Monday, February 10, 2025

Katie's Beef Jerky - Maple Habanero

katie's beef jerky
Maple Habanero is the newest flavor from Katie's Premium Jerky & Snacks, a brand owned by Katie's Snack Foods, LLC based out of Hilliard, OH. It was started in 2014 by Katie Levesque, a graduate of The Ohio State University.

According to Katie, she loves jerky so much, that she actually sleeps with it under her pillow (in a plastic bag), and prefers spicy jerky (so that other people won't ask for some). She loves it so much, she left her career as an engineer to launch her own jerky company. Katie's Premium Jerky & Snacks is made in its own USDA inspected facility.

This "Maple Habanero" variety is so new, it's still not on the company's website, but we're assuming it's going to be very soon. The company also has another new variety called, "Maple" (sans habanero), but we didn't get it for review.

Friday, February 7, 2025

Bakke Brothers Brand - Garlic Lovers Beef Jerky

bakke brothers 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 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 "Garlic Lovers" appears to be one of the brand's best sellers based on reviews.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Homegrown Meats Beef Jerky - Cracked Black Pepper

homegrown meats beef jerky
Homegrown Meats is a brand that launched in 2011, owned by a group of ranchers who've farmed the Palomar Mountain area of Southern California going back into the mid-1800s. They began marketing their steaks and cuts of beef to Whole Foods Markets shortly thereafter.

In 2016, they launched a line of jerky, and Whole Foods Market picked it up only for their Southern California market. However, in October 2018, Whole Foods announced it would begin selling Homegrown Meats Jerky nationwide, with a four of the company's specialized flavors, "Joel's Traditional", "Cracked Black Pepper", "Western Mesquite Barbecue", and "Paleo". The jerky is marked as, "gluten free" and "certified grass fed".

This Cracked Black Pepper variety, according Homegrown Meats, is described as being, "simple and straightforward", going on to say that it's made with, "coarse-cracked black pepper and that perfect touch of brown sugar".

Monday, February 3, 2025

Gentlemen's Beef Jerky - Lemon & Herb

gentlemen's beef jerky
Gentlemen's Beef Jerky is a new brand launched by Chef Shehu Fitzgerald, based out of Staten Island, NY. Chef Shehu gained famed after winning it all on Season Seven of Food Network, "Chopped". He went on to compete on "Chopped Champs" and on ABC's, "The Taste".

The celebrated culinary master spent over 20 years at high profile restaurants including the Ritz Carlton, the Marriott Marquis and Essex House. He is currently banquet chef at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii. He earned a culinary degree at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, and received certifications from The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif. and Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, United Kingdom.

This new line of jerky is an extension of his line of spice blends he started in 2014.