Jeff's Gourmet Jerky - Black Pepper & Sea Salt

Next in the series on Jeff's Famous Jerky is this Black Pepper & Sea Salt variety.

It's owned by the company of the same name, based out of Big Bear City, CA. Jeff Richards has been making beef jerky since the 1970s perfecting his recipe year after year. His love for cooking took him into the restaurant business for over 20 years. He currently runs a consulting company called Creative Business Adventures where he helps entrepreneurs achieve success.

In 2006 he started working on creating his own beef jerky brand, and just this year saw the launch of his new business. Jeff claims he uses a higher grade of beef than the round steak used by most other brands.

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Longview Beef Jerky - Pepper

Next up in the series on Longview Beef Jerky is this Pepper variety. Read my reviews of their other varieties.

Longview Beef Jerky is a brand of Longview Meat & Merchandise Ltd., based out of Longview, Alberta, Canada. The company has been making their jerky for the past 30 years. They claim their beef jerky is made from Canadian grown cattle. You can't buy Longview Beef Jerky in the USA, but you can find it at gas stations and stores throughout Canada.

The company sent me samples because it's trying to capitalize on the number of Americans visiting the Calgary, Alberta area for the Calgary Stampede.

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Hickory's Best Beef Jerky - Hot

Hickory's Best is a brand of Enjoy Foods International, based out of Fontana, CA. Read my previous review of their Original variety.

Enjoy Foods also makes the Enjoy brand of beef jerky which I reviewed previously.

The company has been making beef jerky since 1971. In 2000 & 2001 it hit financial difficulty and eventually fell into the hands of a receivership. Today, it continues to operate under Saab Enterprises, which does business as "Enjoy Foods International". In comparing the Enjoy brand with the Hickory's Best brand, it seems Hickory's Best is a lower grade of meat.

Enjoy Foods makes jerky out of its own USDA inspected facility.

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Cedar Creek Beef Jerky - Hot

Last year I wrote a review for Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, reviewing their Original variety. Recently the company sent me samples of their Hot, Teriyaki, and Peppered flavors. However, they sent me only 1oz of each flavor, while my Submission Guidelines asked for a minimum of 1.75oz to 2oz in order to write a detailed review.

So with just 1oz of each flavor, I'm going to put more focus on the Taste, and try to do what I can with the Meat Consistency.

Cedar Creek Beef Jerky is based out of El Dorado Springs, MO. The company makes jerky in its own USDA approved facility. Since I wrote the Original review last year, the company had been officially operating as "Cedar Creek Enterprise", but has since dropped that name.

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Luther's Smokehouse - Old Fashioned Beef Jerky

Luther's Smokehouse is a smokehouse located in LeRoy, KS, owned and operated by Martin Luther. Luther started out running a slaughterhouse, but in 1974 he added beef jerky to his list of products.

It was the construction of a nuclear power plant in Burlington, KS that made his jerky famous. Construction workers bought up tons of the stuff and word of his jerky spread around. Today, Luther focuses primarily on jerky and ships the stuff nationwide. His jerky store has since expanded to a convenience store and restaurant, becoming one of the popular attractions in LeRoy.

Luther makes all of his jerky at his own USDA inspected facility.

A letter included in his package to me said that he's now ready to retire and is looking for someone to buy his business.

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Wayne's Jerky - Mild

Wayne's Jerky is a brand of Wayne's Jerky, LLC based out of Sobieski, WI. The company has been in business since 2006, available in stores throughout north-east Wisconsin.

As of this writing, all of their jerky is sold in "bites", bite-sized pieces, and in a chopped and formed product. Only recently did the company get a website going with online purchasing.

In addition to this "Mild" variety, they also offer Medium, Hot, Extra Hot, and Teriyaki varieties.

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Da Bomb Jerky - Spicy Teriyaki

Da Bomb Jerky is owned and made by Brian Jacoby of Colorado Springs, CO. The brand has been around locally for over ten years, selling through flea markets, car shows, and other events. They just started selling online in 2008.

The company, which also appears to market itself as "Sticky Jerky" due to the sticky coating of flavorings, offers several flavors including their Original, a Mild Teriyaki, and several other hot varieties.

Jacoby sent me samples of all their flavors, but only this Spicy Teriyaki came in a large enough quantity to write a detailed review. As it turns out, this flavor is said to be the brand's "most exciting flavor".

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Jeff's Famous Jerky - Sweet Teriyaki

Next in the series on Jeff's Famous Jerky is this Sweet Teriyaki variety.

Jeff's Famous Jerky is owned by the company of the same name, based out of Big Bear City, CA. Jeff Richards has been making beef jerky since the 1970s perfecting his recipe year after year. His love for cooking took him into the restaurant business for over 20 years. He currently runs a consulting company called Creative Business Adventures where he helps entrepreneurs achieve success.

Jeff says he obtains a higher grade of beef than what many other brands use, and draws from his experiences in the restaurant business to obtain higher quality ingredients as well, explaining this is why his jerky priced higher than others.

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