House of Jerky
Being a jerky lover from way back, I was naturally intrigued when I stumbled into Janie, co-owner of the House of Jerky. Founded in 2000, House of Jerky specializes in all-natural jerky with more types of jerky products than I even knew existed. My interest peaked as I viewed their product line that included beef, buffalo, venison, ostrich and turkey jerky. House of Jerky products are made from Grade A, USDA inspected meats, with no preservatives or additives.
Although it may very well take me the rest of my life to try all of their products, I choose three varieties I thought would be good candidates as my favorites. Let's take a closer look at House of Jerky's Sweet& Spicy Beef, Black Pepper Beef and the Hot Beef.
Initial Impressions
Two things jumped out at me immediately. One was the vacuum-packed, easy to open package that was actually resealable. This is crucial for maintaining the freshness if you're not going to eat the entire bag in one sitting. The other thing I noticed was that the pieces were huge with no “crumbs” wandering around at the bottom of the bag. It's as if every piece was hand picked.
The meat itself had a very nice texture. You won't find ground up, processed meat here. These looked more like deli-style slices.
Sweet & Spicy Beef Jerky
Not being a fan of sweet when it comes to jerky, I found the spice to offset the sweet. Although this wouldn't be my regular choice when it comes to jerky, it was tasty. The meat was moist with a good texture. If you're a sweet jerky fan, I think you'll like it. I'd imagine the House of Jerky's teriyaki products would fit into this bill, as well.
Black Pepper Beef Jerky
Now this is what I'm talking about! I love anything with black pepper. Let's see if this jerky stacks up to my grilled black peppered sirloin. I have to say the quality and the texture of the meat matches up to what I discovered in the Sweet & Spicy jerky. It also satisfied my black pepper expectations. Not too heavy, but just about right. Remember though, I'm a black pepper freak. If you're not, it might have just a bit more punch than what you're looking for.
Hot Beef Jerky
I know I sound like a broken record but again, a quality cut of meat. The moisture, texture and consistency are above average. The heat isn't bone kickin'. I think the Black pepper is as hot, yet this jerky lacks the strong black pepper flavor. It was a well balanced heat that goes from the tip of the tongue to the throat into the belly. Relaxing, in a heat sort of way.
The Final Verdict
The wide variety of flavors offered by House of Jerky makes my review somewhat selective. The flavors I prefer may be very different than that of the next person. What isn't different is our shared demand for quality. House of Jerky satisfies that with overall meat quality as well as careful spice selection. Experiment with their various flavors until you find the one that really grabs you. In the meantime, I don't believe you'll be disappointed with any of their products.
The only problem I found with the product was the foil labels. They played havoc with my amateur photography skills. To take a look at the complete line of House of Jerky products, click Here
Happy Grilling!
