Crazy Horse Jerky - Cajun Chicken

Next up in the series on Crazy Horse Chicken Jerky is this Cajun flavor. See my review of their Original flavor.

Chicken jerky is quickly becoming a popular phenomenon, and seemingly one day may replace turkey as the favorite among poultry jerky. Chicken jerky had long been a popular form of dog treats, but recently it's been found that it has greater flavor satisfaction than turkey jerky, and is now in the realm of people treats.

Crazy Horse currently offers two varieties of chicken jerky, this Cajun flavor, and the Original I reviewed earlier.

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Grandpa's Beef Jerky - Original Cajun

Grandpa's Beef Jerky is a brand started by Jacob Piercy, based out of Fishers, Indiana. Piercy remembers being a kid and watching his grandfather hanging deer meat for jerky. Eventually, his grandfather handed down the recipe and process.

Today, Piercy sells packages of Grandpa's Beef Jerky at farmers markets across Indiana and online too, allowing jerky fans across the USA to enjoy a family legacy.

This "Original Cajun" is described as tasting, "...as though it's straight from the Bayou.", and is marked as, "Medium".

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Shiner's Stash Jerky - Cajun Spice

Shiner's Stash Jerky is a brand launched by Swen Altis, based out of Conover, NC. Marketed with the tagline, "Made in the foothills of North Carolina", Altis started Shiner's Stash in 2016 after a successful career as an executive chef, working in professional sports for major league baseball teams, hockey teams, and football teams.

Shiner's Stash uses 100% Prime Beef Eye-Round & Pork Loin, sliced thick and cut against the grain. They make all their jerky themselves, in their own USDA inspected facility, as opposed to contracting it out to a co-packer. They currently have 19 varieties of beef and pork jerky.

This Cajun Spice variety is described by company as, "the perfect blend of southern Cajun spices. Combination of "TWANG" overtones and delicate sweetness with a Louisiana Cajun punch. No spice/heat."

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Jeff's Famous Jerky - Cajun Style

The newest flavor available from Jeff's Famous Jerky is this Cajun Style, now selling as of this month.

It's described by the company as being inspired, "... from the rich, savory and spicy flavors made famous in history from the South. Three types of peppers accent an array of garlic, onion and fragrant spices in our original Cajun-style marinade. Slow cooked to tender excellence; we purposely toned the heat down to medium levels so everyone could enjoy it!."

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. In 2006 he started working on creating his own beef jerky brand, and just last year saw the launch of his new company.

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Little Bit Jerky - Twisted Bit

Little Bit Jerky is a new brand that launched in February 2016, by Robert Helmcamp and Teresa Helmcamp, based out of Wichita Falls, TX.

Robert is a professional butcher of 22 years, learning the craft the "old school" way, and developed his own seasonings. Little Bit Jerky is made fresh daily from top round, and marinated for 18-24 hours.

This "Twisted Bit" is described by the company as tasting Cajun variety, "with a mix of traditional Texas smoke flavor twisted with the bold taste of jalapenos."

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Bayou Blend - File Gumbo

Bayou Blend Meat Snacks is a brand of beef jerky based out of Napoleonville, LA. The company was started by Milton Hock in January 2013.

Hock had been making jerky for some 20 years before launching Bayou Blend. He started the business after seeing an opportunity to offer meat snacks with more unique cajun-style flavor than competing brands.

This File Gumbo is described on the package as, "Creole Blend Beef Jerky".

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Hungry Truckers Beef Jerky

Hungry Trucker Beef Jerky is the creation of Tim Kirchhofer, based out of Wapakoneta, OH. Tim started the line of jerky just this year.

Kirchhofer is a truck driver who relies on beef jerky to help him get through the day. He became tired of the same old stuff sold at truck stops, and wanted to come up something entirely his own. He offered it to friends and received so many words of encouragement, that he's trying his hand at the beef jerky business.

Hungry Trucker Beef Jerky currently offers 6 flavors, but have sent us 4 flavors for review. Right now all of their orders are done via Facebook.

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Pap's Beef Jerky - Blazin Cajun Thin Cut

Note: Pap's Foods is a sponsor of this website, but has no effect on our ratings and reviews.

