Whiskey Hill Smokehouse - Elk Jerky

Whiskey Hill Smokehouse is a brand owned and operated by Whiskey Hill Smokehouse, LLC, based out of Hubbard, OR. The company also owns The Jerky Hut brand of jerky, along with Bakke Brothers Brand.

According to the company, the Whiskey Hill Smokehouse brand focuses on exotic meats and more exotic recipes than The Jerky Hut and the Bakke Brothers lines. It also focuses on all natural ingredients and its jerky varieties are all marked as "Gluten Free".

Whiskey Hill Smokehouse describes this Elk Jerky as being made in a, "new natural Gluten Free recipe".

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Bakke Brothers Brand - Wild Game Snack Sticks

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'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.

These Wild Game Snack Sticks are is marketed as, "Super Lean", "Naturally Wood Smoked", and are made from a blend of Bison and Elk.

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Pearson Ranch Summer Sausages

Pearson Ranch is a family owned ranch specializing beef cattle and exotic meats since 1959. In 2000, the ranch shifted operations to snack meats, primarily sausages and jerky.

Jerky Dynasty is now offering them online, and with Christmas coming up, we thought we'd feature them as ideas for stocking stuffers.

These summer sausages are all preservative free, with no nitrites, no MSG, and are gluten free.

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Tony's Killer Elk Jerky - Peppered

Tony's Killer Elk Jerky is a brand of Beaver Mountain Distributors, based out of Beaver, UT. We actually reviewed this brand back in 2010, under the name "Tony's Killer Beef Jerky".

The "Tony's Killer" brand is not sold online, but in small, independent shops and roadside stands throughout the back country of the United States. The jerky itself is actually manufactured by a co-packer named, Springville Meat Company in Springville, UT.

We found this particular package of Peppered Elk Jerky, as well as another package of their Teriyaki Venison, at a local market in Soldotna, Alaska, during a recent trip.

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Buffalo Bob's Jerky - Exotic Meats

Buffalo Bob's is a brand owned by Mark Matthews, based out of Petaluma, CA. The brand's has enjoyed some great success developing a line of exotic meat jerky pressed into long strips that sell anywhere from $1.00 to $2.00 at country stores and other retail markets all across the country.

The jerky is manufactured by Zick's Specialty Meats, Inc., based out of Berrien Springs, MI, but the two companies are separately owned entities. The popularity of the brand stems from the low price and the novelty of exotic meats.

Buffalo Bob's Jerky is all chopped and formed and mixed with beef. It all comes pressed into these long strips.

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Battling Bulls Elk Jerky - Pepper Planks

Battling Bulls is a brand of Grande Premium Elk Meats, based out of Del Norte, CO. They're also known by their website, "ElkUSA.com".

I bought these packages of Pepper Planks from "Buck Thorntons' World Of Jerky", a jerky shop in Sedona, AZ while riding my motorcycle through there. Buck's daughter happened to be there, and she told me that these Pepper Planks were ranked by Maxim Magazine as one of the top ten jerkies of all time.

Seeing that my reputation as a jerky reviewer had now been called upon, I had to buy these and see if the folks at Maxim know their jerky or not. I told her about this blog I write, and she offered me a 10% discount if I mentioned the shop, so there you go.

For the record, Battling Bull's Elk Jerky actually comes from Krehbiels Meat Market & Deli in McPherson, KS. To my knowledge, they're just the meat processor, and not associated with Grande Premium Elk Meats.

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Gary West Meats - Elk Strips

Gary West Meats is a manufacturer of smoked meats, based in Jacksonville, OR. The company started in 1966, based on old family recipes handed down to Gary West by his grandfather.

While the company is well known for their smoked hams and turkeys, they've made a name for themselves in recent years as a manufacturer of "artisan jerky", putting emphasis on the natural meat flavors.

These elk strips is one of two exotic meat jerkies that Gary West Meats makes. The company says they use elk raised in natural environments, with no steroids, no hormones, and no antibiotics.

Interestingly, the package on these elk strips says "Beef Added", which is very common with exotic meat products. Many other manufacturers produce chopped & formed exotic meat jerky because they mix in about 10% beef, so as to escape the exotic meat certification requirements. However, according to Gary West Meats, they have a different explanation, though it sounds like it could be the same. A USDA inspector is in their factory every day, inspecting beef, but doesn't inspect any of the exotic meats. So in order to get their exotic meats inspected and approved, they add beef to it. To do this, they puree some beef and add it into the marinade. Then they soak the elk strips into the marinade. Technically, there's going to be some bits of beef stuck to the elk strips, but for all intents and purposes, it's whole elk meat.

