Carne seca by meaning is dehydrated beef in Spanish and Portuguese, but the preparation methods and marinating recipes are very different from that of what is normally known in the United States as Beef Jerky.
The most common preparation method of carne seca comes from northern Mexico, particularly from the states of Chihuahua and Sonora.

Carne seca is referred as machaca when the dish is prepared by cooking carne seca with tomatoes, onions, chile verde, and eggs. Sometimes potatoes are included or used in lieu of eggs.