Pap's Beef Jerky, introduced a revised line of jerky, with a new line of recipes. See our previous reviews of their jerky.

Four new varieties now anchor their beef jerky lineup, Mild, Hot, Blazin Cajun, and Pitmasters BBQ. Pitmasters BBQ is the only variety carrying over from the previous lineup. The words "Thin Cut" now grace Pap's beef jerky packaging, which is considerably more thin than their previous cut.

Pap's Beef Jerky originally grew from Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks. Pap's is a creation of Rick Waldon, based out of Junction City, KY. Pap's Beef Jerky is made using USDA inspected beef in a USDA inspected facility.

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Bayou Blend - Luziana Bonfire

Bayou Blend Meat Snacks is a brand of beef jerky based out of Napoleonville, LA. The company was started by Milton Hock in January 2013.

Hock had been making jerky for some 20 years before launching Bayou Blend. He started the business after seeing an opportunity to offer meat snacks with more unique cajun-style flavor than competing brands.

This Luziana Bonfire is claimed to be similar to the Melange Original we reviewed last month, but adding a touch of "bite" to the back end.

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Pap's Beef Jerky - Bayou Blitz Cajun

Note: Pap's Foods is a sponsor of this website, but has no effect on our ratings and reviews.

The newest flavors in the line of Pap's Beef Jerky is this Bayou Blitz Cajun Style jerk.

Pap's Beef Jerky is a new product from Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks, which we reviewed previously. Pap's is a creation of Rick Waldon, based out of Junction City, KY.

This Bayou Blitz Cajun Style is described as "Traditional cajun spices of garlic, onion, pepper, and spices are liberally applied to elevate the natural meat flavors of beef and create a savory beefy compliment to our in the Cajun nation."

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Gnawjaw Beef Jerky - Angry Dill

Last in the series on Gnawjaw Premium Beef Jerky, LLC is this Angry Dill variety.

Gnawjaw is a new beef jerky brand that launched last year, based out of York, PA. It's the concept of Eric Farrington, who had been making deer jerky most of his life. When he settled on a recipe that he really liked, he transferred it to beef. When he decided to make a business out of jerky, Farrington built a 1,000 square foot dehydration building dubbed, "the beef morgue".

This Angry Dill variety is said to have a subtle dill flavor, followed by a slow Cajun heat that peaks out as it works it way across the tongue.

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Gnawjaw Beef Jerky - Cajun

Next in the series on Gnawjaw Premium Beef Jerky, LLC is this Cajun Beef Jerky. See my review of their Sweet Beef Jerky.

zGnawjaw is a new beef jerky brand that launched last year, based out of York, PA. It's the concept of Eric Farrington, who had been making deer jerky most of his life. When he settled on a recipe that he really liked, he transferred it to beef. When he decided to make a business out of jerky, Farrington built a 1,000 square foot dehydration building dubbed, "the beef morgue".

This Cajun variety is said to have enough heat to wake up your tongue with layers of flavor through and through.

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Crazy Horse Beef Jerky - Cajun

Note: Crazy Horse is a sponsor of this website, but has no effect on our ratings and reviews.

Next in the series on Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is this Cajun variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Sweet varieties.

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is a brand made by Dave Wenrich in Hellam, PA, who started making this brand about nine months ago, based on a old family recipe that he got from his father, who received the recipe from his father, who received it from his father.

Dave smokes all of his jerky from USDA certified bottom round in a homemade smoke house using maple, oak, and fruit woods, and sells it locally in some shops and on his eBay store.

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JW's Jerky - Cajun

Last up for review in the series on JW's Beef Jerky is this Cajun variety. See my previous of review of their Medium variety.

JW's Jerky is a brand owned by Jerry Wilkinson of Oklahoma City, OK. The brand has been selling in trade shows, fairs, and festivals for the past 10 years throughout Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.

JW's doesn't quite have a website yet, though they are working on one at www.jwsjerky.com, but for now they are online via Facebook, and orders can be placed by phone or e-mail. Jerry makes all the jerky himself, trims it by hand, and marinates the beef in vacuum tumblers. Orders placed via phone or e-mail are made fresh to order. Currently he has three flavors, this Medium, a Cajun, and an Original. He can also do Ghost Pepper upon request.

