SlantShack Jerky - Jerk McGurk's Wild Rubdown

Next in the series on SlantShack Jerky is their Original variety with Jerk McGurk's Wild Rubdown. See last week's review of their Original beef jerky, plain.

SlantShack Jerky is a brand of SlantShack Jerky, LLC based out of Jersey City, NJ. The company, which has been selling it's jerky to the public for a year now, was the creation of Josh Kace, a Columbia University graduate who brought in some friends to get the business going.

The company offers a "Build A Jerky" feature on their website where you get to choose your jerky upgrades and options. Today's review is based on their Original beef jerky, but with Jerk McGurk's Wild Rubdown, which is described as a blend of cayenne pepper and brown sugar. It costs an extra $1.00 per 4oz package to get the Jerk McGurk's.

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Halal Jerky - Teriyaki

Next in the series on Halal Jerky is this Teriyaki variety. See last week's review of their Original flavor.

Halal Jerky is a brand of Halal Jerky, LLC based out of Corona, CA. It's a new brand having launched in February 2010.

The name "halal" refers to any product or activity that's in compliance with Islamic Law. In the case of meats, animals must be "zabihah", which is a specific method and ritual in which animals are slaughtered. The folks at Halal Jerky, LLC claim that they have personally inspected the way in which cattle have been slaughtered, and their packaging carries a Zabihah stamp.

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Jerky John's - Black Pepper

Last in the series on Jerky John's is this Black Pepper variety. See my previous reviews of their American Original, Cayenne Hot, and Pacific Teriyaki varieties.

Jerky John's is a brand of Jerky John's, Inc. based out of Huntington Beach, CA. Launched in 2009 by John Keller, a former Army paratrooper, the brand markets itself as being the healthiest beef jerky. It boasts one of the lowest, if not the lowest sodium content, and about 40% lower cholesterol. It's also about 50% lower in calories than other brands.

Keller started making beef jerky in 1994 to supplement his paratrooping activities.

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Steve's Original - Paleokit Coconut Pineapple

Next in the series on Steve's Original is this Coconut Pineapple Paleokit. See my previous review of their "Just Jerky".

Steve's Original is the creation of Steve Liberati, the founder of Steve's Club, a fitness center for disadvantaged youth. Steve's Club was started in Camden, NJ to teach kids about health and fitness, and keep them off the streets.

The "Paleokit" is his flagship product, a mixture of jerky, nuts, and fruit based on the Paleo Diet, a concept in eating foods consumed in the paleolithic era when humans just hunted and gathered. The beef comes from grass-fed and free-range cattle.

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Oberto - Southern Style BBQ Pork Jerky

The newest jerky variety from Oberto Sausage Co. is this Southern Style BBQ Pork Jerky. It first appeared on the market last year on a limited basis, and after successful response the company made it a permanent part of their line up.

Pork jerky seems to be a popular item with Oberto, as this is their second pork snack since I reviewed their Peppered Pork Jerky over a year ago.

Right now, this Southern Style BBQ Pork Jerky is available in select retail and convenience stores, including Costco stores in the Pacific Northwest. A company spokesman says this new variety will be hitting more Costco locations soon.

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Ripken Power Shred - Sweet n' Spicy

Ripken Power Shred is a brand of Florio Sports, LLC based out of Long Valley, NJ. The company partnered with Cal Ripken Jr. to offer up a beef jerky snack that bears the Iron Man of Baseball's name and number.

The company launched this new snack just this month at the 2010 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show in Atlanta, GA. The company agreed to donate a portion of all sales to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, a nonprofit that serves at-risk youth and underserved communities in the United States.

Ripken Power Shred uses a smaller 3oz package resembling a pouch of tobacco chew that reminds me of the Big League Chew bubblegum. They also offer the standard 0.32oz jerky chew canisters.

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JV Jerky - Mild Beef Jerky

JV Jerky is a brand of JV Jerky, Inc. based out of Lodi, OH. It's actually more well known by locals in the North East Ohio area as part of Mack's Food Center, a fixture in Medina County since 1947 as a combination grocery store, deer processor, and meat locker.

Both Mack's Food Center and JV Jerky are owned by John Vanni, the son of the original owners, and seems the likely candidate where JV Jerky gets it namesake. The company manufacturers its jerky in a smokehouse next to Mack's Food Center, using real hickory wood.

JV Jerky offers six flavors altogether, including this Mild, as well as Habanero, Hawaiian, Hot, Hot Cajun, and Teriyaki, which I'll be reviewing over the coming weeks.

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SlantShack Jerky - The Original

SlantShack Jerky is a brand of SlantShack Jerky, LLC based out of Jersey City, NJ. The company, which has been selling it's jerky to the public for a year now, was the creation of Josh Kace, a Columbia University graduate who brought in some friends to get the business going.

A Google search of SlantShack Jerky brings up dozens of news reports with the kind of fanfare and freshness that only Silicon Valley entrepreneurs seem to get these days. SlantShack's website shows a staff of eight people and five consultants while most small jerky brands have only a husband/wife team running the whole show.

The packaging states that their jerky is manufactured by Vermont Highland Cattle Co., which I assume means their jerky is made from highland cattle, which I understand is some of the most sought after beef in the world. They also offer a "Build A Jerky" feature where you get to choose your jerky upgrades and options.

"The Original" appears to be their most basic variety. I also have another package of The Original with Jerk McGurk's Wild Rubdown, and their Hot & Smoky with Brown Sugar Glaze to review in the coming weeks.

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Halal Jerky - Original

Halal Jerky is a brand of Halal Jerky, LLC based out of Corona, CA. It's a new brand having launched in February 2010.

