Monday, December 28, 2009

Mingua Beef Jerky - Hot

Mingua Beef JerkyNext up in the series on Mingua Beef Jerky is this Hot variety. See my previous review of their Mild Beef Jerky.

The company, based in Paris, KY, got started in 1993 when a tobacco farmed named Ronnie Mingua (pronounced Ming-Ghee), was watching a television informercial on the Ronco food dehydrator, and decided he had to get one. After trying out various recipes for a year, he settled on one and found himself selling jerky to folks all over the State of Kentucky.

Eventually he and his brother built a USDA approved facility and designed their own meat dehydrators, and expanded production. The Minguas shifted from tobacco farming to beef jerky manufacturing and are selling it to stores all across the eastern USA.

Mingua Beef Jerky is made without preservatives and no nitrites.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Crazy Ed's Roadkill Awesome Beef Jerky - Black Pepper

Crazy Ed's Roadkill Awesome Beef JerkyCrazy Ed's Roadkill Awesome Beef Jerky is a brand of MTL Enterprises, Inc. based out of Sunderland, VT.

I think this may be the first beef jerky brand I've come across with six or more words in the name. It's the creation of one Jeramie Westbay, who started making beef jerky nearly 20 years ago, but only recently started selling it commercially. His Crazy Ed's Roadkill brand first hit store shelves last September.

The name "Crazy Ed's" is in tribute to his late friend, Ed Colomb, a biker who taught Westbay how to make beef jerky. The Crazy Ed's Roadkill brand is smoked with real hickory wood over charcoal, and is made in Westbay's own USDA facility. He says it's cooked hotter and faster than most jerky, and claims this retains more of the taste of beef.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Spencer's Beef Jerky - Sweet & Spicy Orange

spencer's beef jerkyNext up in the series on Spencer's Beef Jerky is this Sweet & Spicy Orange variety of beef jerky. See my previous review of their Black Cobra Pepper.

Spencer's Beef Jerky is a brand of Spencer's Jerky, LLC based in Orlando, FL. The company started out in early 2009 with Spencer Freiman buying a dehydrator and making jerky for himself.

After his friends tried out his jerky, and offered to buy some from him, he decided try his luck selling it on eBay. Soon he was shipping jerky all over the world until eventually he was contacted by someone wanting to sell his jerky at local farmers market throughout Tampa. That caused Freiman to seek out a meat processor to make the jerky in larger quantities for him.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Harrington's of Vermont Beef Jerky - Maple

Harrington's of Vermont Beef JerkyNext up in the series on Harrington's of Vermont, is this Maple Beef Jerky variety. See my previous review of their Original Beef Jerky.

Harrington's of Vermont is a brand of Harrington's of Vermont, Inc., based out of Richmond, VT. The brand has been around since 1873, known mostly for its hams and smoked meats. They also offer cheeses, syrups, and desserts.

Their beef jerky appears to have been manufactured by Rosie's Vermont Beef Jerky. I've never had Rosie's, so I can't say if this actually tastes the same. I don't know if Harrington's is private labeled from Rosie's, or if Rosie's is making a unique recipe for Harrington's.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Mingua Beef Jerky - Mild

Mingua Beef JerkyMingua Beef Jerky is a beef jerky manufacturer based in Paris, KY.

The company got started in 1993 when Ronnie Mingua (pronounced Ming-Ghee), a tobacco farmer, bought a Ronco food dehydrator after watching one of those late-night infomercials. A year later and he found himself in business, selling jerky to folks all over the State of Kentucky.

Eventually he and his brother built a USDA approved facility and designed their own meat dehydrators, and expanded production. Now, the Minguas rely on beef jerky sales to keep the family going, and are selling it to stores all across the eastern USA.

Mingua Beef Jerky is made without preservatives and no nitrites.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Spencer's Jerky - Black Cobra Pepper

Spencer's JerkySpencer's Jerky is a brand of Spencer's Jerky, LLC based in Orlando, FL. The company started out in early 2009 with Spencer Freiman buying a dehydrator and making jerky for himself.

After his friends tried out his jerky, and offered to buy some from him, he decided try his luck selling it on eBay. Soon he was shipping jerky all over the world until eventually he was contacted by someone wanting to sell his jerky at local farmers market throughout Tampa. That caused Freiman to seek out a meat processor to make the jerky in larger quantities for him.

According to Freiman, the name "Black Cobra" comes from the sting you get after eating this jerky.

Ingredients

Beef, marinade sauce (soy sauce, water, dehydrated garlic, spice, modified corn starch, sunflower oil), soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, flavorings.

