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Thrillist NationAvailable in bison, deer, and turkey iterations, these meatalicious packs are made by a Missouri dad and his sons, who've spent years perfecting their recipes using secret blends of spices, sugar, and bourbon, so...Jack Daniel's Links?
Inspired by a batch of their regular jerky that ended up marinated in energy drink spillage, the dried-meat-loving dudes behind PJ realized there was something to it, and boldly decided to make 100% natural beef jerky spiked with guarana, which contains twice as much caffeine as coffee.
Okie-raised Cherry started making jerky a decade ago, but, thanks to sudden joblessness, decided to become a pro stripper of dried beef. Her fresh, pre-trimmed top round is bathed for 2-5 days (as opposed to the usual 1-2) in a cayenne-spiked Worchestershire/ soy/ liquid smoke marinade, and the Spicy comes embedded with jalapeno slices.
A sparsely decorated Boulder mart owned by a father and son, TT slings jerky both familiar and not, including gamey options like salmon, venison, elk, buffalo, kangaroo, and gator, which doesn't keep like other jerkies and so must be stored in a mini fridge next to a baggie of 'shrooms and the liner notes from Panic's Ain't Life Grand.
From the pork-crazed visionaries who brought you bacon-spiked pancake mix, this 100% swine line claims to be the world's first commercially produced bacon jerky, making its creators every bit as awesome as the dude who invented sex (Sam Donaldson). They start with hearty cuts of their house-cured, hickory-smoked belly, and gussy it up in five flavors: Honey BBQ, Cajun, Jalapeno, Pepper, and the sticky-sweet tomato number known as Summer BLT.
Lovingly slaughtered on a Monkton, MD farm, these majestic beasts ("better for you than skinless chicken") are not only turned into steaks, but also nutritious Bison Jerky.
Behold artisanal, grass-fed flavors like Classic (smoky Spanish paprika, clove, onion, pepper, and dark molasses), Korean BBQ (sesame seeds, garlic, red hot chile paste), and Orange Ginger (star anise, Sichuan pepper), which they recommend pairing with a Belgian-style white, saison, or wheat beer.
With a brick & mortar in Quakertown, PA, Fatt's carnivore-pleasing jerkies include all-muscle beef treats called Golden Nuggets ( "sweet & tender like a BBQ rib without the bone"), and triple habanero'd, "painfully hot" Chernobyl strips whose "triple meltdown flavor" will likely Fuku(shima) up.
Outta WI (where else?), CJ mashes farmstead mozzarella and shredded beef jerky into a single stick of non-Kosher snacking, avail in both Original and Peppered (although there are rumors of further variety, cause that's, like, only TWO kinds of cheese jerky, and what is this, Michigan?).
SSJ allows you to build your own artisanal jerky online: select a size ("personal", "sharing", or "party") and protein (USDA choice or premium VT grass-fed), then choose your marinade (Hot & Smoky, Bronx Pale Ale...), glaze (Brown Sugar, Spicy Pepper...), and/or rub, which includes the cumin-y Jerk McGurk's Wild Rubdown and its "spit-over-the-fire feel" (unlike your other rubdowns, which just have a "no-spit-over-the-pants" feel).
Once a family-run Maple Grove, MN meat market, the new Jerky Shoppe's narrowed its focus to crafting dried meats, namely extra-moist beef jerky cut from the "finest hind quarter" (reg, hot, pepper, teriyaki), all-breast turkey jerky, and... beef sticks!
Billed as a "Jerky for Gentlemen", SP's three flavors count Original, Mongolian with its delicate balance of garlic, ginger & sesame, and Southwestern, which incorporates green chiles provided by the owner's New Mexico-dwelling parents.
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