Sograte Beef Jerky - Black Pepper

Next in the series on Sograte BBQ & Beef Jerky is this Black Pepper variety. See my previous review of their Original variety.

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.

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Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Sweet Mountain BBQ

Next in the series on Timberline Smokehouse is this Sweet Mountain BBQ variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Beer & Garlic varieties.

Timberline Smokehouse is a brand of Timberline Smokehouse, Inc., based out of Johnstown, PA.

The company was founded by Adam Thomas in 2008. Thomas had previously founded Thomas Smoked Meats, a store also located in Johnstown, PA where he continues to sell his line of meats, steaks, chops, sausages, as well as jerky. He wanted to go national with his meat snacks, and decided to launch the "Timberline Smokehouse" brand. As far as I know, the jerky under the Timberline Smokehouse and Thomas Smoked Meats brands are the exact same recipe.

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Joey D's Jerky - Tangy

Next in the series on Joey D's Jerky is this Tangy variety. See my previous reviews of their Original, Teriyaki, and Hot varities.

Joey D's Jerky is owned by DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc. based out of Sanford, FL, run by Joseph DiSalvo, who got started making beef jerky at home back in 1999. He would challenge his friends at beef jerky making contests, and his friends were always impressed with his creations, that he felt encouraged to make a business out of it. Joey D's Jerk officially went on the market in August 2008.

Joey's D's includes four varieties of jerky, this Tangy, as well as a Hot, a Teriyaki, and an Original. It also include three varieties of salsas.

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The Buffalo Guys - Mild

Next in the series on The Buffalo Guys, is this Mild variety. See my previous review of their Sweet Peppered.

The Buffalo Guys is a brand of The Buffalo Guys, LLC based out of Elk Mountain, WY. The business has been around since 2000, formed through two independent bison ranchers who decided to join together. The Buffalo Guys own their own bison ranch in Kansas. They originally started out as "Nature's Prairie", but as Americans continue to say "buffalo" instead of "bison", they opted to change to "The Buffalo Guys".

The brand seems to offer only two varieties of buffalo jerky, this Mild, and the Sweet Peppered I reviewed earlier. This Mild is a chopped & formed product, whereas the Sweet Peppered is whole muscle.

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New Braunfels Smokehouse - Jalapeno

Next in the series on New Braunfels Smokehouse is this Jalapeno variety. See my previous reviews of their Peppered and Sweet & Spicy 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. Local ranchers used to bring their meats to them for cold storage. The conversion to a smokehouse happened when an employee started smoking the meats in cold storage, and created some mouth-watering snacks. Locals in the area loved the smoked meats, and hence the company switched gears made a business out of it.

Jerky has become one of the company's most popular products, and New Braunfels Smokehouse offers several varieties of beef jerky, turkey jerky and pork jerky.

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4D Acres Emu Jerky - with Cranberries

Next in the series on 4D Acres Emu Jerky is this "with Cranberries" variety. See my previous review of their "with Raisins" variety.

4D Acres is an emu ranch in Louisburg, KS, owned and operated by Mike and Dee Martin. The jerky that 4D Acres sells are all chopped & formed, with 3% beef. Aside from their raisin and cranberry varieties, they also offer one with jalapenos, but I didn't order any of the jalapeno.

When I saw this "with Cranberries" variety, I immediately thought of the Tanka Bar (I reviewed last year), which is chopped & formed buffalo meat, but with whole cranberries. I couldn't taste much of the cranberries in the Tanka Bar, so I was curious how this emu jerky compared.

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Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Beer & Garlic

Next in the series on Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky is this "Beer & Garlic" variety. See my previous review of their Original variety.

Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky is relatively new brand, having launched just about a year ago. Adam Thomas, founder of the brand, is also the owner of Thomas Smoked Meats, based in Johnstown, PA. Thomas has been offering jerky under that brand going back to 1998 to locals. He then decided to go national in 2008, and created the "Timberline Smokehouse" brand.

He says this "Beer & Garlic" is actually marinated in real beer, not just a tablespoon, or a cup, but completely submerged in 100% beer. In addition to "Beer & Garlic", he also has a "Beer & Fire", which I'll review later on.