Taste

The first thing I taste when I put a piece into my mouth is a light saltiness, and a light a sweet. I also feel a slight burn building. I can taste a light bit of soy sauce, some garlic, and some spiciness. Overall, a moderate flavor intensity.

The chewing flavor starts with a stronger garlic, and a more defined teriyaki sauce flavor. The heat is a little bit more intense, and I can taste some black pepper. There's also a noticeable tanginess.

As for being a "Pepper" jerky it does give off a well-noticed peppery flavor, though the package doesn't specify black pepper, or red pepper, or chile pepper. Either way, I can taste a little bit of all. As for feeling the sting of a Black Cobra, I'm still waiting. It's not that hot, at least not based on my personal hot scale. I'd rate it a "medium". Folks with lesser tolerance for hot foods might find it hot.

And that's the flavor that seems to dominate this jerky over the others, that spiciness. I can feel the capsaicin from the chile pepper seasoning heating up my blood, but not enough to make me sweat or make my eyes water. And I can also taste a bit of the chile pepper flavor too. The black pepper is also noticeable. And mixed into that is a noticeable garlic flavor.

Supporting that is a saucy flavor, perhaps most recognizable as a teriyaki sauce flavor. But I can sense a light bit of worcestershire. There's a noticeable sweetness there too.

The saltiness seems moderate overall.

I can't taste any of the natural meat flavors.

Overall, it's a very tasty jerky that starts out light in flavor but increases when I start chewing. After several pieces, the burn builds up some more, but doesn't really get above a medium level.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced to a medium to thick thickness, and in small pieces.

Most of these pieces are dry, but with a semi-moist surface. But some pieces feel semi-moist inside. The thicker pieces are more stiff, and somewhat brittle in that they break apart with the grain easily enough. The smaller pieces are flexible and soft.

The chewing texture starts out feeling stiff and hard, but eventually softens up and becomes easily chewable. Once it's chewed down to a soft mass, it tends to take on a crumbly texture, with a bit of mushiness to it. It doesn't really have a steak-like chew to it.

The jerky appears to be very lean, I don't find any visible pieces of fat, no tendon and no gristle, and no stringy sinews.

For the most part it's clean eating. There's a slight bit of residue that I can feel on my fingertips, but it's dry enough that I can type on keyboard without getting the keys dirty.

beef jerky

beef jerky
Snack Value

Spencer's Jerky sells this Black Cobra Pepper variety from its website at a price of $3.50 for 1.75oz bag. Shipping is flat rate at $4.95 per order. So if you were to order four bags, it would work out to a price of $2.71 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.71 per ounce price, this jerky seems to provide a decent value. I do get a lot of snackability from its great overall flavor, though the chewing texture doesn't give me the steak-like chewing that I like. That price is well higher than the mass-market brands you'd find in the grocery stores, but I think the flavor alone is far better to make this worth trying.

As a "Black Cobra Pepper" variety of beef jerky, at the same $2.71 price per ounce, I think it's a decent value as well. I do taste a dominant peppery flavor, largely a combination of chile pepper and black pepper. And I also get some heat too, not anything that would make me writhe in agony like getting bit by a Black Cobra snake, but enough to make it quaint.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Black Cobra Pepper variety from Spencer's Jerky offers a complex flavor of chile pepper, black pepper, garlic, sweet teriyaki, and a bit of worcestershire, all of which are noticeable to a lesser or greater degree. It's actually quite good, enough to make me nod my head in approval. On top of that, it'll even throw some spicy heat at you.

In fact, I could entertain a discussion on giving this a Best rating. But what I look for in a Best rated jerky is the "wow factor", just some kind of quality that makes me open my eyes and think, "Oh my God who makes this stuff?" I'm almost at that point with this jerky.

Had the chewing texture been more steak-like, I would have given it that Best rating. As it is, the thicker pieces feel crumbly, and the smaller pieces feel mushy, and not much at all like a real piece of meat. But if a very tasty, highly snackable flavor is what you're looking for, I'd recommend this.

My recommended beer pairing for this, try a smoky porter.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Carson's Grandpa Beef Jerky - Western Style - Hot

Carson's Grandpa Beef JerkyCarson's Grandpa is a brand of Dias JR Distributing based out of Bakersfield, CA. Dias JR supplies convenience stores with meat snacks, candies, and vitamins, but it appears that beef jerky is their biggest product.

The company doesn't make their own jerky, rather it's private labeled through Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks of Tillamook, OR. Werner makes beef jerky for a wide variety of other brands, including distributors like Dias JR. Read my previous reviews of Werner Beef Jerky, as well as Branding Iron Beef Jerky, another brand they manufacture.

