Wednesday, July 26, 2017

4 Seasons Jerky - Orange Ginger Ghost Pepper

4 seasons jerky
4 Seasons Jerky is a new brand that hit the market late in 2016. Launched by a guy named, "Thom", short for Thomas, the company is based out of Highland, CA. Thom is an avid outdoorsman, and is outside all year-round, hiking, boating, snowboarding, to name a few.

4 Seasons Jerky uses lean round or flank cuts of meat, marinated for 24 hours.

This Orange Ginger Ghost Pepper variety is described by the company simply as, "...packs quite a punch!" It goes on to say that it's marinated with orange juice and ginger.

Monday, July 24, 2017

The Lawless Jerky Approach to Innovation

Matt Tolnick on the set of MVP
How does the team at Lawless Jerky, and particularly me as our resident “jerky chef,” come up with our line of world-inspired Braver Flavors, and convert those ideas into recipes you can find at your local convenience store, supermarket or mailbox?

My team and I keep our eyes on emerging culinary trends and influences that may not be familiar to most Americas. As you can see from Lawless Jerky’s flavors, I’ve found tremendous inspiration in cuisine throughout Asia: Japan, China, Thailand and beyond. I also had a powerful stroke of inspiration during a recent trip to Jamaica for a friend’s wedding. Jerk seasoning is only the tip of the iceberg (a flavorful iceberg) in Jamaican cooking. 

To start, I face the fundamental challenge of translating my inspiration into a marinade recipe that will convey the flavor into a single bite of jerky. I begin with similar ingredients to the original recipe, and a ton of trial and error! Lawless Jerky is unique in that we don’t consider the conventions of the industry, what the other guys are doing. I start from scratch with an idea, a dream flavor, in mind and work tirelessly until I’ve brought it to life. Along the way I keep copious notes to inform my next experiment, and to faithfully replicate the formula when I hit the jackpot.

In creating Lawless’ line of Braver Flavors, I’ve developed a technique that has served me well with flavors like Mango Habanero, Sweet Sriracha and Honey Chipotle. By balancing the heat of hot peppers with a corresponding sweetness, the resulting flavor profile is much richer and more enjoyable than if spicy or sweet were dominating the other on the palate. In sampling our products, you’ll also recognize the varying prominence of distinct flavor components during the course of the chew, particularly in our more complex recipes.

In addition to looking around the globe and into the future for our next big flavor, I also look back in time for ideas. Jerky is, of course, based on traditional methods of preserving meat. Part of Lawless Jerky’s craft approach draws upon the knowledge of our ancestors. Sometimes the old way of doing things makes for a more satisfying, flavorful and healthful result than the modern version that is optimized for automation, speed and cost.

Sometimes it’s as simple as persistent suggestion from an old friend. As long as I’ve made jerky, about 15 years, my buddy Ethan found every possible way to suggest I translate his favorite dish, Vietnamese Pho, into a jerky. Finally, when Lawless Jerky ran a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, the highest support level offered a batch of jerky in a flavor of the donor’s choice. I should’ve guessed that Ethan would take advantage, but that only required me to make a single batch. Despite my chagrin that he’d finally forced my hand, I wanted to faithfully recreate the flavor. I did plenty of research at restaurants around LA and in Vietnamese cookbooks to ensure the jerky had the full bouquet of flavors including cilantro, mint, basil, jalapeno, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fish sauce, plum sauce and more. Long story short, the Pho jerky came out so well it is now among our bestsellers at some retailers and a cornerstone of Lawless Jerky’s commitment to unique ingredients exquisitely combined.

Where to next? I can’t divulge all my secrets but I’ll provide some hints. First, we’re experimenting with new protein options for our jerky beyond the 100% grass-fed beef and humanely-raised pork of today. Goat is my personal favorite, but I’m not sure America’s quite ready for it. We’re also looking to Africa for a new Braver Flavor profile. And, most exciting, we’re working on a protein snack for a time during the day people don’t normally reach for jerky. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, use coupon code INNOVATION for 25% off your order at LawlessJerky.com so you can sample all of the delicious flavors discussed above.

