Smokehouse Jerky Co. - Korean Barbecue

Smokehouse Jerky Co. is a brand of Tender Heifer Snack Co., based out of Beaumont, CA. It was started in 2008, and is currently run by a husband and wife team, Franco Fonseca and Patti Fonseca.

The company takes pride in its beef brisket-based jerky, using meat sourced from California. They add no MSG and no preservatives, and focus on small batches at a time.

This "Korean Barbecue" variety is described by the company as showcasing, "the use of Korean barbecue sauce as a main ingredient", going on to say that they, "blended it up with a few more spices", and then fused it with their old fashioned recipe.

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Chef Craig's Beef Jerky - Black Thai

The newest flavor to come out of Chef Craig's Beef Jerky is this Black Thai. Read our review of their Original Beef Jerky.

Based out of West Kingston, RI, Chef Craig's Beef Jerky was originally started by Craig Mitchell, who holds a Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University. He's been cooking professionally since 1978. Chef Craig's Beef Jerky was a way to extend his career in cooking and cuisine.

This Black Thai variety is described by the company as "The same chewy beef jerky with a taste of Asian spiciness; it leaves a lingering warm sensation in your mouth."

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Smoke Shack Jerky - Snack Sticks

Smoke Shack Jerky describes itself as a "small Upstate NY kitchen" that launched in 2017 by Jonathan Brown of Rochester, NY. Their unique angle is smoking jerky over real wood, and using thicker cuts of meat for a beefier chew. They don't use any smoke flavoring, and no preservatives. The company also has a line of smoked nuts.

Brown also chose to develop jerky recipes based on cultures found around the world as opposed to the more common profiles found with mass-produced brands.

These snack sticks are described by the company as being 60/40 Pork & Beef, cured, and smoked. They come in two flavors, Jammin Jerk and Fuman Chew.

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Whiskey Hill Smokehouse - Gator Jerky

Whiskey Hill Smokehouse is a brand owned and operated by Whiskey Hill Smokehouse, LLC, based out of Hubbard, OR. The company also owns The Jerky Hut brand of jerky, along with Bakke Brothers Brand.

According to the company, the Whiskey Hill Smokehouse brand focuses on exotic meats and more exotic recipes than The Jerky Hut and the Bakke Brothers lines. It also focuses on all natural ingredients and its jerky varieties are all marked as "Gluten Free".

Whiskey Hill Smokehouse doesn't make any marketing claims on this Gator Jerky aside from being low fat, high protein, and that it "tastes like chicken".

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Biltong USA - Spicy Garlic Droëwors

Biltong USA was among the earliest brands of American-made biltong, dating back to 1996. South African immigrants, Dawid Joubert and Salome Joubert founded the company in Stallings, NC based on the same family recipe that dated back into the 1600s. Over the years, their biltong products helped launched a new meat snack category in the States.

In January 2018, Biltong USA was acquired by a rival biltong brand, Stryve Foods. However, Biltong USA continues on under its own brand, and is still manufactured at its original USDA inspected facility in Stallings.

This Spicy Garlic Droëwors, according to the company, come from their large, fresh pieces of solid beef muscle, and is then ground coarse, seasoned, stuffed into lamb casing, and finally cured. Droëwors is a South African-style meat stick. These are the company's normal sized stick, they also make a thicker variety.

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Gary West Meats - 50/50 Steak Strips

Gary West Meats recently released a new variety of beef jerky dubbed, "50/50" which is a reference to using 50% less sugar and salt from their standard recipe. We reviewed Gary West Meats several years ago, see their reviews here.

Gary West Meats is a brand of smoked meats that has been in business since 1966, operated by a company of the same name, based in Jacksonville, OR. It's a second generation-run family business first started by, none other than, Gary West. The company's meat products goes back further to Gary's grandfather Fred West, who taught the old family recipes to Gary. In 2004, West sold the business to his daughter and son-in-law. In addition to jerky, the company also makes smoked hams, turkeys, and sausages.

This 50/50 line is targeted to the health conscious and active lifestyle demographic, perhaps moving it closer to the Keto and low carb dieters. The package is also marked as, "Gluten Free".

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Jerky's Gourmet - Ghost Pepper

Jerky's Gourmet is a new brand of jerky, founded by Tim Gerstman and Andria Taylor, based out of San Diego, CA. Gerstman, who transplated to San Diego from the East Coast 8 years ago, met Andria who also happened to love beef jerky. The two joined forces and launched Jerky's Gourmet.

Their jerky is sold at various shops, bars, and venues across the San Diego area. However the two can be found at the Little Italy Farmers Market on Saturdays, doling out samples of their jerky.

This Ghost Pepper jerky is described as being "soy free" and "gluten free", and is balanced "with subtle hints of honey and pineapple".

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Walt's Beef Jerky

Walt's Beef Jerky is the creation of Walter Barber, a brand he launched in 2007, based out of Nutley, NJ. Barber is a professional butcher with over 40 years experience. He had long been making jerky as a hobby using his own marinades and seasoning blends.

Walt specializes in thin sliced jerky, smoked over real wood. He built his own smokers and actually holds a patent on his unique smoking process. Today, he has over 30 flavors of beef jerky and beef sticks.

The company sent me 5 of their flavors, but each package is small, maybe only an ounce in weight. Thus, instead of writing a separate review of each, I opted to bundle them together in one review.

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Bakke Brothers Brand - Teriyaki Snackin' Sticks

Bakke Brothers Brand is owned by Whiskey Hill Smokehouse, LLC based out of Hubbard, OR. Whiskey Hill also owns The Jerky Hut, as well as its own house brand, Whiskey Hill Smokehouse.

Bakke Brothers was started by Phil Bakke, one of Whiskey Hill's founders. The brand differs from The Jerky Hut in that it's free of preservatives such as sodium nitrite, sodium erythorbate, et al, and it's also gluten-free.

These "Teriyaki Snackin' Sticks" are made with the company's own teriyaki marinade and are marketed towards meat snackers who crave a sweeter, milder, chew.

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Smoke Shack Jerky - Dojo Mojo

Smoke Shack Jerky describes itself as a "small Upstate NY kitchen" that launched in 2017 by Jonathan Brown of Rochester, NY. Their unique angle is smoking jerky over real wood, and using thicker cuts of meat for a beefier chew. They don't use any smoke flavoring, and no preservatives. The company also has a line of smoked nuts.

Brown also chose to develop jerky recipes based on cultures found around the world as opposed to the more common profiles found with mass-produced brands.

This Dojo Mojo is described by the company as an, "Asian BBQ with tangy, smoky flavor and a bit of sweetness", going on to say that it's mild in spice.

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