This "Western Style" appears to be the same style cut that Werner is known for. Carson's Grandpa also offers a slab style, which I did not purchase.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Archer Farms Beef Jerky - Traditional

archer farms beef jerkyArcher Farms is a brand name of Target Corporation, the chain of discount stores.

Target also sells beef jerky under another brand, "Market Pantry", which I reviewed earlier. Archer Farms seems to be the brand they use when they want to portray a "premium" or "upscale" look, while the Market Pantry brand has the more common, basic appearance.

However unlike the Market Pantry brand I reviewed, this Archer Farms beef jerky was manufactured by Monogram Meat Snacks. The Market Pantry brand was manufactured by Jack Link's.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nature's Snack Organic Beef Jerky - Peppered

nature's snack organic beef jerkyNature's Snack is a brand of Prime Snax, Inc. of Salt Lake City, UT.

Prime Snax owns several brands of beef jerky, Nature's Snack is their line of organic jerky. The company claims they use grass-fed cattle from Uruguay, and goes on to say that the taste of this organic beef is "outstanding" compared to other beef.

I've seen this brand of beef jerky in a handful of grocery stores and health food stores, and have eaten this before, but haven't yet reviewed it until now. It carries the USDA Organic seal.

Ingredients

Organic beef, water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic soy sauce, organic apple cider vinegar, sea salt, organic black pepper, celery juice powder, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, lactic acid starter culture.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a moderately sweet flavor. Several seconds of sucking later, I start to pick up a faint black pepper flavor, and then hints of that apple cider vinegar, a bit of saltiness, and traces of garlic.

The chewing flavor starts with a stronger black pepper flavor, followed by a continuation of the sweet.

For being marketed as a "Peppered" variety of beef jerky, it does indeed provide a good deal of black pepper flavor in the chewing. Just one piece gave me a well-noticed flavor and aftertaste. But it largely only comes in the chewing. But I think it's still strong enough that I'd rank it as the primary flavor of this jerky.

The second-strongest flavor is the sweetness. It's actually the first flavor I notice when I put a piece into my mouth, being dominant in the surface flavors. It continues to be well-noticed in the chewing, but wears off about half-way through. The sharpness of the black pepper easily cuts through the sweetness.

The taste of the apple cider vinegar is noticeable but light. In fact, I wouldn't normally notice it unless I'm analyzing the flavors carefully.

The garlic flavor is faint, and it too would not normally be noticed unless you're thinking about the flavors carefully.

The saltiness seems to be at a low intensity, though the nutrition facts shows a medium content.

I don't taste any natural meat flavors, despite the company claiming this organic, grass-fed cattle produces a superior flavor.

Overall, it's mostly a combination of sweet and black pepper that you'll taste in this, with some hints of apple cider vinegar and garlic, and a bit of saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin to average, and in small pieces.

This is a dry jerky, with a dry feel. They don't have much flexibility, cracking open easily with a little bending. Tearing pieces apart with my fingers seems somewhat easy to do, while chewing is "chewy" and a little tough.

The chewing texture starts out feeling stiff with a plastic feel. There's a fair amount of chewing resistance in the first several chews. It takes some sucking and chewing before it softens up enough and eventually breaks down to a soft mass. At that point, it tends to become mushy.

This beef jerky appears to be free of any visible fat, and free of any visible gristle or tendon. In the chewing, I didn't encounter any stringy sinews nor any unchewable wads of tissue.

It's also clean eating. I found no residue on my fingertips, and not any fragments of meat or pepper flying off, largely these pieces are small enough to be bite-sized.

beef jerky

beef jerky
Snack Value

I paid $5.99 for this 3oz package at an Albertson's grocery store in Menifee, CA. That works out to a price of $2.00 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.00 price per ounce, it seems to provide a weak value. I'm getting only a small amount of snackability based on a satisfactory flavor, but not necessarily one that I find hard to resist. It's not even that easy to eat either, being somewhat tough.

As a black peppered beef jerky, at the same $2.00 price per ounce, it's a better value, perhaps being decent, because I do in fact get a good deal of black pepper flavor. And that $2.00 price per ounce is just a little bit higher than a Jack Link's or Oberto brand, but I'm still getting enough black pepper flavor to where I'd be happy with this purchase.

Also, as an organic beef jerky, it's a decent value. If all that mattered to you is that your beef jerky is organic, then the $2.00 price per ounce is not bad, even if the flavor and consistency is sub-par. Most organic beef jerky brands I've tried has weak flavor, but often times will cost you more than this.