Note: This review was updated to reflect a fresh batch of jerky that Thomas sent me. Previously I had rated this as "average", reporting a dry, crumbly texture that had a profound effect on its flavor. He sent me a fresh batch, which I found to be quite different, as you'll read below.

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Joey D's Jerky - Hot

Next in the series on Joey D's Jerky is this Hot variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Teriyaki.

This brand of beef jerky is owned by DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc. based out of Sanford, FL, run by Joseph DiSalvo, who got started making beef jerky at home back in 1999, and would challenge his friends at beef jerky making contests. His friends were quite impressed with his talents, and that spurned him on to making a business out of it. The brand officially went on the market in August 2008.

Joey's D's includes four varieties of jerky, this Hot, a Teriyaki, an Original, and Tangy. It also include three varieties of salsas.

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Sograte Beef Jerky - Original

Note (Jan 20, 2010): Since this review was published, Sograte has revised the recipe for this jerky. Read my revised review published here.

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.

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

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Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky - Fire on the Mountain

Next in the series on Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky is this "Fire on the Mountain" variety. See my previous of their Original.

Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky is a brand of Magnolia Jerky, LLC, based out of Knoxville, TN. Magnolia Jerky, LLC is a subsidiary of Magnolia Provisions Company, Inc., based at the same address. Magnolia Provisions is a meat processor offering steaks, chops, burger, etc. The Smoky Mountain Brand originally started out as "Jay's Jerky", by a guy named Jay Thomas. Thomas ultimately approached Magnolia Provision to manufacture his jerky. Since then, the brand switched names to Smoky Mountain.

This Fire on the Mountain variety is described by the company as being made with their five-alarm blend of Habanero, Red Pepper, and Spices, and says it's not for timid tastebuds.

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Ozark Mountain Jerky Co. - Original

Ozark Mountain Jerky Co. is a brand of Frickenschmidt Foods based in Lockwood, MO. The company started in 1988 by Allen Frickenschmidt, who oversees operations, while his family members handle all the other duties.

In 2008, the company stepped up from state inspection to USDA inspection. That allowed the company to go national with its products, and spurned the launch of their Ozark Mountain Jerky brand, and its accompanying online store. Frickenschmidt Foods still does most of their business in custom slaughter and processing for hunters, farmers, and small businesses.

Ozark Mountain Jerky offers only two varieties at this time, Original, and Peppered.

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Joey D's Jerky - Teriyaki

Next in the series on Joey D's Jerky is this Teriyaki variety. See my previous review of their Original.

The brand is owned by DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc. based out of Sanford, FL, run by Joseph DiSalvo, who got started making beef jerky at home back in 1999. The brand officially went on the market in August 2008.

Originally a cabinet maker in New York, DiSalvo moved to Florida, obtained college degrees in engineering and business administration, honed his entrepreneurial skills with positions at Northrup Grumman and Siemens Westinghouse.

Joey's D's includes four varieties of jerky, this Teriyaki, an Original, Tangy, and Hot. It also include three varieties of salsas.

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New Braunfels Smokehouse - Sweet & Spicy

Next up in the series on New Braunfels Smokehouse beef jerky is this Sweet & Spicy variety. See my previous review of their Peppered beef jerky.

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 a ice factory.

Local ranchers used to bring their meats to them for cold storage. A smokehouse employee, who came from Germany, got the idea of smoking some of the meats using an old German recipe. Locals in the area loved the smoked meats, and soon orders started coming in from all over Texas, and the ice factory shifted gears and became a smokehouse.

The company offers several varieties of beef jerky, turkey jerky and pork jerky, all of which I'll be reviewing over the next couple of months.

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Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Original

Timberline Smokehouse is a brand of Timberline Smokehouse, Inc., based out of Johnstown, PA.

Adam Thomas, founder of Timberline Smokehouse, is also the owner of Thomas Smoked Meats, based in the same town. 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.

Thomas gained local fame with his unique line of jerky flavors, notably the "Beer Jerky", which is actually marinated in beer. He also has a jerky marinated in Tequila. I'll be reviewing all those later on.

