Friday, August 31, 2012

The Jerky Connection - Teriyaki Habanero

the jerky connection
Next in the series on The Jerky Connection is this Teriyaki Habanero, described as, "A blend of teriyaki with a pinch of habanero".

You can see my previous review of their Dixie variety.

The Jerky Connection is a new business that launched last June, based out of Wrightsville, PA, boasting several flavors ranging from mild to insanely hot, including a line of jerky dubbed, "7 Gates of Hell".

The company is run by Tom Greineder, who like many other jerky entrepreneurs, began by making jerky for himself and friends, and due to the overwhelming positive feedback, decided to turn it into a business.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Jerky Connection - Dixie

the jerky connection
The Jerky Connection is a new brand of jerky based in Wrightsville, PA, having just launched last June.

The company, run by Tom Greineder, already carries 28 different flavors of beef jerky ranging from mild to burning hot.  It's signature line of jerky is the "7 Gates of Hell", a series of seven different degrees of heat made from the hottest peppers in the world. And then the company has two more flavors on top of that even hotter.

This Dixie variety is actually among their mild varieties, described as a "Southern inspired mixture of spices and Texas smoke". I chose to start with this flavor so as to establish a base line of the company's meat and marinades. But I will be venturing into the company's most insanely hot flavors later.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Tapa Doble - Garlic & Rosemary

tapa doble
Tapa Doble is a new brand of Spanish cured meats based in Madrid, Spain, having just launched last month. The company sent me a sample of their original flavor, "Garlic & Rosemary".

It's perhaps best described as "cecina", a form of Spanish cured meats utilizing Mediterranean sea salt, and then air dried. It has the look and aroma of biltong, a South African variety of cured meat.

Tapa Doble currently offers this Garlic & Rosemary variety, with a Picante variety coming soon.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Clint & Sons Beef Jerky - Hot

clint and sons beef jerkyNext in the series on Clint & Sons (revised flavor and packaging) is this Hot variety. See my original review of this variety from two years ago (click here).

Clint & Sons is a meat processing facility located in White Deer, TX. It's a family run business that goes back to 1944 when Clint Freeman opened it up. Today it's run by his sons and grandchildren.

The company recently upgraded from state inspection to federal inspection, allowing them to sell jerky across all 50 states.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Silver Creek Farms Trout Jerky

silver creek farms trout jerky
Silver Creek Farms is a brand of processed foods made from fish, namely fish jerky. The brand is owned by Seapac of Idaho, Inc., a fish processor based in Buhl, ID.

Seapac owns and operates its own fish farm growing popular dinner mainstays as salmon, trout, and tilapia. The Silver Creek Farms label represents the company's jerky products, which thus far includes Trout and Salmon.

Both of these fish jerky products are "minced and formed", and come in three flavors, Original, Peppered, and Hot & Spicy.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Clint & Son's Beef Jerky - Original

clint and sons beef jerky
I had reviewed Clint & Son's Beef Jerky a couple of years ago, giving their Original and Hot varieties both four-star ratings. Recently, the company made some minor changes to their jerky, along with all new packaging, and have resubmitted for review.

Clint & Sons is a meat processing facility located in White Deer, TX. The business has been family owned since Clint Freeman opened it up in 1944. Today it's run by his sons and grandchildren.

They've also added more flavors to their jerky line up which I'll be reviewing over the next several weeks.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Willow Creek Meats - "Just Right" Beef Sticks

willow creek meats
Last in the series on Willow Creek Meats are these "Just Right" Beef Sticks. See my previous reviews of their "Just Right" Beef Jerky, and their Jalapeno Beef Jerky

Willow Creek Meats is a federally inspected livestock processing plant located a few miles outside of McCook, NE. They also operate a retail meat counter and of course, make beef jerky and beef sticks.

The company launched in February 2008 when owners Scott Carlin and Cal Siegfried bought the business, which had then been known as Butler's Beef Acres, from Scott's parents, Harold and Theresa Carlin. Overall, the business has been around since 1964.