Rating

nutrition facts labelI'm giving this a fair rating.

This Peppered variety of organic beef jerky from Nature's Snack does offer a good deal of black pepper flavor, but not much after that. Aside from an easily-noticed sweetness, a light saltiness, there really isn't much else in this. Overall, I couldn't get enough snackability from this to keep me wanting more.

On top of that, it's somewhat tough to eat, making my jaws a little tired after half the contents, and the chewing texture is far more meat-like, with a lot of chewing resistance initially, and then working its way down to being mushy.

It's almost as if Prime Snax designed this organic beef jerky to meet the qualifications of being "USDA Organic", and then sacrificed on flavor and consistency to keep the costs down.

For a good beer pairing with this, try a basic porter, like a Michelob Porter.

Rating: Fair

Buy this online:

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Matador Beef Jerky - Original

Matador Beef JerkyMatador is a brand name of Link Snacks, Inc. of Minong, WI. It's the newest product from the Jack Link's group of meat snacks, launching last March.

The brand is intended to appeal to teens and early 20-year olds with an action-packed lifestyle of motocross, skiing, skateboarding, surfing, and the like. Link Snacks, Inc. apparently ran a taste test with teenagers to develop just the right flavor and consistency to push all the right snacking buttons.

The company partnered with Frito-Lay to get this new brand of jerky into retain outlets everywhere.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Spiro Sport Foods - Original Beef Bites

Spiro Sport FoodsSpiro Sport Foods is a company based in Park City, UT that produces these "Spiro Bites", which they market to athletes and fitness buffs, touting the "8 essential amino acids" that beef provides.

They come in four flavors, including this Original Beef, as well as Cranberry Beef, Original Turkey, and Glazed Turkey. These are actually manufactured by Jerky Snack Brands, of Mankato, MN.

The best I can tell these things don't contain any additional vitamins or energy ingredients. They're just plain old processed meat snacks like any other jerky or kippered meat, but marketed up to sound like something way healthier than beef jerky. To their credit, Spiro Bites don't contain sodium nitrite, no antibiotics, no hormones, and no MSG. However, there's already tons of beef jerky out there that don't contain these ingredients either. So, I'm not sure what advantage Spiro Bites offers aside from beef jerky.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Sograte Beef Jerky - Smokin' Habanero

Sograte Beef JerkyNext in the series on Sograte Beef Jerky is this Smokin' Habanero variety. See my reviews of their other beef jerky flavors, Texas Heat, Black Pepper, and Original.

Sograte is a brand of Sograte BBQ & Beef Jerky, based out of Lubbock, TX. The company was founded by Cary Franklin. The business originally started out with Cary and his brother-in-law entering a BBQ competition in 2005, where they took four of the top ten positions in five different categories on their first try. Today, they run a BBQ catering service. The beef jerky is their primary retail product.

Their beef jerky is not marinated, rather it's just salt cured. It's smoked over a live hickory fire, and then seasoned.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ju Ju Jerky - Original

Ju Ju JerkyIt was over a year ago that I reviewed Ju Ju Jerky's line of Turkey Jerky, giving both their Original and Spicy varieties "best" ratings for its bold, complex seasoning blends. I had found their turkey jerky in my local grocery store, but I was never able to find their beef jerky.

Recently, the company sent me samples of their beef jerky!

Ju Ju Jerky has been around for about five years, founded by Seline Beauvoir, a chef who decided to offer a great tasting jerky focusing on flavors of the Caribbean Islands, and doing it with very low sodium.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Flu Bug

I've been out with the flu the past few days, which is why there hasn't been any reviews lately. This morning I woke up feeling better. Maybe in another day I'll get back into the swing of things.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Insane Jerky - Spicy

Insane JerkyNext in the series on Insane Jerky is this Spicy beef jerky. See my previous review of their Original beef jerky.

Insane Jerky is a newer brand of jerky claiming to use Halal Certified beef. Halal essentially means it's in accordance with Sharia law, and acceptable to eat for muslims.

I'm not exactly sure what process beef must go through in order to certified as Halal, however Insane Jerky has published a certificate on its website indicating Halal Certification, although I didn't see anything on that certificate identifying Insane Jerky by name. As far I as know, it could be anybody's certificate.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Sograte Beef Jerky - Texas Heat

Sograte Beef JerkyNext in the series on Sograte BBQ & Beef Jerky is this Texas Heat variety. See my earlier reviews of their Black Pepper and Original varieties.

