Meat-based food products and methods and systems for making such products are described herein. One embodiment is directed toward a method of making a meat-based food product that includes forming meat into a bulk form, heating the bulk form, and slicing the heated bulk form into a plurality of slices. The slices have first and second sides that may be spaced apart by a thickness of about 3.5 mm or less. The slices are dried in a first drying stage to produce partially dried slices that have first and second surfaces sufficiently dry to allow them to lay atop one another substantially without adhering to one another. The partially dried slices are further dried in a second drying stage by passing a drying medium through a mass of the partially dried slices. In this second drying stage, at least a substantial minority, and preferably a majority, of the partially dried slices at least partially overlie at least one other partially dried slice.