Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Beer & Garlic

Next in the series on Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky is this "Beer & Garlic" variety. See my previous review of their Original variety.

Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky is relatively new brand, having launched just about a year ago. Adam Thomas, founder of the brand, is also the owner of Thomas Smoked Meats, based in Johnstown, PA. Thomas has been offering jerky under that brand going back to 1998 to locals. He then decided to go national in 2008, and created the "Timberline Smokehouse" brand.

He says this "Beer & Garlic" is actually marinated in real beer, not just a tablespoon, or a cup, but completely submerged in 100% beer. In addition to "Beer & Garlic", he also has a "Beer & Fire", which I'll review later on.

Note: This review was updated to reflect a fresh batch of jerky that Thomas sent me. Previously I had rated this as "average", reporting a dry, crumbly texture that had a profound effect on its flavor. He sent me a fresh batch, which I found to be quite different, as you'll read below.

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Joey D's Jerky - Hot

Next in the series on Joey D's Jerky is this Hot variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Teriyaki.

This brand of beef jerky is owned by DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc. based out of Sanford, FL, run by Joseph DiSalvo, who got started making beef jerky at home back in 1999, and would challenge his friends at beef jerky making contests. His friends were quite impressed with his talents, and that spurned him on to making a business out of it. The brand officially went on the market in August 2008.

Joey's D's includes four varieties of jerky, this Hot, a Teriyaki, an Original, and Tangy. It also include three varieties of salsas.

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Sograte Beef Jerky - Original

Note (Jan 20, 2010): Since this review was published, Sograte has revised the recipe for this jerky. Read my revised review published here.

Sograte is a brand of Sograte BBQ & Beef Jerky, based out of Lubbock, TX. The company was founded by Cary Franklin.

The business originally started out with Cary and his brother-in-law entering a BBQ competition in 2005, where they took four of the top ten positions in five different categories on their first try. Today, they run a BBQ catering service. The beef jerky is their primary retail product.

Interestingly, the beef jerky is not marinated, rather it's just salt cured. It's smoked over a live hickory fire, and then seasoned.

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Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky - Fire on the Mountain

Next in the series on Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky is this "Fire on the Mountain" variety. See my previous of their Original.

Smoky Mountain Beef Jerky is a brand of Magnolia Jerky, LLC, based out of Knoxville, TN. Magnolia Jerky, LLC is 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 originally started out as "Jay's Jerky", by a guy named Jay Thomas. Thomas ultimately approached Magnolia Provision to manufacture his jerky. Since then, the brand switched names to Smoky Mountain.

This Fire on the Mountain variety is described by the company as being made with their five-alarm blend of Habanero, Red Pepper, and Spices, and says it's not for timid tastebuds.

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Ozark Mountain Jerky Co. - Original

Ozark Mountain Jerky Co. is a brand of Frickenschmidt Foods based in Lockwood, MO. The company started in 1988 by Allen Frickenschmidt, who oversees operations, while his family members handle all the other duties.

In 2008, the company stepped up from state inspection to USDA inspection. That allowed the company to go national with its products, and spurned the launch of their Ozark Mountain Jerky brand, and its accompanying online store. Frickenschmidt Foods still does most of their business in custom slaughter and processing for hunters, farmers, and small businesses.

Ozark Mountain Jerky offers only two varieties at this time, Original, and Peppered.

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Joey D's Jerky - Teriyaki

Next in the series on Joey D's Jerky is this Teriyaki variety. See my previous review of their Original.

The brand is owned by DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc. based out of Sanford, FL, run by Joseph DiSalvo, who got started making beef jerky at home back in 1999. The brand officially went on the market in August 2008.

Originally a cabinet maker in New York, DiSalvo moved to Florida, obtained college degrees in engineering and business administration, honed his entrepreneurial skills with positions at Northrup Grumman and Siemens Westinghouse.

Joey's D's includes four varieties of jerky, this Teriyaki, an Original, Tangy, and Hot. It also include three varieties of salsas.

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New Braunfels Smokehouse - Sweet & Spicy

Next up in the series on New Braunfels Smokehouse beef jerky is this Sweet & Spicy variety. See my previous review of their Peppered beef jerky.

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.

The company offers several varieties of beef jerky, turkey jerky and pork jerky, all of which I'll be reviewing over the next couple of months.

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Timberline Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Original

Timberline Smokehouse is a brand of Timberline Smokehouse, Inc., based out of Johnstown, PA.

Adam Thomas, founder of Timberline Smokehouse, is also the owner of Thomas Smoked Meats, based in the same town. Thomas originally offered his jerky in 1998 under the Thomas Smoked Meats brand, which he continues to do today. In 2008, he decided to take his line of beef jerky national, under the Timberline Smokehouse brand. Both brands utilize the same recipe.

Thomas gained local fame with his unique line of jerky flavors, notably the "Beer Jerky", which is actually marinated in beer. He also has a jerky marinated in Tequila. I'll be reviewing all those later on.

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The Buffalo Guys - Sweet Peppered

The Buffalo Guys is a brand of The Buffalo Guys, LLC based out of Elk Mountain, WY. The business has been around since 2000, formed through two independent bison ranchers who decided to join together. The Buffalo Guys own their own bison ranch in Kansas.

The company sells bison steaks, chops, burger, and jerky. Originally they operated under the name Great Plains Bison, LLC, and sold their products under the brand, "Nature's Prairie". But as Americans continue to use the name "buffalo" instead of bison, they opted to change to "The Buffalo Guys".

Their jerky is actually manufactured by Zick's Specialty Meats, of Berrien Springs, MI. Zick's has its own brand of jerky called "Buffalo Bob's", which also sells buffalo jerky. According to a phone call I had with The Buffalo Guys, they sell their own bison meat to Zick's, who in turn makes jerky using The Buffalo Guys recipe, and then sells it back to The Buffalo Guys.

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Joey D's Jerky - Original

Joey D's Jerky is a brand of DiSalvo Enterprises, Inc., based out of Sanford, FL. The brand launched in August of 2008.

It's the creation of Joseph DiSalvo, who started making jerky at home in 1999 with a small dehydrator. He and his friends would compete against each other to make the best beef jerky. Eventually his friends saw DiSalvo's potential for commercial success, which spurned him to make a career change.

The Joey D's brand also includes a line of salsas of DiSalvo's own recipes.

The company has four varieties of jerky, this Original, a Teriyaki, a Hot, and a Tangy, all of which are manufactured in its own USDA approved facility.

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