Sograte is based out of Lubbock, TX. The company was founded by Cary Franklin. The business originally started out with Cary and his brother-in-law entering a BBQ competition in 2005, where they took four of the top ten positions in five different categories on their first try. Today, they run a BBQ catering service. The beef jerky is their primary retail product.

The beef jerky is not marinated but just salt cured, then smoked over a live hickory fire, and then seasoned.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse Turkey Jerky - Cajun Spice

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse Turkey JerkyNext up in the series on Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is this Turkey Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Original Turkey Jerky, Red Hots Beef Jerky, and their Jalapeno Beef Jerky.

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is a smokehouse, bakery, deli, and country store located in El Campo, Texas.

It originally started out as Hillje Grocery, a small town grocery store. In 1974, it was purchased by Mike and Betty Jo Prasek, and was renamed to its current name. Their first product was sausage, but eventually they expanded to beef jerky, and now jerky is their big seller.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Harrington's of Vermont Beef Jerky - Original

Harrington's of Vermont Beef JerkyHarrington's of Vermont is a brand of Harrington's of Vermont, Inc., based out of Richmond, VT.

The brand has been around since 1873, known mostly for its hams and smoked meats. They also offer cheeses, syrups, and desserts.

But they also offer jerky, two kinds in fact, this Original variety and a Maple variety. I'll be reviewing the Maple later. From what I can tell, it appears this jerky actually manufactured by Rosie's Vermont Beef Jerky. I've never had Rosie's, so I can't say if this actually tastes the same. And I didn't contact Harrington's or Rosie's to ask.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Stripling's General Store - Beef Jerky

Stripling's General Store Beef JerkyStripling's is a brand name of Stripling's General Store, of Moultrie, GA.

The store first opened its doors in 1964, known mostly for making pork sausage. The family owned business, with the tagline, "You Never Sausage a Place", has enjoyed great success, now operating three stores in Georgia.

In 1995 they began making beef jerky in their own USDA inspected facility and its quickly become a popular item, rivaling the success of their pork sausage. It was featured in the December 2006 edition of Food & Wine Magazine as one of their "Top Ten Test Kitchen Discoveries".

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Port City Smokehouse - Chipotle Turkey Jerky

Port City Smokehouse Turkey JerkyNext in the series on Port City Smokehouse is this Chipotle Turkey Jerky. See my previous review of their Cherry Turkey Jerky.

Port City Smokehouse is a smokehouse located in Frankfort, MI. It's situated by Betsie Bay, on the northern portion of Lake Michigan. Port City Smokehouse is known more for their smoked fish, but they also do smoked meats and jerky, along with jams, jellies, salsas, and dried fruit.

They make their own jerky in house.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Woody's Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Smoked Hickory Peppered Thick

Woody's Smokehouse Beef JerkyNext in the series on Woody's Smokehouse is this Smoked Hickory Peppered Beef Jerky, Thick Cut. See my previous review of the Sweet & Spicy Beef Jerky.

Woody's Smokehouse is a store located in Centerville, TX along Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston and is a popular stop for travellers for a variety of road goodies ranging from jerky to nuts to candies to cheeses to pickles, and what not.

They also serve up BBQ where you grab a tray and start loading up on stuff like ribs, sausage, brisket, tri-tip, and even bacon-wrapped quail. But Woody's is often known for its jerky.

This "Thick Cut" variety of beef jerky is VERY thick. These are more like tree branches of meat, comparable to eating a thick dill pickle, but pure beef.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Perky Jerky - Original

Perky JerkyPerky Jerky is a brand of PEMS, LLC based out of Englewood, CO. It launched officially just last month.

It's claimed to be a "performance enhancing meat snack", being infused with guarana and caffeine, two popular energy supplements used in a variety of other products designed to invigorate one's body. The company says one package of Perky Jerky contains about the same caffeine as a can of energy drink.

As the story goes, the creators of this jerky were at a ski lodge, preparing for a day of skiing, when by accident some energy drink spilled into their bag of peppered beef jerky. They ate it anyways, and found it still tasted just as good as before, but a little more tender, and seemingly kept them sliding the down the slopes all day long.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse - Turkey Jerky

Prasek's Hillje SmokehouseNext up in the series on Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is this Turkey Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Red Hots Beef Jerky, and their Jalapeno Beef Jerky.

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is a smokehouse, bakery, deli, and country store located in El Campo, Texas.

It originally started out as Hillje Grocery, a small town grocery store. In 1974, it was purchased by Mike and Betty Jo Prasek, and was renamed to its current name. Their first product was sausage, but eventually they expanded to beef jerky, and now jerky is their big seller.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Cedar Creek Beef Jerky - Original

Cedar Creek Beef JerkyCedar Creek Beef Jerky is a brand of Cedar Creek Enterprise, of El Dorado Springs, MO. The company makes jerky in its own USDA approved facility.