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The Buffalo Guys - Sweet Peppered

The Buffalo Guys is a brand of The Buffalo Guys, LLC based out of Elk Mountain, WY. The business has been around since 2000, formed through two independent bison ranchers who decided to join together. The Buffalo Guys own their own bison ranch in Kansas.

The company sells bison steaks, chops, burger, and jerky. Originally they operated under the name Great Plains Bison, LLC, and sold their products under the brand, "Nature's Prairie". But as Americans continue to use the name "buffalo" instead of bison, they opted to change to "The Buffalo Guys".

Their jerky is actually manufactured by Zick's Specialty Meats, of Berrien Springs, MI. Zick's has its own brand of jerky called "Buffalo Bob's", which also sells buffalo jerky. According to a phone call I had with The Buffalo Guys, they sell their own bison meat to Zick's, who in turn makes jerky using The Buffalo Guys recipe, and then sells it back to The Buffalo Guys.

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Joey D's Jerky - Original

Joey D's Jerky is a brand of DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc., based out of Sanford, FL. The brand launched in August of 2008.

It's the creation of Joseph DiSalvo, who started making jerky at home in 1999 with a small dehydrator. He and his friends would compete against each other to make the best beef jerky. Eventually his friends saw DiSalvo's potential for commercial success, which spurned him to make a career change.

The Joey D's brand also includes a line of salsas of DiSalvo's own recipes.

The company has four varieties of jerky, this Original, a Teriyaki, a Hot, and a Tangy, all of which are manufactured in its own USDA approved facility.

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4D Acres Emu Jerky - With Raisins

4D Acres is an emu ranch in Louisburg, KS, owned and operated by Mike and Dee Martin.

In the late 1980s commercial emu ranching got started for purposes of selling meat and oil. The oil has become particularly valuable after stories of aborigines in Australia having used it as a general purpose ointment. Today, 4D Acres primary product is emu oil.

The jerky that 4D Acres sells are all chopped & formed, with 3% beef. I'm not certain the reasons for adding 3% beef, other than it could be due to USDA inspection requirements for exotic meats. 4D Acres offers this "with Raisins" as well as "with Cranberries", which I'll review later. They also offer a spicy version with Jalapenos.

Their jerky appears to have been manufactured by Luther's Jerky, of Le Roy, KS.

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Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky - Original

Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky is a brand of Magnolia Jerky, LLC, based out of Knoxville, TN. Magnolia Jerky, LLC appears to be a subsidiary of Magnolia Provisions Company, Inc., based at the same address. Magnolia Provisions is a meat processor offering steaks, chops, burger, etc.

The Smoky Mountain brand apparently started out as "Jay's Jerky", originally created by a guy named Jay Thomas back in 2000. Jay was making jerky out of his home and selling it with a partner. Eventually the jerky became popular, and he couldn't keep up with demand. That's when he hooked up with Magnolia Provisions, a meat processing company.

I talked to a representative at the company, who said the Jay's Jerky brand technically doesn't exist anymore, it was renamed to Smoky Mountain, because they found the brand sells better, particularly because it's associated with Tennessee, the location of Magnolia Provision. But Smoky Mountain is the same exact jerky as Jay's Jerky. The company still shows the "Jay's Jerky" label on its website, but the representative says it's all the same jerky they make.

Magnolia describes this particular Original variety as having a "good traditional jerky flavor. Lightly seasoned to allow the true beef flavor to come through."

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New Braunfels Smokehouse - Peppered

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 a ice factory.

Local ranchers used to bring their meats to them for cold storage. A smokehouse employee, who came from Germany, got the idea of smoking some of the meats using an old German recipe. Locals in the area loved the smoked meats, and soon orders started coming in from all over Texas, and the ice factory shifted gears and became a smokehouse.

Like most smokehouses, jerky is a popular product, and New Braunfels Smokehouse offers several varieties of beef jerky, turkey jerky and pork jerky. I'll be reviewing six of their varieties over the next couple of months.

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Big Bull Jerky - Sweet Onion

Next in the series on Big Bull Jerky is this Sweet Onion variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Habanero.

