Preserving meat comes down to, temperature control, salting, drying, pickling, adding chemical preservatives or spices, and isolating the meat from microbes after killing any present with heat or radiation, canning.

Smoking is popular also but it isn't really a preservation method so much as a way to keep the insects away and add flavor while drying.

All of them work. Often used in combination. Drying, salting, adding spices and smoking are a popular combination.

Just a matter of selecting one that you can fit into your situation. Available supplies, time allowance, taste preference, knowledge base and local talent usually narrow the choice.

Drying is probably the most universal method and one of the first step in many traditional methods. All you need to start are a way to slice the meat thin, some way to hang it or hold it in a manner that allows the air to get to it and air that is dry, or can be made dry, to carry off the moisture. If you use a fire to move and dry the air to speed the process it is easy to make smoke to keep the insects at bay and, with the use of the right material, flavor.

I used to make my own jerky using flank steak, marinating for flavor and then drying in an oven with the door propped open. A low fire would work also and would have allowed me to add more flavor. This jerky was far cheaper and better than the commercial variety.

When I was camping jerky, gorp and water was what we ran on. It can also be crumbled into rice, soup or pilaf as it cooks.