Legacy Meats - Applewood

Legacy Meats is a family-run meat-distribution business located in Kersey, Colorado. Ben Elliott, who built a career raising cattle, launched this business in 2012 when the trend for buying locally-sourced foods gained traction. Last year, Ben and wife opened up a store in Kersey.

Legacy Meats supplies grass-fed steaks and chops to local customers, but has built a following across the world. Recently, they added beef jerky to their product line up. You can purchase jerky packages individually, or through their own Jerky subscription program.

This Applewood Beef Jerky is described by them as, "...on the mild side with hints of hickory smoked marinate and applewood smoke flavor".

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Wicked Cutz Beef Jerky - BBQ Mesquite

Wicked Cutz Beef Jerky is a new brand, having debuted just a couple of months ago. It was launched by Branch Warren, a well-known body builder who has won numerous competitions over past couple of decades. Warren also owns other companies that market apparel and body building supplements.

Warren's move into beef jerky touches upon his heritage in the Texas cattle industry going back 150 years. He grew up on a cattle ranch and in his youth spent time as a ranch hand before moving on to body-building. Now in his retirement, he sought to start his own jerky brand and touch upon his cattlemen roots.

This BBQ Mesquite is described by the company as, "no ordinary jerky", going on to say that it's, "flavor is so pronounced", and, "taste is so delicious, this jerky will leave even the most loyal Pitmasters wishing they had more."

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J&K Beef Jerky - Whiskey BBQ

J&K Beef Jerky is a brand owned by J&K Distributors based out of Huntington Beach, CA. J&K Distributors is an actual distributing company that stocks convenience stores throughout Southern California. J&K has been around since 1980.

Like most distributing companies, J&K offers several brands of jerky for its store clients, but also offers its own house brand. According to the company, they've offered this jerky over the past 20 years.

This Whiskey BBQ beef jerky is claimed to be, "...the true flagship of our company", going on to say that it was created with their own, "sweet and tangy barbecue sauce with Cayenne pepper and real Kentucky Bourbon".

Ingredients

Beef, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, BBQ seasoning, whiskey bourbon, vinegar, honey, liquid smoke, corn syrup solids, cayenne pepper, sodium nitrite

Review

The first flavors that hit my palate is a sticky sweet BBQ sauce, weighted on sugar, but with a light spiciness. The chewing brings on more of the same, but with a light natural meat flavor coming on in the end.

For being marketed as "Whiskey BBQ" this strikes up a clearly identifiable barbecue sauce, more like the Kansas Style with a thick sweet, tomatoey profile, yet a lightly seasoned spice. There's even a touch of smoke noticeable. The Whiskey part is noticeable too, but you're not going to taste any alcohol. There's a faint fermented character to this along with a light whiskey burn going down the throat. If anything, the whiskey livens up the barbecue sauce and gives it more punch.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a thick sweet, tomatoey barbecue sauce with a light spiciness, a touch of ferment and a bit of whiskey burn going down the throat. There's a light natural meat at the very end.

These slices of meat are quite soft and very sticky from the heavy BBQ sauce marinade. Underneath that layer of sauce is still a chewy meat texture that takes on a steak-like feel once chewed down soft. This jerky tends to be stringy, however. Your fingers will pick up a lot of "goop" and you'll need to suck them clean before grabbing the steering wheel or touching the remote control.

Verdict

This Whiskey BBQ variety from J&K Beef Jerky dishes out a very lively barbecue sauce based on a thick sweet, tomatoey profile, a spicy combination of seasonings, and livened up with a dose of bourbon. You're not going to taste any alcohol in this, but you will notice a fermented character in the sauce, and you will feel a light whiskey burn going down. It's still a chewy jerky overall, but layered with enough sticky sauce that you'll need to suck your fingers clean before touching anything. While there's some stringiness in the chewing, this jerky takes on a steak-like texture that recreates a decadent barbecue-beef experience. This is probably J&K Jerky's best flavor.

Note: if you buy this, make sure to get the larger size package to get the bigger, softer slices.


Rating: Best (5/5)

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Ryder's Savage Jerky - Teriyaki

Ryder's Savage Jerky is a brand that launched in 2017 by Monica Willoughby based out of Sacramento, CA. Monica currently markets her jerky at local farmers markets, street fairs, and online through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

She started the business as a way to create a college fund for her 5-year old son Ryder. Last year she launched a crowdfunding campaign to secure licenses, materials, and equipment. Last month she got a boost after being featured on a television news show in Sacramento.

This Teriyaki beef jerky has no other marketed claims other than its name, "Teriyaki".

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Chew On This Jerky - Sweet & Spicy

Chew On This Jerky is a new brand of jerky launched in April 2018 by Eric Bowlus and Grace Bowlus, based out of Corona, CA.

Veteran-owned and operated, the Bowlus' history in craft jerky goes back over 40 years working in the food manufacturing industry. Eric began making jerky as a hobby just within the last five. After a couple of years making dehydrated meats, he decided to turn it into a business.

This Sweet & Spicy variety is described by the company as, "Beef Jerky with a sweet taste, a little hickory, then the heat", going to to say that it's their most popular flavor.

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Wicked Cutz Beef Jerky - Original Peppered

Wicked Cutz Beef Jerky is a new brand, having debuted just a couple of months ago. It was launched by Branch Warren, a well-known body builder who has won numerous competitions over past couple of decades. Warren also owns other companies that market apparel and body building supplements.

Warren's move into beef jerky touches upon his heritage in the Texas cattle industry going back 150 years. He grew up on a cattle ranch and in his youth spent time as a ranch hand before moving on to body-building. Now in his retirement, he sought to start his own jerky brand and touch upon his cattlemen roots.

This Original Peppered is described by the company as, "Smoked in a bed of flavorful bliss and peppered to perfection, this Jerky lines up all of your taste buds and peppers them with love and affection."

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Chew On This Jerky - Teriyaki

Chew On This Jerky is a new brand of jerky launched in April 2018 by Eric Bowlus and Grace Bowlus, based out of Corona, CA.

Veteran-owned and operated, the Bowlus' history in craft jerky goes back over 40 years working in the food manufacturing industry. Eric began making jerky as a hobby just within the last five. After a couple of years making dehydrated meats, he decided to turn it into a business.

This Teriyaki variety comes with no other claims or description other than "teriyaki".

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