Country Archer Jerky - Cracked Pepper with Sea Salt

Country Archer Jerky is a well known brand in the meat snack industry, going back to 1977 when it became the private labeler for hundreds of brands over the decades. Now based in San Bernardino, CA, the company is leveraging its own brand and pushing its own line of jerky into stores across the country.

As the jerky market has migrated towards preservative-free, natural ingredients, so has Country Archer. The company claims it's jerky is handcrafted, made in small batches, using all natural ingredients.

This Cracked Pepper with Sea Salt flavor is simply described as having a "truckload of pepper", and is also marked as "gluten free".

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Wayne's Jerky - Ghost Pepper

New from Wayne's Jerky is this "Ghost Pepper" variety. See our other reviews of Wayne's Jerky.

Wayne's Jerky is a brand of Wayne's Jerky, LLC based out of Sobieski, WI. The company has been in business since 2006. The company advertises it's jerky as "Beef Jerky Bites", referring to the bite sized pieces they're cut into. It's also a chopped and formed type of jerky.

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

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Braaitime - Spicy Dried Beef

Braaitime is a brand of gourmet cured meats based out of Keansburg, NJ. The company was started in 2005 by Warren Pala. Warren immigrated from South Africa in 2001 and sought to introduce South African-style meat snacks to Americans.

Warren claims to be the only brand of Biltong & Droëwors holding true to the old world methods. "All other makers of Biltong have followed the 'jerky' method in order to achive USDA approval. They cook the meat to a certain temperature for a certain amount of time". Warren was able to get USDA approval with the help of local Italians who had already convinced USDA inspectors that their prosciutto & capacolo are shelf stable.

Described by the company as "Spicy Dried Beef", these Chili Bites are more comparable to American style jerky, but cut into narrow strips and dried by hanging in the air.

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Bakke Brothers Brand - Scorpion Peppered Beef Jerky

Bakke Brothers Brand is owned by Whiskey Hill Smokehouse, LLC based out of Hubbard, OR. Whiskey Hill also owns The Jerky Hut, as well as its own house brand, Whiskey Hill Smokehouse.

Bakke Brothers was started by Phil Bakke, one of Whiskey Hill's founders. The brand differs from The Jerky Hut in that it's free of preservatives such as sodium nitrite, sodium erythorbate, et al, and it's also gluten-free.

This Scorpion Peppered Beef Jerky is made with Trinidad Moruga Scorpion peppers and is marked as, "Gluten Free", "No MSG", and "No Nitrates", going on to say, "So you think you want to go a little hotter?".

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Blank and Sons - Black Peppered Beef Jerky

Blank and Sons is a new brand of beef jerky that started up just over a year ago, based out of Nacogdoches, TX. It's run by Damon Blank and his wife Tammy, along with their sons Danton, Dalton, and Dagon. The family had been in the restaurant business from 1988 to 2002. They had wanted to remain in the food industry and opted to launch a jerky business.

Blank and Sons is themed after the State of Texas, and the flavors they offer are paired with various flags used throughout the Lone Star State's history. They claim their jerky is hand made in small batches, but is bold and big as their Texas-sized pride.

This "Black Peppered Beef Jerky" is marketed by the company as having a flavor, "as bold as the men who fought at the Alamo", offering a fresh cracked black pepper and a mild heat.

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Dave's Meat & Nuts - Root Beer Habanero Jerky

Dave's Meat & Nuts is a brand that launched in January 2015 after raising funds on Kickstarter last November. We published a review back then, but withheld ratings until the company went live.

The company is the brainchild of Dave Gadlin, who had spent a great deal of time working in New York City with some of the country's best chefs and restauranteurs. He took his expertise out to Napa, CA to focus on his two biggest snack food passions, jerky and peanuts. Dave claims his jerky to be smoked in a real smokehouse.

This "Root Beer Habanero" is described by Dave as having a "Nice clean heat, a touch of sweetness with hints of Root Beer and a long lingering finish".

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Country Archer Jerky - Original

Country Archer Jerky is a well known brand in the meat snack industry, going back to 1977 when it became the private labeler for hundreds of brands over the decades. Now based in San Bernardino, CA, the company is leveraging its own brand and pushing its own line of jerky into stores across the country.

As the jerky market has migrated towards preservative-free, natural ingredients, so has Country Archer. The company claims it's jerky is handcrafted, made in small batches, using all natural ingredients.

This Original flavor is simply described as being made from the "awesomest cattle", and little else...

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