Big Bull Jerky is a brand of Joes Beef Jerky Enterprises, based out of St. Paul Park, MN, and run by a guy named Joe Hinz. The brand has been around for several years, at least as far back as 2003 according to one reference I found. Joe makes jerky in his own USDA approved facility.

This Sweet Onion is just one of 15 varieties of beef jerky they offer, and they also have another 4 varieties of grass-fed beef jerky. This is the last of the Big Bull Jerky I have left to review.

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Famous Dave's Beef Jerky - Apricot Bourbon

Next in the series on Famous Dave's Beef Jerky is this Apricot Bourbon variety. See my previous of their Original.

Famous Dave's is a brand of Famous Products, Inc., based out of Eden Prairie, MN. Famous Dave's is known mostly for its line of award winning BBQ sauces and its chain of 170+ restaurants. Their jerky is manufactured by Jerky Snack Brands, of Mankato, MN.

This Apricot Bourbon jerky is made from Famous Dave's Apricot Bourbon Marinade, which is said to contain apricots blended with chipotle peppers and finished a "hint" of bourbon flavor.

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Pan's Mushroom Jerky

Pan's Mushroom Jerky is a product of Panco Foods, LLC, based out of West Dundee, IL. It's run by a guy named Michael Pan who launched the company in October 2008.

His family hails from the island of Borneo in Malaysia, and several years ago he took a trip there to spend time with them. He discovered they had been making this mushroom jerky, and decided it tasted pretty darn good.

Mushroom Jerky is made from the stems of mushrooms, mixed with egg whites, sugar, palm oil, and spices, and is eaten as a snack.

Today, Pan's Mushroom Jerky is still made by his family in Malaysia, and exported the USA. It's touted as being "100% Meatless", with no preservatives and no artificial ingredients.

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Hickory Hollow Jerky - Hot Shot

Next in the series on Hickory Hollow Jerky is this Hot Shot variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Teriyaki varieties.

Hickory Hollow Jerky is a brand of Hickory Hollow Jekry, LLC, based out of Eufaula, AL, run by a Baptist Minister named Russ Robbins. Russ makes jerky through his own USDA inspected facility. While Russ has been making jerky for over 30 years, Hickory Hollow Jerky has only been around since November 2008.

This "Hot Shot" jerky is Russ' spicy hot jerky entrant, described on the company's website as "cajun".

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Holston Mountain Beef Jerky - BBQ

Next in the series on Holston Mountain Beef Jerky is this BBQ variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Hawaiian varieties.

This BBQ variety is the brand's newest, described as a "robust blend of spices [that] creates a terrific mesquite-grilled flavor that must be tried to be believed." I didn't purchase this BBQ variety, it was sent to me as a freebie, after purchasing the Original and Hawaiian varieties. What I have here is a small bag, about 1.5 or 2.0 ounces.

Holston Mountain is run by a guy named Gary Graybeal, based out of Bluff City, TN. The company has been around for the past six years now. His jerky is made from Black Canyon Angus, using top inside round, marinated for 24 hours.

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Rocky Mountain Organic Meats - Peppered Honey

Rocky Mountain Organic Meats is a brand of Rocky Mountain Custom Cuts, Inc., based out of Powell, WY. The company focuses on offering only grass-fed beef products, certified USDA Organic.

All the cattle used in their products are raised in the Rocky Mountain region of the USA, and roam free on certified organic pastures. The animals receive no hormones, no antibiotics, and no steroids. The company adds no MSG, and no nitrites to their jerky, and is gluten free.

This Honey Peppered Jerky is one of two varieties they offer. The other is just Honey (without the pepper).

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Big Bull Jerky - Habanero

Next in the series on Big Bull Jerky is this Habanero variety. See my previous review of their Regular.

Big Bull Jerky is a brand of Joes Beef Jerky Enterprises, based out of St. Paul Park, MN, and run by a guy named Joe Hinz. The brand has been around for several years, at least as far back as 2003 according to one reference I found.

This Habanero variety, I presume, is their hottest variety. It actually comes in two styles "Hot 50" and "Hot 100", where the 50 refers to 50 habanero chile peppers in the batch, and the other had 100. Their website doesn't mention the Hot 50 and Hot 100, but you might want to contact Joe and ask about it.

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