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Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Co - Elk Jerky

Next in the series on Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Co. is this Elk Jerky. See my previous review of their Original Buffalo Jerky.

Based in Jackson Hole, WY, the company has been around since 1947 supplying buffalo and elk meat products to consumers and retailers. Today it has a shop in Jackson Hole, WY, and sells its meat products through its catalog and website.

This elk jerky is dubbed "Original Trapper Style", and the brand goes on to claim their elk are never fed any growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics, and are ranch-raised in the western USA.

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Climax Jerky - Elk

Climax Jerky is a brand based out of Dillon, CO, owned and operated by Brooke Comai. She got it started in 1998, selling jerky atop of Fremont Pass, some 11,000 ft above sea level where bicyclists, motorcyclists, and other tourists dared to brave the thin atmosphere.

As I continue to read forum posts across the Internet, it appears elk jerky is getting talked about more and more. People seem to believe that it provides a good balance between the gamey venison and the mild beef.

I had actually reviewed another elk jerky for Climax Jerky, it was their "smoked elk" which is actually a far different product than this standard elk jerky. This particular elk is Climax's "brisket cut", which Brooke describes as being more chewy. The smoked elk actually earned an award from Men's Journal magazine in July 2007 as the "best jerky in the country".

It'll be interesting to see how this brisket cut elk jerky stands in comparison.

Ingredients

Elk, water, salt, brown sugar, spices, soy powder, flavorings.

Taste

The tastes I pick up from the surface is a meaty aroma, and maybe smidgeon of sweet. Not much on the surface at all. In the chewing, I get some salty taste, and a good deal of meat flavors. I can detect some black pepper in the swallowing.

It's mostly the natural meat flavors that I taste in this jerky, with it's salty soy sauce marinade. It's not an overpowering meat flavor, but strong enough to be enjoyed. I don't get any gamey taste, just the great taste of elk.

The salt intensity in this is moderate. It's probably more salt than soy sauce. It seems to stay enough in the background not to overpower the elk taste.

There is a black pepper aftertaste that sits in the back of my mouth, but light.

Overall it's a good tasting jerky, though not necessarily a flavorful one. The flavor-intensity is light overall. The natural meat flavors provide the dominant taste, the salty flavor having a second-strongest flavor, and the black pepper with a faint and distant third.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be strips of whole meat, cut into widths of about 1/4 to 1/2 inches, and lengths of about 2-3 inches.

It's a semi-moist jerky, being rather soft and tender. It's not clearly as moist as Climax's Smoked Elk jerky, however. It's easy to tear apart, and even more easier to chew.

The chewing texture has a mushy consistency, almost like fried liver, but not quite as soft, and more fibrous. The jerky is actually quite chewy at first, but after several chews, with some hydration, it mushes up. Since I haven't eaten a lot of elk, this is perhaps more a character of elk than just this jerky.

It's pretty clean eating, it doesn't leave any fallen fragments or residue on my fingers. And it's very lean, seeing no pieces of fat or connective tissue.




Snack Value

Climax Jerky sells this elk jerky from its website at a price of $10.00 for a 3.5 ounce package. That works out to a price of $2.86 per ounce, making this an expensive buy.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at this price, it presents a fair value. I found it very snackable with its natural meat flavors, and easy-to-eat consistency. With the small one ounce review sample that I was given, it was tough to throttle myself down and eat this slowly.

As an elk jerky, it's a good value. It provides a moderate amount of natural meat flavors, with just barely enough seasonings in the salt and black pepper to give the meat some additional taste interest. Elk is always going to be more pricey than beef, so a price of $2.86 per ounce really isn't too bad.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

It wins by putting focus on it's natural meat flavors, which is something you want to taste when eating an exotic meat jerky like elk. Combine that with its easy-to-eat consistency, and it makes for a very snackable jerky.

The only complaint I have is that the meat flavors are not strong enough for me, it's moderate at best. I need more! If the meat flavors were stronger, then the seasonings and marinade can be stronger to provide a very flavor-intense jerky.

In comparison to Climax's smoked elk jerky, this stuff is not as good, the flavor is not as intense. The smoked elk gives you more natural meat flavors than this stuff.

Well, I tend to agree with others that elk jerky is a pretty good alternative to beef. It's taste is substantially different than beef, unlike buffalo or ostrich, but not quite as gamey as with deer.

Perhaps a nice beer companion to this is an IPA.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.climaxjerky.com

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Climax Jerky - Smoked Elk

Elk is one of the exotic meats that the US Department of Agriculture allows to be sold as "venison". But unlike deer, which most of us think of as true venison, elk is not as gamey, and more like beef.

