West Virginia Beef Jerky

West Virginia Beef Jerky is a brand started by Wayne and Patti Burdette of Alderson, WV back in 1996.

Recently, the couple teamed up with meat processor named Peerless Food Service to take their brand into the competitive business of gourmet jerky. Produced in small batches, hand packed and graded, West Virginia Beef Jerky is claimed to be nitrate-free.

The company describes their jerky as, "Cowboy jerky", and as, "only a Mountaineer can make beef jerky this good".

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Whiskey Hill Smokehouse - Venison 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 says this Venison Jerky has , "No wild taste", and goes on to describe the flavor as, "Just a hint of tang with a little Black Pepper", and says the meat comes from, "slices of premium, tender VENISON prime steak".

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Chef Craig's Beef Jerky - Original

One the newest jerky brands on the market is Chef Craig's Beef Jerky. A product of CJM Products, it's based out of West Kingston, RI.

It's the idea of Craig Mitchell, who a few years ago, had sent me samples of his own homemade jerky, with the intent of launching a business someday. Mitchell received his Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University, and has been cooking professionally since 1978.

As of this review, the only flavor Chef Craig's offers is this Original.

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Smokehouse Jerky Co. - Original

Smokehouse Jerky Co. is a brand of Tender Heifer Snack Co., based out of Beaumont, CA. It was started in 2008, and is currently run by a husband and wife team, Franco Fonseca and Patti Fonseca.

The company takes pride in its beef brisket-based jerky, using meat sourced from California. They add no MSG and no preservatives, and focus on small batches at a time.

This "Original" variety is described by Smokehouse Jerky Co as, "its mellow smoky flavor complements the jerky’s lean meat", going on to say that it's, "perfect for people who love the classic taste of beef jerky".

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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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Western's Smokehouse - Big'un Snack Sticks

Western's Smokehouse has been in business since 1978, when it was founded by Sam Western, a man who built a career as a butcher. Originally starting as a local meat market, Western's Smokehouse struck it rich when it introduced it's first meat stick, "Western's Hot Dogs".

Renaming them to "Snack Sticks", the company expanded to meet demand by building a larger facility. Production of snack sticks remains as the company's primary focus today.

These "Big'un" Snack Sticks are essentially the same as the company's normal sized snack sticks we reviewed last week, even the same ingredients, but are double the length, and double the weight, for those who need something more visually impressive. Note however, this Big'un line includes a Jalapeno flavor, not available in the normal line of sticks.

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Western's Smokehouse Snack Sticks

Western's Smokehouse has been in business since 1978, when it was founded by Sam Western, a man who built a career as a butcher. Originally starting as a local meat market, Western's Smokehouse struck it rich when it introduced it's first meat stick, "Western's Hot Dogs".

Renaming them to "Snack Sticks", the company expanded to meet demand by building a larger facility. Production of snack sticks remains as the company's primary focus today.

In addition to these 1 ounce sized snack sticks, Western's also offers them in 2 ounce sizes called, "Big'un" as well as a line of natural snack sticks, both of which we'll review later.

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House of Jerky - Camel Jerky

House of Jerky has extended their line of exotic meat jerky to include this Camel Jerky. They also offer Python Jerky now too.

The company started in 1997 by Ron and Janie Honeycutt, a husband and wife team in Temecula, CA. They opened a store there, but eventually moved their corporate office to Evansville, IN. The Temecula store is still there. Since then, they've franchised their business and now have House of Jerky shops all over the country.

This package of Camel Jerky doesn't make any claims on flavor, texture, quality, nor even mention where the camels were sourced from, or even the breed of camel. It's just plainly labeled as, "Camel".

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Ayoba-Yo - Biltong

Ayoba-Yo is a brand of biltong and droëwors owned by Ayoba-Yo USA, based out of Oakton, VA. The brand got started in 2013.

Co-founded by Wian van Blommestein, Ayoba-Yo is a family run business that focuses on South African-style meat snacks. Made in a USDA-inspected facility, the company's biltong and droëwors is made from top round and spiced with an old family recipe. It's free of artificial ingredients and preservatives.

Ayoba-Yo describes their brand of biltong as being gluten-free, and, "...a tender piece of beef with a naturally explosive flavor."

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Pony Express Jerky - Original Beef Steak

Pony Express Jerky is a brand owned by Pony Express Enterprises based out of New Holland, PA. The brand was started in 2009 by Ted Cundiff, a veteran of the meat snack industry. Cundiff originally launched Wild Bill's Beef Jerky in 1983, a brand that was bought up by Monogram Foods in 2009.

Pony Express is manufactured in its own USDA inspected facility in New Holland, right in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. The company offers a retail location in Blue Ball, PA.

This "Original Beef Steak" is further labeled, "Monster Sized 2oz", and described by the company as, "Our original beef jerky will transport you back in time. A tradition started in the Wild West..."

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Firecreek Jerky - Original

Firecreek Jerky is a brand launched by Ryan Hansen based out of Jerseyville, IL. He got it off the ground in February 2016.