The company had been owned by a guy named Terrance M. Ebeltoft until he died just this month. He ran the business since 1990.

Cedar Creek says they make jerky in "the foothills of the Missouri Ozark Mountains", using only locally produced beef, or beef produced in the USA. They say their ovens are all homemade, and that they literally make their jerky one piece at a time.

And since Missouri is known as the "Show Me State", this jerky package has a tagline that reads, "Show me a better jerky".

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Jedidiah's Jerky - Old Fashion Style Original

Jedidiah's JerkyJedidiah's Jerky is a brand of Jedidiah's Jerky and Gourmet Snacks, of Laughlin, NV. I've reviewed several of their jerky varieties over the past, read them all.

This "Old Fashion Style" is a new line of jerky to their portfolio of varieties, which also includes a Premium line, and a Private Reserve line.

My idea of Old Fashion Style beef jerky is something thick, dry, and chewy, with a simple recipe free of preservatives and automated machinery. Jedidiah's website says this is tenderized however, and goes on to say that this is how jerky was made, "back in the day".

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Mahogany Smoked Meats - Turkey Jerky Sweet & Spicy

Mahogany Smoked Meats - Turkey JerkyNext up in the series on Mahogany Smoked Meats is this Sweet & Spicy Turkey Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Habanero beef jerky, and Western Strips beef jerky.

Mahogany Smoked Meats is a brand name of Meadow Farms Country Smokehouse, based in Bishop, CA. The brand goes back to 1922 when the original founder of Meadow Farms, a guy named "Wally", introduced the locals of Bishop to the goodness of smoking meats with Mountain Mahogany wood. Today, the same store is still there, and they're still selling smoked meats of all kinds.

It appears to me that Mahogany doesn't actually make their own jerky; rather it seems to be made by Glenoaks Foods, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA, the same company that makes the J.C. Rivers brand.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Port City Smokehouse - Cherry Turkey Jerky

Port City Smokehouse Turkey jerkyPort City Smokehouse is a smokehouse located in Frankfort, MI. It's situated by Betsie Bay, on the northern portion of Lake Michigan. Port City Smokehouse is known more for their smoked fish, but they also do smoked meats and jerky, along with jams, jellies, salsas, and dried fruit.

And according to a phone call I had with the store keeper, they make their own jerky.

I decided to get this Cherry Turkey Jerky, along with another package of Chipotle Turkey Jerky, after having experimented with making my own cherry teriyaki jerky. Mine didn't come all that great, so I decided to try this one from Port City Smokehouse to see how it compared.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Insane Jerky - Original

Insane Jerky Update (Jan 11, 2010): Insane Jerky revised their recipe and meat since this review was published, please read my latest review here.

Insane Jerky is a newer brand of jerky claiming to use Halal Certified beef. Halal essentially means it's in accordance with Sharia law, and acceptable to eat for muslims.

I'm not exactly sure what process beef must go through in order to certified as Halal, however Insane Jerky has published a certificate on its website indicating Halal Certification, although I didn't see anything on that certificate identifying Insane Jerky by name.

Nonetheless, this is my first ever halal beef jerky, so I was eager to get some and write up a review.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Long Meadow Ranch - Cabernet Beef Jerky

Long Meadow Ranch - Cabernet Beef JerkyLong Meadow Ranch is a brand of Long Meadow Ranch Partners, LP, based in Rutherford, CA. The Ranch is known mostly for its vineyards, winery, and olive groves. But it also raises Highland cattle.

This particular variety of "Cabernet Beef Jerky", is said to be made with cabernet wine. The beef is also made from the same Highland cattle raised on Long Meadow Ranch, which I confirmed with a phone call to them. But the jerky itself was manufactured by Intermountain Natural, a meat processor that makes jerky for several brands.

The Ranch also claims that this jerky is "All Natural", with no artficial ingredients, and no hormones. It also lists several organic ingredients, but does not carry the USDA Organic symbol.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Red Hots

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse Beef JerkyNext up in the series on Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is this Red Hots variety of beef jerky. See my previous review of their Jalapeno beef jerky.

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is a smokehouse, bakery, deli, and country store located in El Campo, Texas. It originally started out as Hillje Grocery, a small town grocery store. In 1974, it was purchased by Mike and Betty Jo Prasek, and was renamed to its current name. Their first product was sausage, but eventually they expanded to beef jerky, and now jerky is their big seller.