This package of Smoked Elk is from Climax Jerky, a family-run business based out of Dillon, CO. It's headed by Brooke Comai, who got it started in 1998 by selling bags of jerky atop Fremont Pass along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Her family continues to sell their jerky up at that elevation to tourists and bicyclists braving the thin atmosphere.

This particular smoked elk happens to be the best selling jerky at Climax. It's a tenderloin cut of elk smoked with hickory, and is very moist. It actually needs to be kept refrigerated, even if the package has never been opened. In July 2007, Men's Journal magazine named it the best jerky in the entire country.

(And they must have eaten an awful lot of jerky to figure that one out).

Ingredients

Elk, seasoning (brown sugar, salt, sugar, spices, onion, garlic), water, vegetable dry powder (celery juice, sea salt, raw sugar, spices), lactic acid starter culture.

Taste

The tastes I get from the surface of these pieces is a slight bit of smokiness, a slight bit of sweetness, and a faint meaty aroma. Moving into the chewing, I pick up some saltiness, and a good deal of meat flavors. In the swallowing, I get some gamey taste.

First off, this isn't a jerky that you suck on and savor as there's little taste for that. This is largely a jerky that you bite off and chew right away. All of the flavor seems to be in the chewing.

And that flavor is the natural meat flavors, which dominates this jerky overall. I get a strong meat aftertaste as well. I'm not an elk expert, so perhaps I'm not credentialed to describe the quality of this elk. But I can tell that it's different from beef. The meat has that "gamey" taste to a slight degree, which I think is the result of elk meat being more densely packed with blood. That blood is probably what also gives this meat a slight sweet flavor.

And that slight sweet meat flavor tends to show up in greater degrees in certain areas of these strips. In a some bites, I almost thought there was some kind of fruit mixed in, like maybe raisin, or cranberry. But there isn't any, just pure meat.

And for being free of preservatives, this has a fresh taste, provided it's kept refrigerated until you open it.

In terms of others flavors, the garlic is noticeable and does give off a slight garlic aftertaste. I can also sense the aftertaste of black pepper. And there is also that slight sweetness off the surface. But for the most part, these flavors are all slight. It's the natural meat flavors that I taste the most.

There's also salt, but even the saltiness is not strong, maybe just moderate at the most.

After several pieces, I can feel a slight spicy bite in the back of my mouth. I don't know if that's the black pepper, or something else. This jerky is still mild in terms of spiciness.

Overall, it's a delicious jerky that punches out a strong taste of smoked elk meat, with hints of other spices, just enough to make the meat more interesting.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be strips of whole meat, sliced into widths of about 1/2 to 1 inch, and in lengths of about 4 inches. They are sliced very thick.

It's a very moist and tender jerky. It's almost like eating it straight off of a barbecue grill. And it's very soft to eat. It bites off as easily as a stick of string cheese, and probably about as easy to chew.

The chewing texture has a lot of that fibrous, steak-like quality, but it also has a mushy texture to some degree.

These strips have a lot of moisture on the outside, leaving some of it on my fingertips.

And they're also very lean, I didn't really find any pieces of fat, tendon, or gristle.




Snack Value

Climax Jerky sells this Smoked Elk at a price of $12.45 for a 4 ounce package. That works out to a price of $3.11 per ounce, making it expensive. You can get it at a lower $2.40 per ounce if you buy the larger 16 ounce package.

For general jerky snacking purposes, it's a fair value, but only because of the high price. All of its taste comes in the chewing, and you'd only enjoy this if you love the taste of elk. Otherwise, the soft and moist texture of this meat will have you eating through this so quickly, you may not gain much appreciation of the elk.

As an elk jerky, I think it's a much better value. You'd eat this purely to enjoy the flavors of elk that makes this meat so unique. And in fact, you're getting a lot of natural meat flavors. If you can discipline yourself to eat this slowly, and think about the flavors you're experiencing, then you can get plenty of bang for your buck.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

The strong taste of elk meat is what won me over with this jerky. Considering you'd pay a lot of money to acquire a bag of this stuff, getting a strong dose of the elk flavors is what you'd hope to get, and you definitely get it here.

The seasonings in this jerky are light, but that's better only because it adds some interest to the meat, rather than take over the meat entirely.

And then there's the unusually soft and moist consistency to this meat that adds to the overall pleasure of eating this.

Climax Jerky also offers this elk jerky in teriyaki, peppered, and spicy. I think the spicy might actually be more enjoyable, just because I seem to like everything spicy.

I think a great companion beer is some kind of porter.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

• http://www.climaxjerky.com

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