Hansen has been making "small batch" jerky from his family's meat business for the past three years. He makes jerky using USDA Choice Angus Beef. Since then, he's secured a deal with USDA inspected co-packer and is now relaunching the brand.

According to Firecreek Jerky, this Original is marketed as, "...an authentic, beef taste with perfect hints of salt, onion and garlic flavor profiles". It's also labeled as, "all natural" and "minimally processed".

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Jamie's Jerky - Turkey

Jamie's Jerky is the creation of Jamie Watt and his daughter Sasa Watt, based out of Crested Butte, CO. The Watts have been making jerky as a hobby for themselves and their friends for 35 years. They were getting so many requests that they finally decided to make it a business.

Jamie's Jerky claims to strive for "sustainable jerky", using only grass-fed beef and all natural turkey, with no hormones and antibiotics. It's also gluten-free. The company has won Gold Medals two years running at the Crested Butte "Annual Jerky-Off", fielding unamimous decisions both times.

This turkey jerky is claimed to be made from USDA Choice grade, all natural turkey, with no preservatives or MSG.

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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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Trailhead Beef Jerky - Original

Trailhead Beef Jerky is a brand of Trailhead Fine Foods, based out of Welshpool, Wales. The brand was launched in August of 2011 by Kevin Bigland in Cradley Heath, England, but in January 2013, the company was sold to Jason Howard, who moved it to Welshpool.

We originally reviewed two flavors from Trailhead back in June 2012, the "Hot Smoked Chipotle" and the "XXX Naga Jolokia", the latter scored a 5-star rating from us. Since being purchased by Jason in 2013, the company underwent a rebranding, and has since won the coveted, "Great Taste Award of 2015" for its Black Pepper beef jerky.

This Original beef jerky is described by Trailhead as being, "Delicately seasoned and carefully marinated to bring out the true flavour of our premium beef".

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Dave's Meat & Nuts - Classic Smoked Dry Beef 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 "Classic Smoked Dry" beef jerky is compared by Dave himself to other great classics like The Beatles, Julia Child, a '57 Chevy, and Neil Armstrong.

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Clean-N-Jerky - Original

Clean-N-Jerky is a new brand of beef jerky that launched just a year ago. It was started by Mischelle Marro, a Crossfit enthusiast, based out of Colorado Springs, CO.

When one day she was diagnosed with cancer, she changed to a paleo diet of natural ingredients. A friend of hers who marketed grass-fed beef gave her the inspiration to create her own beef jerky. Today, Clean-N-Jerky uses beef from free-range cattle that feeds on Maytag grass on the foothills of the Sangre De Cristo range in Colorado. It remains gluten-free and contains no preservatives.

Clean-N-Jerky is available in two flavors as of this writing, Original and Pepper. It can purchased from a variety of fitness and healthfood stores around Colorado, and through its website.

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Lehigh Biltong

Lehigh Biltong is a new brand that got started in September 2015 by Dan Levy, based out of Bethlehem, PA. Levy, who grew up in England from South African parents, had always loved biltong. But when he moved to the United States, it was hard to find.

After becoming frustrated with paying high prices for biltong and waiting weeks on delivery, Levy decided to make his own.

Now a senior at Lehigh University, he balances his studies in Mechanical Engineering and running his new biltong brand. He uses antibiotic-free beef, along with the usual ingredients of salt, vinegar, coriander, and black pepper, but throws in a kick of Old Bay seasoning.

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Steel Cowboy Jerky - Original

Steel Cowboy Jerky is a brand operated by Michael Basler out of Ste. Genevieve, MO.

Mike started making jerky 16 years ago. In 2010 he started selling it on eBay and in local stores. In 2015 he entered his jerky into the World Hot Sauce Competition and took 2nd Place. Steel Cowboy Jerky is made from eye of round beef. It's hand trimmed and sliced, then cured and marinated for 24 hours.

Aside from this Original, Mike also offers Salt & Lime, Cajun, Bacon Flavored, Maple, BBQ, Mesquite, Rootbeer, Fire, Teriyaki, Wildfire, and Lime & Tequila.

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Homegrown Meats Jerky - Good Ol' Traditional

Homegrown Meats is a brand owned by a partnership of ranchers and business associates based out of Palomar Mountain, CA. It's known for delivering cuts of certified grass-fed beef to Whole Foods Market locations throughout Southern California, and beyond.

This line of jerky is a recent addition to the brand, and was unveiled to the public at the recent Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA last March. Marketed as 100% grassfed, pasture raised, no hormones, no antibiotics, and no animal by-products, it's said to be made from the same beef that Whole Foods Market sells in their meat case.

This jerky is currently available at Whole Foods Markets in Southern California, and soon to be available from Homegrown Meats' website.

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Braaitime Biltong

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 Biltong to Americans.

Warren claims to be the only brand of biltong 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.

Biltong is a type of seasoned, dried meat whose recipe originated from South Africa. Similar to jerky in description, but tasting very much different, it's traditionally seasoned with vinegar, coriander, black pepper, and salt. Braaitime sells biltong unsliced, sliced, and flavored in Peri Peri and Garlic, and even in Venison.

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