4D Acres Emu Jerky - With Raisins

4D Acres is an emu ranch in Louisburg, KS, owned and operated by Mike and Dee Martin.

In the late 1980s commercial emu ranching got started for purposes of selling meat and oil. The oil has become particularly valuable after stories of aborigines in Australia having used it as a general purpose ointment. Today, 4D Acres primary product is emu oil.

The jerky that 4D Acres sells are all chopped & formed, with 3% beef. I'm not certain the reasons for adding 3% beef, other than it could be due to USDA inspection requirements for exotic meats. 4D Acres offers this "with Raisins" as well as "with Cranberries", which I'll review later. They also offer a spicy version with Jalapenos.

Their jerky appears to have been manufactured by Luther's Jerky, of Le Roy, KS.

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Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky - Original

Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky is a brand of Magnolia Jerky, LLC, based out of Knoxville, TN. Magnolia Jerky, LLC appears to be a subsidiary of Magnolia Provisions Company, Inc., based at the same address. Magnolia Provisions is a meat processor offering steaks, chops, burger, etc.

The Smoky Mountain brand apparently started out as "Jay's Jerky", originally created by a guy named Jay Thomas back in 2000. Jay was making jerky out of his home and selling it with a partner. Eventually the jerky became popular, and he couldn't keep up with demand. That's when he hooked up with Magnolia Provisions, a meat processing company.

I talked to a representative at the company, who said the Jay's Jerky brand technically doesn't exist anymore, it was renamed to Smoky Mountain, because they found the brand sells better, particularly because it's associated with Tennessee, the location of Magnolia Provision. But Smoky Mountain is the same exact jerky as Jay's Jerky. The company still shows the "Jay's Jerky" label on its website, but the representative says it's all the same jerky they make.

Magnolia describes this particular Original variety as having a "good traditional jerky flavor. Lightly seasoned to allow the true beef flavor to come through."

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New Braunfels Smokehouse - Peppered

New Braunfels Smokehouse is a smokehouse and restaurant located in New Braunfels, TX. The company's history goes back to 1943, when it originally opened as a ice factory.

Local ranchers used to bring their meats to them for cold storage. A smokehouse employee, who came from Germany, got the idea of smoking some of the meats using an old German recipe. Locals in the area loved the smoked meats, and soon orders started coming in from all over Texas, and the ice factory shifted gears and became a smokehouse.

Like most smokehouses, jerky is a popular product, and New Braunfels Smokehouse offers several varieties of beef jerky, turkey jerky and pork jerky. I'll be reviewing six of their varieties over the next couple of months.

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Big Bull Jerky - Sweet Onion

Next in the series on Big Bull Jerky is this Sweet Onion variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Habanero.

Big Bull Jerky is a brand of Joes Beef Jerky Enterprises, based out of St. Paul Park, MN, and run by a guy named Joe Hinz. The brand has been around for several years, at least as far back as 2003 according to one reference I found. Joe makes jerky in his own USDA approved facility.

This Sweet Onion is just one of 15 varieties of beef jerky they offer, and they also have another 4 varieties of grass-fed beef jerky. This is the last of the Big Bull Jerky I have left to review.

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Famous Dave's Beef Jerky - Apricot Bourbon

Next in the series on Famous Dave's Beef Jerky is this Apricot Bourbon variety. See my previous of their Original.

Famous Dave's is a brand of Famous Products, Inc., based out of Eden Prairie, MN. Famous Dave's is known mostly for its line of award winning BBQ sauces and its chain of 170+ restaurants. Their jerky is manufactured by Jerky Snack Brands, of Mankato, MN.

This Apricot Bourbon jerky is made from Famous Dave's Apricot Bourbon Marinade, which is said to contain apricots blended with chipotle peppers and finished a "hint" of bourbon flavor.

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Pan's Mushroom Jerky

Pan's Mushroom Jerky is a product of Panco Foods, LLC, based out of West Dundee, IL. It's run by a guy named Michael Pan who launched the company in October 2008.

His family hails from the island of Borneo in Malaysia, and several years ago he took a trip there to spend time with them. He discovered they had been making this mushroom jerky, and decided it tasted pretty darn good.

Mushroom Jerky is made from the stems of mushrooms, mixed with egg whites, sugar, palm oil, and spices, and is eaten as a snack.

Today, Pan's Mushroom Jerky is still made by his family in Malaysia, and exported the USA. It's touted as being "100% Meatless", with no preservatives and no artificial ingredients.

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Hickory Hollow Jerky - Hot Shot

Next in the series on Hickory Hollow Jerky is this Hot Shot variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Teriyaki varieties.

Hickory Hollow Jerky is a brand of Hickory Hollow Jekry, LLC, based out of Eufaula, AL, run by a Baptist Minister named Russ Robbins. Russ makes jerky through his own USDA inspected facility. While Russ has been making jerky for over 30 years, Hickory Hollow Jerky has only been around since November 2008.

This "Hot Shot" jerky is Russ' spicy hot jerky entrant, described on the company's website as "cajun".

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Holston Mountain Beef Jerky - BBQ

Next in the series on Holston Mountain Beef Jerky is this BBQ variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Hawaiian varieties.

This BBQ variety is the brand's newest, described as a "robust blend of spices [that] creates a terrific mesquite-grilled flavor that must be tried to be believed." I didn't purchase this BBQ variety, it was sent to me as a freebie, after purchasing the Original and Hawaiian varieties. What I have here is a small bag, about 1.5 or 2.0 ounces.

Holston Mountain is run by a guy named Gary Graybeal, based out of Bluff City, TN. The company has been around for the past six years now. His jerky is made from Black Canyon Angus, using top inside round, marinated for 24 hours.

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Rocky Mountain Organic Meats - Peppered Honey

Rocky Mountain Organic Meats is a brand of Rocky Mountain Custom Cuts, Inc., based out of Powell, WY. The company focuses on offering only grass-fed beef products, certified USDA Organic.

All the cattle used in their products are raised in the Rocky Mountain region of the USA, and roam free on certified organic pastures. The animals receive no hormones, no antibiotics, and no steroids. The company adds no MSG, and no nitrites to their jerky, and is gluten free.

This Honey Peppered Jerky is one of two varieties they offer. The other is just Honey (without the pepper).

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Big Bull Jerky - Habanero

Next in the series on Big Bull Jerky is this Habanero variety. See my previous review of their Regular.

Big Bull Jerky is a brand of Joes Beef Jerky Enterprises, based out of St. Paul Park, MN, and run by a guy named Joe Hinz. The brand has been around for several years, at least as far back as 2003 according to one reference I found.

This Habanero variety, I presume, is their hottest variety. It actually comes in two styles "Hot 50" and "Hot 100", where the 50 refers to 50 habanero chile peppers in the batch, and the other had 100. Their website doesn't mention the Hot 50 and Hot 100, but you might want to contact Joe and ask about it.

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