I actually bought this jerky from a website called "The Cajun Turkey Company", thinking I was getting Cajun's brand. But when I recieved it in the mail, I found Prasek's jerky; they never explained they were a reseller of Prasek's.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Woody's Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Sweet & Spicy

Woody's Smokehouse Beef Jerky Woody's Smokehouse is a store located in Centerville, TX along Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston and is a popular stop for travellers for a variety of road goodies ranging from jerky to nuts to candies to cheeses to pickles, and what not.

They also serve up BBQ where you grab a tray and start loading up on stuff like ribs, sausage, brisket, tri-tip, and even bacon-wrapped quail.

But Woody's is often known for its jerky. I bought a package of this "Sweet & Spicy" jerky from their website, and noticed the package said it was "Packed for Woody's Smokehouse", with a stamp indicating it was prepared by New Braunfels Smokehouse. And interestingly, I just completed several jerky reviews for New Braunfels.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

New Braunfels Smokehouse - Peppered Turkey Strips

New Braunfels Smokehouse Next in the series on New Braunfels Smokehouse is this Peppered Turkey Strips. See my previous reviews of their Peppered Pork Strips, Jalapeno, Sweet & Spicy, Teriyaki, and Peppered varieties.

New Braunfels Smokehouse is a smokehouse and restaurant located in New Braunfels, TX. The company's history goes back to 1943, when it originally opened as an ice factory. The idea to create smoked meats came when local ranchers would keep their meats stored at their ice factory. An employee created smoked meats using his own family's recipe, and the result was a big hit with locals. From that the ice factory shifted gears and became a smokehouse.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Pioneer Brand Beef Jerky - Teriyaki

Pioneer Brand Beef Jerky Next in the series on Pioneer Brand (PNR) Beef Jerky is this Teriyaki variety. See my previous review of their Smokehouse Original.

Pioneer Brand is a brand name of Jerky Snack Brands, Inc. based out of Minong, WI, though this jerky appears to have been manufactured out of the company's Schulenberg, TX facility.

The brand was originally founded in 1986 by Robert George in Livonia, MI. The company was originally a distributor of branded meat snacks and originally operated as Western Snacks, and then became Metro Snacks, until it changed names to Pioneer Snacks, Inc. It wasn't until January 2007 that the business was acquired by Jerky Snacks Brands.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Mahogany Smoked Meats - Beef Jerky Habanero

Mahogany Smoked Meats Next up in the series on Mahogany Smoked Meats is this Habanero variety. See my previous review of their Western Strips.

Mahogany Smoked Meats is a brand name of Meadow Farms Country Smokehouse, based in Bishop, CA. The brand goes back to 1922 when the original founder of Meadow Farms, a guy named "Wally", introduced the locals of Bishop to the goodness of smoking meats with Mountain Mahogany wood. Today, the same store is still there, and they're still selling smoked meats of all kinds.

It appears to me that Mahogany doesn't actually make their own jerky; rather it seems to be made by Glenoaks Foods, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA, the same company that makes the J.C. Rivers brand.

In fact, you can read my review of J.C. Rivers' Habanero Jerky, which actually has a very similar list of ingredients.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Old Wisconsin Beef Jerky - Teriyaki

Old Wisconsin Beef JerkyNext in the series on Old Wisconsin Beef Jerky is this Teriyaki variety. See my previous review of their Original variety.

Old Wisconsin is a brand name of Old Wisconsin Sausage, Inc. based out of Sheboygan, WI. They've been around since 1942. In the 1980s, it was purchased by Carl Buddig and Co.

I'm not exactly sure when Old Wisconsin began selling jerky, but I want to say that it's not part of their original product line going back into the 1940s, and more likely a recent addition since being purchased by Carl Buddig.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Just Smoked Salmon - Candy Jerky

Just Smoked Salmon - Candy JerkyNext in the series on Just Smoked Salmon is this Candy Jerky. See my previous review of their Teriyaki Jerky.

Just Smoked Salmon is a brand name of Wright Distributing, Inc., based out of Port Angeles, WA. Even though the company uses the word "jerky" on their labels, it doesn't actually appear to be jerky as I discovered with their Teriyaki Jerky. I've reviewed other brands of salmon jerky and found them to be chewier, and more dry. This stuff is actually very soft, and very moist. It's just smoked salmon as the brand name says.

This Candy Jerky is what I believe to be traditional "squaw candy", which is effectively a sweetened salmon jerky. Except, I'm sure in this case, it's standard smoked salmon, as opposed to salmon jerky.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky - Red Hot Sweetie

Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky Next in the series on Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky is this Red Hot Sweetie variety. See last week's review of their Tenderfoot.

Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky is a new contender in the world of gourmet beef jerky, having entered the market earlier this year. It's a family run business run by Robyn Raile, her husband Tim, and her brother Wade.

The brand originally started out as Monte Nuss Beef Jerky in a little store in Littleton, CO back in 1996. After Nuss closed shop, he sold it to Wade, who then moved the business to Bird City, KS, and relaunched it as Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse - Beef Jerky Jalapeno

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse - Beef JerkyPrasek's Hillje Smokehouse is a smokehouse, bakery, deli, and country store located in El Campo, Texas.

It originally started out as Hillje Grocery, a small town grocery store. In 1974, it was purchased by Mike and Betty Jo Prasek, and was renamed to its current name. Their first product was sausage, but eventually they expanded to beef jerky, and now jerky is their big seller.

I actually bought this jerky from a website called "The Cajun Turkey Company", thinking I was getting Cajun's brand. But when I recieved it in the mail, I found Prasek's jerky; they never explained they were a reseller of Prasek's. But that's ok, I had Prasek's on my list of brands to buy, and I've heard good things about this jerky.

Monday, August 17, 2009

New Braunfels Smokehouse - Teriyaki

New Braunfels Smokehouse Next in the series on New Braunfels Smokehouse is this Teriyaki Beef Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Peppered Pork Strips, Jalapeno, Sweet & Spicy, and Peppered varieties.

New Braunfels Smokehouse is a smokehouse and restaurant located in New Braunfels, TX. The company's history goes back to 1943, when it originally opened as an ice factory. The idea to create smoked meats came when local ranchers would keep their meats stored at their ice factory. An employee created smoked meats using his own family's recipe, and the result was a big hit with locals. From that the ice factory shifted gears and became a smokehouse.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Tequila Jalapeno

Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky The last entry in the series on Timberline Smokehouse is this Tequila Jalapeno variety. See my other reviews of their Beer & Fire, Sweet Bourbon & Honey Pepper, Sweet Mountain Barbecue, Beer & Garlic, and Original.

Adam Thomas, founder of Timberline Smokehouse, is also the owner of Thomas Smoked Meats, both based in Johnstown, PA. Thomas originally offered his jerky in 1998 under the Thomas Smoked Meats brand, which he continues to do today. In 2008, he decided to take his line of beef jerky national, under the Timberline Smokehouse brand. Both brands utilize the same recipe.

This "Tequila Jalapeno" variety is described by the company as having a full jalapeno flavor with a shot of tequila to make a "tender cut with a kick".

Friday, August 14, 2009

Mahogany Smoked Meats - Beef Jerky Western Strips

Mahogany Smoked Meats Mahogany Smoked Meats is a brand name of Meadow Farms Country Smokehouse, based in Bishop, CA.

The "Mahogany Smoked Meats" brand apparently goes back to 1922 when the original founder of Meadow Farms, a guy named "Wally", introduced the locals of Bishop to the goodness of smoking meats with Mountain Mahogany wood. Today, the same store is still there, and they're still selling smoked meats of all kinds.

Meadow Farms is also well known for its jerky, receiving praises from its customers, as evidenced by all the forum and blog posts. The best I can tell, Meadow Farms doesn't make their own jerky, rather it's made by Glenoaks Foods, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA, the same company that makes the J.C. Rivers brand.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky - Tenderfoot

Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky is a new brand of beef jerky hitting the national market earlier this year. Based in Bird City, KS, it's a family run business co-owned by Robyn Raile, her husband Tim, and her brother Wade.

The brand originally started out as Monte Nuss Beef Jerky in a little store in Littleton, CO back in 1996. After Nuss closed shop, he sold it to Wade, who then moved the business to Bird City, KS, and relaunched it as Monty's Smoked Beef Jerky.

The company adds no preservatives in their jerky, and smokes the meat over hickory chunks, though also adds smoke flavoring. They offer five varieties, including this Tenderfood, which appears to be closest to a basic flavor, and a "Red Hot Sweetie", which I'll be reviewing later.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Just Smoked Salmon - Teriyaki Jerky

Just Smoked Salmon Just Smoked Salmon is a brand name of Wright Distributing, Inc., based out of Port Angeles, WA.

The company started out in 1999 focusing on distributing smoked salmon products but has since expanded to include other seafood including tuna, clams, trout, oysters, and others.

While this package is labeled "Teriyaki Jerky", I can't tell if it was truly meant to be a jerky, or if it's really just smoked salmon. But since it carries the "jerky" description, I sought to do a review. I also have a package of their "Candy Jerky" which I'll review later.