The name "halal" refers to any product or activity that's in compliance with Islamic Law. In the case of meats, animals must be "zabihah", which is a specific method and ritual in which animals are slaughtered. The folks at Halal Jerky, LLC claim that they have personally inspected the way in which cattle have been slaughtered, and their packaging carries a Zabihah stamp.

The company offers four flavors, this Original, plus a Hot Hickory, a Teriyaki, and a Sweet & Spicy. There's also a Soft Chew Nuggets variety coming out soon. I'll be reviewing their Hot Hickory, Teriaki, and Soft Chew Nuggets later on.

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Jerky John's - Cayenne Hot

Next up in the series on Jerky John's is this Cayenne Hot variety. See my previous reviews of their American Original, and Pacific Teriyaki varieties.

Jerky John's is a brand of Jerky John's, Inc. based out of Huntington Beach, CA. Launched in 2009 by John Keller, a former Army paratrooper, the brand markets itself as being the healthiest beef jerky. It boasts one of the lowest, if not the lowest sodium content, and about 40% lower cholesterol. It's also about 50% lower in calories than other brands.

Keller started making beef jerky in 1994 to supplement his paratrooping activities.

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Black Tiger Beef Jerky - Vicious

Last in the series on Black Tiger Beef Jerky is this Vicious variety. See my reviews of their Legend Original, and Jungle Spice.

Black Tiger Beef Jerky is a brand of Black Tiger, LLC based out of La Mirada, CA. It's a relatively new brand, having just launched a website this summer, and just starting to get its products in stores.

This Vicious is their hot variety, flavored with habanero chiles and lime juice.

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Steve's Original - Just Jerky

Steve's Original is the creation of Steve Liberati, the founder of Steve's Club, a fitness center for disadvantaged youth. Steve's Club was started in Camden, NJ to teach kids about health and fitness, and keep them off the streets.

He created the "Steve's Original" line of snack foods to offer his kids protein-rich, all-natural foods. His signature product is the "Paleokit" a mixture of jerky, nuts, and fruit based on the Paleo Diet, a concept in eating foods consumed in the paleolithic era when humans just hunted and gathered. The beef comes from grass-fed and free-range cattle.

This particular product I'm reviewing here, "Just Jerky", is simply minus the fruit and nuts. But I'll be reviewing a couple of the Paleokits in the following weeks.

Profits from the sales of Steve Original products goes towards keeping Steve's Club operational.

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Jeff's Gourmet Jerky - Jalapeno Carne Asada

The newest flavor from Jeff's Famous Jerky is this Jalapeno Carne Asada Flavor variety.

Jeff's Famous Jerky is a brand owned and operated by Jeff Richards, out of Big Bear City, CA. Jeff has been making beef jerky since the 1970s. 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.

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Mountain Trail Beef Jerky - Black Pepper Traditional Cut

Next in the series on Mountain Trail Beef Jerky, is this Black Pepper Traditional Cut variety. See last week's review of their Honey Smoked Traditional Cut.

Mountain Trail Beef Jerky is a homemade brand owned by John Murphy of Prospect Heights, IL. Murphy sells his jerky through his own eBay store, as well as through local bars and farmers' markets. John smokes his jerky in a smoker he built, and that making jerky has been a hobby of his for 12 years now. He has five flavors (teriyaki, red pepper, black peppered, habanero, and honey smoked), along with three meat cuts to choose from (Tradional cut with the grain, Cross-cut against the grain, and Jerky Stix). All flavors have a teriyaki base marinated for 24 hours.

The following review is based on jerky that I purchased from his eBay store. Along with last week's Honey Smoked Traditional Cut, I also have his Black Peppered Jerky Stix to review next week.

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Jerky John's - Pacific Teriyaki

Next in the series on Jerky John's is this Pacific Teriyaki beef jerky. See last week's review of their American Original.

Jerky John's is a brand of Jerky John's, Inc. based out of Huntington Beach, CA. Launched in 2009 by John Keller, a former Army paratrooper, the brand markets itself as being the healthiest beef jerky. It boasts one of the lowest, if not the lowest sodium content, and about 40% lower cholesterol. It's also about 50% lower in calories than other brands.

Keller started making beef jerky in 1994 to supplement his paratrooping activities.

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Black Tiger Beef Jerky - Jungle Spice

Next in the series on Black Tiger Beef Jerky is this Jungle Spice variety. See last week's review of their "Legend Original".

Black Tiger Beef Jerky is a brand of Black Tiger, LLC based out of La Mirada, CA. It's a relatively new brand, having just launched a website this summer, and just starting to get its products in stores.

This Jungle Spice variety is described as a spicy Thai, with sweet chili and lime flavor.

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Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky - Barbecue

Last in the series on Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky is this Barbecue variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Spicy Hot varieties.

Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky is a brand of Walnut Creek Cheese of Walnut Creek, OH, having been in business since 1977. Walnut Creek Cheese is a popular destination for tourists visiting the Amish Country of Ohio.

In 1998, they acquired Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky, and today it's manufactured in Walnut Creek Cheese's own USDA inspected facility.

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Luther's Smokehouse - Turkey Jerky

Last in the series on Luther's Smokehouse is this Turkey Jerky. Read my previous reviews of their Old Fashioned Beef Jerky, Hot Beef Jerky, Teriyaki Beef Jerky, Jalapeno Beef Jerky, Pemmican Style Beef Jerky, Pemmican Jalapeno Beef Jerky, Midnight Special, and Cowboy Pocket Food.

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 and today it's his primary business.

Luther makes all of his jerky at his own USDA inspected facility. He also runs a restaurant and country store.

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