Reid Hoffman Connection

No email in the archive explicitly mentions Reid Hoffman in direct connection with jerky. This claim from the research plan could not be verified in the database.

5.11 Non-Food Use: "Politically Snarky and Jerky"

One message uses "jerky" as an adjective rather than a noun. An unnamed correspondent (discussing a potential CNN-style health/development show) wrote:

"I wouldn't be politically snarky and jerky. I would be smart and kind of critical but funny and hands on, even personal."

This is entirely unrelated to food. It is the only non-food usage of "jerky" in the archive.

5.12 Marketing Email: KRAVE Jerky (Fab.com)

One message is a Fab.com promotional email sent to jeeproject@yahoo.com (an Epstein email address) advertising "KRAVE Jerky — All Beef And No Bull" as part of a "Foodie Sunday" sale. This is a commercial marketing email with no personal content.

5.13 Final Mention: April 2019

The last jerky reference in the archive is from April 27, 2019 — approximately three months before Epstein's arrest on July 6, 2019. Epstein wrote:

"ill arrive tues for two weeks. on health kick so no sweets. or anything food wise other then protein. thax. beef jerky, shrimp. steak .. should bring down from ny."

The response: "ok. Ann R."

Seven years after Francis Derby first fired up the dehydrator, beef jerky remained a staple of Epstein's diet and travel routine.

6. Code Word Analysis

Evidence Against "Jerky" Being a Code Word

The following evidence strongly supports "jerky" being used literally throughout the archive:

1. Complete production chain documented: Raw materials (steak, elk at $39/lb), equipment (dehydrator, ordered in May 2012), process (daily production at ranch), storage (freezer at 71st St, Ziploc bags), and distribution (food bags, UPS/FedEx shipping) are all described in granular detail across dozens of emails.

2. Specific recipe recorded: 1/3 organic tamari soy sauce, 3 tbsp sweet soy kecap manis, 2 tbsp ginger, 2 tbs fresh lemongrass. This recipe was debated, adjusted, and taught in a paid training session. Code words do not typically have recipes.

3. Physical quantities are consistent: 25-30 lbs of raw beef producing 4 large Ziploc bags aligns with real-world jerky yields (beef loses ~60-70% of its weight during dehydration). An 8:1 reduction ratio is standard.

4. Professional chef involvement: Francis Derby was a trained chef (previously at establishments using "French Laundry style" aprons) who discussed jerky alongside other professional culinary work — granola, sorbets, stocks, veal sourcing, Australian winter truffles. Jerky was one item in a full professional kitchen operation.

5. Nutritional lab testing: The jerky was sent to a lab for a Certificate of Analysis. This is a real food-science process; the results were forwarded through Steve Hanson's corporate office at B.R. Guest Hospitality.

6. Quality complaints are food-specific: Epstein complained about missing ginger and lemongrass, different results from different dehydrators, and fat content of the steak cuts. These are specific culinary concerns, not complaints one would make about a coded substance.

7. Third-party corroboration: People outside Epstein's inner circle (Linda Stone, Jennie Enterprise, Fab.com marketing) reference jerky in ways that assume it is food. Jennie Enterprise's "U still eating beef Jerky for breakfast lunch and dinner :-)" treats it as a quirky dietary habit, not something requiring discretion.

8. Staff member's duty list: One employee listed "Letting [him] in and out the house at all hours to make jerky" as a routine burden alongside mundane tasks like sourcing furniture and setting up WiFi. This is a complaint about inconvenience, not a description of something illicit.

9. Continuity over 7 years: The jerky references span from May 2012 to April 2019 with consistent context. The 2019 email places jerky alongside shrimp and steak in a protein diet — the same framing as 2012.

10. One non-food use confirms baseline meaning: The "politically snarky and jerky" usage demonstrates that correspondents understood "jerky" to have its standard English meanings (the food; the adjective). There is no instance where context suggests a hidden meaning.

Evidence That Could Support a Code Word Theory

1. Volume of communication: 300 messages about jerky is unusually high for any single food item, even for a wealthy person with a private chef. However, this is largely explained by (a) the operational complexity of supplying multiple properties, (b) OCR duplication in the archive, and (c) Epstein's demanding personality generating complaint chains.

2. Epstein's disproportionate emotional investment: His anger when jerky was unavailable or imperfect — "you NOTICED it, and did nothing to fix it???" — is intense even for a demanding employer. However, the archive shows similar intensity about muffins, steak preparation, and other food items. This appears to be Epstein's baseline management style.

3. Redacted names and addresses: Many messages in jerky threads have redacted senders or recipients. However, redaction patterns across the archive are not specific to jerky-related communications — they reflect broader FOIA processing.

4. "At all hours" production: The staff complaint about being let into the house "at all hours to make jerky" could suggest unusual activity. However, dehydration is genuinely a time-intensive process (8-12 hours per batch), and a chef working around a demanding employer's schedule would indeed work irregular hours.

7. Conclusion

Based on the totality of evidence — 300 messages, a documented recipe, professional equipment purchases, nutritional lab testing, a formal training session, consistent culinary context over seven years, and corroboration from third parties — the word "jerky" in the Epstein email archive refers to beef jerky, the dried meat snack.

The emails paint a portrait of a wealthy, controlling man who adopted homemade beef jerky as a dietary staple in mid-2012 and maintained that habit through at least April 2019. He demanded a specific recipe, berated staff when the supply faltered, and built a logistics operation to keep himself supplied across five properties and in transit on private aircraft.

The sheer volume of jerky-related correspondence is notable, but it reflects the operational overhead of serving a demanding principal across multiple locations — not the use of a code word. Every hallmark of coded language is absent: there is no inconsistency in usage, no contextual incongruity, no moment where "jerky" fails to make sense as literal food. The supply chain is documented from raw steak to finished product to lab analysis, with no gaps that would suggest the word masks something else.

The reader is invited to review the source emails and draw their own conclusions.

Report generated from the jmail.world email archive (jmail.db). All quoted text is from OCR-processed scans of original correspondence and may contain minor transcription artifacts. Message counts reflect database entries including OCR duplicate variants.