Hombre Beef Jerky Sticks

Hombre Beef Jerky goes back to 1959 when Thomas Pyle founded the Pyle Meat Company in founded Pyle Meat Company in Eudora, KS, a small community nestled between Lawrence, KS and the KC Metro area. In 1982, Pyle added "Hombre Beef Jerky" to his product line up. When he retired in 2010, both the meat company and Hombre Beef Jerky went offline.

However in 2014, his son Joe and grandson Andrew relaunched the Hombre brand in the same area under the company name, Pyle Meat Products. The response has since been phenomenal. Hombre Beef Jerky now retails in over 500 outlets and looks to double that by 2017. Interestingly, the brand won Grand Champion Beef Jerky in 2015 & 2016 at the Kansas Meat Processors Association.

Hombre offers two varieties at this time, these "Beef Jerky Sticks", and the "Premium Beef Jerky" which we reviewed a few weeks ago.


Ingredients

Beef, seasoning salt, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, natural hickory smoke flavor, potassium sorbate

Review

The first flavor I pick up is a light smoke and salt. A touch of black pepper starts to come in, along with a meaty character. The chewing brings on a savory mixture of soy sauce and seasonings. The black pepper increases.

Considering this jerky is marketed with the image of a rough-and-rugged looking caballero, it certainly has a macho flavor that one would associate with spaghetti-westerns of the 1960s. It's peppery, beefy temperament is only upended by the vengeful snarls of a Lee Marvin, while its twisted, woody complexion is only bested by the furled grimace of a Danny Trejo.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is that of a salty, lightly smoky, soy sauce marinade, but mixed with onion and garlic seasoning, and boosted with black pepper. The natural meat flavors come through quite well with an old fashioned style reminiscent of country store.

The meat consistency is excellent. These strips are very meaty, with little fat to be seen. They bite off with a little effort, and offer a meaty, steak-like chewing texture. Compared to the company's slab-style jerky we reviewed earlier, these sticks seem to heighten snackability through their convenient handling and impressive, beefy feel.

Verdict

These Jerky Sticks from Hombre Beef Jerky offer a more masculine meat snacking experience through its bold flavor and meaty handling. I love the slightly more natural meat flavor I get from this compared to the company's beef jerky slabs, and I love the more meaty, steak-like chewing. Otherwise, it's still largely the same flavor as their slab-style jerky, and still on the salty side. But then again, this is not meant to be the sugary, fruity varieties you find in other jerky brands. This is for "hombres" who want a man's jerky!

Rating: Best (5/5)