Visit Lawless Jerky: http://www.lawlessjerky.com

Friday, July 21, 2017

Palm Springs Beef Jerky - Old West Original

palm springs beef jerky
Palm Springs Beef Jerky is a brand of Jerky Galore, based out of Palm Desert, CA. It recently launched earlier this year, and sells locally to outlets in the Palm Springs, CA area, and nationally through its website.

The brand uses USDA inspected American beef, marinated for 12-24 hours and slow cooked. They add no preservatives and claim their jerky is lower in sodium than most brands.

This "Old West Original" is described by the company as having, "...a special blend of spices in a unique marinade that has been refined to perfection. The result is a savory old west jerky with a well-balanced natural beef flavor; soft and tender decadence in every bite."

Friday, July 7, 2017

Hot Summer Calls for Hot Jerky

All across the country Americans have been enduring wickedly hot temperatures this summer. It seems that wickedly hot temps call for wickedly hot snacks. What could be better than Joe's Wicked Good Jerky's Wicked Hot?

Joe's Wicked Good Beef Jerky is a brand owned by Joe's Wicked Good Jerky Corporation, based out of Redding, CA. Husband and wife duo of Joe Nixt and Traci Nixt know a little something about making the best of beef jerky. Rated as "BEST" in our recent review, Wicked Hot is a very good jerky in terms of its sweet, saucy, seasoned marinade, and excellent meat consistency. The punch of chile pepper heat, and the endorphin rush, only makes this jerky better for me.

For being called, "Wicked Hot" it certainly is "hot" (level 5 out of 5) on our heat scale. I sure get a good endorphin rush and a fair amount of sweat beading on my scalp from Wicked Hot.

Studies show if you drink a hot drink on a hot day, it does result in a lower amount of heat stored inside your body, provided the additional sweat that’s produced when you drink the hot drink can evaporate. Imagine how well some hot jerky will work!

Apply some physics to your snacking routine. Cool down your summer snacking with Joe's Wicked Good Jerky Wicked Hot.

Buy this online:
https://www.joeswickedgoodjerky.com/

Monday, July 3, 2017

Save Over 10% When You Buy Dundalk Dan's Jerky Bundle

dundalk dan's beef jerky
Summer is the time of year to try new things. Travel somewhere you haven't been, go hiking, throw a surprise party -- all things you should try this summer.

But you know what's also something you should keep in mind this time of year? Saving money. In order to try as many new things as possible, you need to look out for where you can save a buck or two.

Luckily, Dundalk Dan's Awesome Beef Jerky has a way where you can accomplish both these things.

Introducing Dundalk Dan's Awesome Jerky Bundle!

Can't decide on which flavor to buy? Try one of each! In our new bundle you'll get one 2 oz. bag of each of Dundalk Dan's Awesome Beef Jerky's three flavors- Chesapeake, Sriracha, and Sweet BBQ!

Best part? You save $2 online versus when you purchase each flavor individually!

Each of these flavors provides high protein, without nitrites or MSG. All flavors are also gluten free and low in carbs!

Save even more when you buy more than one bundle with our Free Shipping On Orders Of $25 Or More offer! The more bundles you buy, the more you save.

Buy an Awesome Jerky Bundle or two today!
Happy chewing,
Dundalk Dan

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Sean Donnelly Loves Beef Jerky

Sean Donnelly is a professional hammer thrower. He was a finalist at the latest US Olympic Trials and is the sport's top ambassador on YouTube and Twitter.

Last week the guys at Lawless Jerky caught up with him for an interview about his love for throwing hammers and throwing down jerky...

Lawless Jerky: How did you first get into throwing the hammer?

Sean Donnelly: I used to play a lot of Xbox. I was a huge gamer. What got me, first, big into lifting was that my Xbox broke sophomore year of high school. If my Xbox hadn’t broken, I wouldn’t be the athlete I am today. I didn’t start throwing until my senior year of high school to impress a girl.

When I got to college, I decided I would give the sport 4 years to see where it takes me. Now here I am 6 years later and it’s taking me all sorts of interesting places.


