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.