Jerked beef is a product made from salted beef and is widely consumed in Brazil. The desalting operation is a necessary step for preparing dishes based on this ingredient. Despite its nutritional contribution, excessive sodium intake has been implicated in conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, international bodies have set targets for a reduction in the sodium consumed in the diet. Currently, there is not a Brazilian regulation about the desalting procedure of salted beef. The objective was to compare three desalting methods of jerked beef: at room temperature (DRT); refrigerated (DRF) and boiling after desalting at room temperature (DTB) at zero, 12 and 24 hours after desalting. Proximate composition, NaCl content and water activity (aw) were evaluated in quadruplicate, with three repetitions (n=108). After 24h, DTB method showed (p <0.05) higher protein content (26.75 ± 1.90 g/100g) and lower moisture (58.99 ± 2.10 g/100 g), ash (2.64 ± 0.53 g/100g) and NaCl (1.90 ± 0.17 g/100g) contents. The highest salt reduction was observed for this treatment (73.0% and 89.1%, for 12 and 24 hours after desalting, respectively). No significant differences were observed in lipids content and aw. Therefore, desalting at room temperature for 24 hours followed by boiling (DTB) could be the method of choice for nutritional purposes, since it showed a better nutritional profile.