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JV Jerky - Hot Cajun Style

Next in the series on JV Jerky is this Hot Cajun Style. See my previous reviews of their Mild, Habanero, and Teriyaki varieties.

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. The company manufacturers its jerky in a smokehouse next to Mack's Food Center, using real hickory wood.

This Hot Cajun Style is described by JV Jerky as "Our Cajun style beef strips are seasoned with our secret "Louisiana Cajun" flavorings and red, white and black pepper. The strips are smoked in our stone smokehouse to give you that spicy deep south Louisiana taste. Great flavor and good heat, but it's not going to hurt you. A favorite of all spicy food lovers."

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Riley's Jerky - Cajun

To this day the two reviews I wrote for Riley's Jerky back in November of 2008 continue to be among the most widely read here on Best Beef Jerky, which suggests that the brand enjoy's something of a cult status.

For one, Riley's Jerky is difficult to find in stores unless you live in Northern California. Travelers who stop at a gas station and discover it, later try to find it in their hometown, only to discover it's not around. They therefore run a Google search and find this website instead.

So to that effect, Britt Burkholder, the guy who took over when Riley himself passed away, sent me samples of their other flavors to take additional advantage. And the company has launched a website of their own, and hope to soon get online ordering in place.

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Fatman's Beef Jerky - Cajun

Fatman's Beef Jerky is a brand of Red Meat Foods, LLC, based out of Roswell, NM.

I had reviewed several of their beef jerky varieties about a year and a half ago. Since then, Rick Robey, the guy behind the brand, released a few more flavors, a Sweet & Spicy, a Barbecue, and this Cajun. You can read my previous reviews of Fatman's here.

Prior to launching Fatman's, Rick Robey owned and operated a holstein calf raising business for 30 years as well as a USDA inspected packing plant. All of his jerky is made from inside rounds of American-raised beef, marinated for 24 hours in Robey's own homemade recipes. He makes all his jerky in his own USDA inspected facility.

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Mark's Meat Co. - Cajun Honey

Next in the series on Mark's Meat Co. is this Cajun Honey Beef Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Spicy Garlic and Lemongrass Teriyaki beef jerky.

Mark's Meat Co. launched earlier this year, being based out of Carmichael, CA, and is the creation of two friends, Mark and Chris. Mark had been making jerky for about six years, when he had Chris try some of it out. Chris was quite impressed, enough so that he encouraged Mark to launch a business. Now the two are business partners.

This "Cajun Honey" beef jerky is described by the company as "a deceiving combination of subtle sweetness with a gradual build and development of flavor from Nature's own sweetener to the bite of fiery peppercorns."

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McDonald's Meats - Cajun Smokey Dried Beef Strips

Next in the series on McDonald's Meats are these Cajun Smokey Dried Beef Strips. See my previous reviews of their Original Beef Jerky, and Original Smokey Dried Beef Strips.

McDonald's Meats is a full service butcher shop in Clear Lake, MN, in operation since 1914. It was actually in operation before then, but under a different name. The business was handed down from father to son to grandson. The company offers 22 varieties of jerky, smoked over real wood, and made in their own USDA inspected facility.

I found their beef strips tend to be better than their beef jerky in that they seem to have a stronger, and even smokier meat flavor. It's also easier to eat in that you just bite off a chunk, instead of ripping a slab apart.

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Gary West Meats - Cajun

Gary West Meats is a small family owned meat business in Jacksonville, Oregon, dating back to 1966. It was created by Gary West who made use of old family recipes handed down to him by his grandfather. In addition to making beef jerky, they produce smoked hams and turkeys.

The company refers to their jerky products as "strips" rather than "jerky" claiming that it's more moist than typical jerky. All of their jerky is hand made from beginning to end.

In 2004, Gary West sold the business to his daughter and son-in-law, who continue to operate it today. Since then, it's jerky business has skyrocketed and has been featured on all the major media outlets, CNN, ABC News, The Food Network, Good Morning America, New York Times, and Outdoor Life.

Gary West Meats also offers a separate line Certified Angus Beef jerky, and is the only brand authorized to make jerky from CAB.

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