LJ: In what way did you think throwing the hammer would impress the girl? Like as a primal feat of strength, or just being successful at something athletic?

SD: Well … high school kids are dumb. Her ex-boyfriend was a thrower from a different school. So I thought, if I do this and I’m better than him, I’m in. It actually kinda worked out, believe it or not.


LJ: Unlike Gymnastics or Basketball it seems that athletes in the throwing events don’t hit their prime until they’re a little older.

SD: Most people would say anywhere from 27 to 32, you could say 30 on average. It takes some time to develop. I’m 24, so I’m just getting started. Hammer throwing’s been in a bit of a slump but it’s working its way back up. A lot of young guys coming up, like myself, filling in the gaps left by some of the guys who just retired.


LJ: You hear about athletes in training eating a lot of calories. What number do you shoot for in training day?

SD: In season, I have to fuel my body just to maintain my body weight. I’m not trying to gain weight, I’m not really trying to lose weight. On my heavy training days I’ll probably hit close to 5,000 calories, 250 grams of protein and all sorts of carbs and fats to fill in the rest.


LJ: In one of your YouTube videos, it looked like you have four refrigerators in your house.

SD: Yeah, I live with seven other throwers [near the University of Minnesota campus] so we need a lot space for food.


LJ: What are your favorite flavors of Lawless Jerky to get a protein boost on the fly.

SD: I really like Sweet Sriracha. That was killer. All of them are good, but different. I also really enjoy the pork jerky, BBQ Spare Rib.


LJ: Can you tell us a little more about your training regiment?

SD: I’ll lift 3 days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I throw 5 days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. That’s been, more or less, my practice schedule since freshman year of college.


LJ: How many competitions will you participate in over the course of the year?

SD: There’s the Indoor and the Outdoor season. During the indoor season, I keep it really low key—only 2-3 competitions. In college, I would do 7-9 but I’ve scaled that back. Outdoor is more intense. I’m planning on 10-12 competitions Outdoors. That includes the [IAAF] World Championships team in August, which is like the Olympics without all the other sports. Same level of competition. Same big names competing. Just not as much publicity.


LJ: I’ve seen you say a lot of things can go wrong on any given throw.
SD: That’s true. Of 30 training days, I’ll have 3 of those 30 that I throw very well. The other 27 are either average training days, or crappy. At competition, it’s just about having faith in the training that you put in.

For the most part, I’ve had success throwing far at competitions. I get really excited when people are watching me. If my technique is feeling good, I’m automatically going to be feeling better physically than I ever would in practice. When I compete, I throw 5-6 meters farther.


LJ: When you release the hammer, and it’s in the air, what you do want to see to know it’s a good throw?

SD: When it’s in the air, it’s just flying. They say 37 or 38 degrees is the optimal release angle but if you get caught up in that you’ll forget the main things you need to do to make it go far. I focus on the feeling. If you get the feeling right, the release angle will be close, the release velocity will be fast, and it’s going far. My best throws are the ones where I “black out”. I don’t think about anything. The throw starts and everything shut off. My body does everything it needs to. I’ll release and “wake up” a couple seconds later like: Damn, I threw that far.


LJ: For a sport that’s not covered as much as others, you’ve taken it into your own hands with your vlog videos to draw some attention.

SD: I started vlogging not only to promote myself but to promote the sport. I wasn’t the first vlogger-thrower combo (I believe Cullen Aubski was) but since I started doing it, I’ve seen 7 or 8 others start. I’m on the front end of, not a revolution, but the track and field world is definitely changing and this whole self-promotion thing might make a difference.


LJ: When people discover that you’re a thrower, do they ever ask you to throw things?

SD: Every now and then. Usually it happens around someone’s family. A little cousin will come running along and their mom or dad will say, “He’ll throw you 30 yards over there”. Something like that. People don’t really say, “Take this chair and see how far you can throw it.” But I would definitely accept that challenge.

LJ: When this interview gets out, you’re going to hear it much more.


(Order yourself some Sweet Sriracha Jerky or Pork BBQ Spare Rib Jerky, at Lawless Jerky)