Perky Jerky - Original

Perky Jerky is a brand of PEMS, LLC based out of Englewood, CO. It launched officially just last month.

It's claimed to be a "performance enhancing meat snack", being infused with guarana and caffeine, two popular energy supplements used in a variety of other products designed to invigorate one's body. The company says one package of Perky Jerky contains about the same caffeine as a can of energy drink.

As the story goes, the creators of this jerky were at a ski lodge, preparing for a day of skiing, when by accident some energy drink spilled into their bag of peppered beef jerky. They ate it anyways, and found it still tasted just as good as before, but a little more tender, and seemingly kept them sliding the down the slopes all day long.

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Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse - Turkey Jerky

Next up in the series on Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is this Turkey Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Red Hots Beef Jerky, and their Jalapeno Beef Jerky.

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is a smokehouse, bakery, deli, and country store located in El Campo, Texas.

It originally started out as Hillje Grocery, a small town grocery store. In 1974, it was purchased by Mike and Betty Jo Prasek, and was renamed to its current name. Their first product was sausage, but eventually they expanded to beef jerky, and now jerky is their big seller.

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Cedar Creek Beef Jerky - Original

Cedar Creek Beef Jerky is a brand of Cedar Creek Enterprise, of El Dorado Springs, MO. The company makes jerky in its own USDA approved facility.

The company had been owned by a guy named Terrance M. Ebeltoft until he died just this month. He ran the business since 1990.

Cedar Creek says they make jerky in "the foothills of the Missouri Ozark Mountains", using only locally produced beef, or beef produced in the USA. They say their ovens are all homemade, and that they literally make their jerky one piece at a time.

And since Missouri is known as the "Show Me State", this jerky package has a tagline that reads, "Show me a better jerky".

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Jedidiah's Jerky - Old Fashion Style Original

Jedidiah's Jerky is a brand of Jedidiah's Jerky and Gourmet Snacks, of Laughlin, NV. I've reviewed several of their jerky varieties over the past, read them all.

This "Old Fashion Style" is a new line of jerky to their portfolio of varieties, which also includes a Premium line, and a Private Reserve line.

My idea of Old Fashion Style beef jerky is something thick, dry, and chewy, with a simple recipe free of preservatives and automated machinery. Jedidiah's website says this is tenderized however, and goes on to say that this is how jerky was made, "back in the day".

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Mahogany Smoked Meats - Turkey Jerky Sweet & Spicy

Next up in the series on Mahogany Smoked Meats is this Sweet & Spicy Turkey Jerky. See my previous reviews of their Habanero beef jerky, and Western Strips beef jerky.

Mahogany Smoked Meats is a brand name of Meadow Farms Country Smokehouse, based in Bishop, CA. The brand goes back to 1922 when the original founder of Meadow Farms, a guy named "Wally", introduced the locals of Bishop to the goodness of smoking meats with Mountain Mahogany wood. Today, the same store is still there, and they're still selling smoked meats of all kinds.

It appears to me that Mahogany doesn't actually make their own jerky; rather it seems to be made by Glenoaks Foods, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA, the same company that makes the J.C. Rivers brand.

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Port City Smokehouse - Cherry Turkey Jerky

Port City Smokehouse is a smokehouse located in Frankfort, MI. It's situated by Betsie Bay, on the northern portion of Lake Michigan. Port City Smokehouse is known more for their smoked fish, but they also do smoked meats and jerky, along with jams, jellies, salsas, and dried fruit.

And according to a phone call I had with the store keeper, they make their own jerky.

I decided to get this Cherry Turkey Jerky, along with another package of Chipotle Turkey Jerky, after having experimented with making my own cherry teriyaki jerky. Mine didn't come all that great, so I decided to try this one from Port City Smokehouse to see how it compared.

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Insane Jerky - Original

Update (Jan 11, 2010): Insane Jerky revised their recipe and meat since this review was published, please read my latest review here.

Insane Jerky is a newer brand of jerky claiming to use Halal Certified beef. Halal essentially means it's in accordance with Sharia law, and acceptable to eat for muslims.

I'm not exactly sure what process beef must go through in order to certified as Halal, however Insane Jerky has published a certificate on its website indicating Halal Certification, although I didn't see anything on that certificate identifying Insane Jerky by name.

Nonetheless, this is my first ever halal beef jerky, so I was eager to get some and write up a review.

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Long Meadow Ranch - Cabernet Beef Jerky

Long Meadow Ranch is a brand of Long Meadow Ranch Partners, LP, based in Rutherford, CA. The Ranch is known mostly for its vineyards, winery, and olive groves. But it also raises Highland cattle.

This particular variety of "Cabernet Beef Jerky", is said to be made with cabernet wine. The beef is also made from the same Highland cattle raised on Long Meadow Ranch, which I confirmed with a phone call to them. But the jerky itself was manufactured by Intermountain Natural, a meat processor that makes jerky for several brands.

The Ranch also claims that this jerky is "All Natural", with no artficial ingredients, and no hormones. It also lists several organic ingredients, but does not carry the USDA Organic symbol.

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Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Red Hots

Next up in the series on Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is this Red Hots variety of beef jerky. See my previous review of their Jalapeno beef jerky.

Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse is a smokehouse, bakery, deli, and country store located in El Campo, Texas. It originally started out as Hillje Grocery, a small town grocery store. In 1974, it was purchased by Mike and Betty Jo Prasek, and was renamed to its current name. Their first product was sausage, but eventually they expanded to beef jerky, and now jerky is their big seller.

I actually bought this jerky from a website called "The Cajun Turkey Company", thinking I was getting Cajun's brand. But when I recieved it in the mail, I found Prasek's jerky; they never explained they were a reseller of Prasek's.

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Woody's Smokehouse Beef Jerky - Sweet & Spicy

Woody's Smokehouse is a store located in Centerville, TX along Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston and is a popular stop for travellers for a variety of road goodies ranging from jerky to nuts to candies to cheeses to pickles, and what not.

They also serve up BBQ where you grab a tray and start loading up on stuff like ribs, sausage, brisket, tri-tip, and even bacon-wrapped quail.

But Woody's is often known for its jerky. I bought a package of this "Sweet & Spicy" jerky from their website, and noticed the package said it was "Packed for Woody's Smokehouse", with a stamp indicating it was prepared by New Braunfels Smokehouse. And interestingly, I just completed several jerky reviews for New Braunfels.

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