Tired of paying high prices for marginal jerky products, Chef Pierre Mesa started refining his technique and jerky recipes. A local hardware store asked him to sell his jerky, eventually leading to Chef Pierre building a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) production kitchen. Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky was launched in 2013.
Chef Pierre’s culinary journey began in his childhood in Telluride, Colorado, and was influenced by his French Canadian and Colombian heritage. He pursued formal culinary education, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and working with renowned chefs nationwide. His passion for American cuisine, particularly BBQ and jerky, was inspired by his father’s traditional BBQ techniques using natural wood.
Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky uses high-quality, humanely-raised beef, hand-cuts the meat, and marinates it for no less than 24 hours with organic ingredients like Tamari soy sauce and Worcestershire. Their jerky is soy and gluten-free, with no artificial additives, MSG, or nitrates. The company also offers custom jerky processing for game meats. Chef Pierre and his devoted wife Laura remain committed to quality and continue to be hands-on in his family’s business. This Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky brand is distributed under the name of Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky, and it is located in Essex Junction, Vermont.
The next review on Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky will focus on a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of their Teriyaki flavored alpaca meat sticks. This jerky was graciously submitted for review by Owner/Chef/CEO Chef Pierra Mesa.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Alpaca, Pork Fat, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar, Juniper, Mustard Powder, Sea Salt, Anise, Spices.
This alpaca is ethically raised, meaning it is guaranteed to be free of growth hormones and additional antibiotics. The alpaca is guaranteed to have some free range access to roam about, and grass fed the way nature intended. Alpaca meat is a lean, high-protein, and nutrient-rich option that is low in fat and cholesterol. It provides essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is an Excellent (10/10) rating.
Some healthy ingredients added are juniper berries, mustard powder, anise, and spices.
There is no nutrition facts provided. As a result, the exact levels of sugar and salt are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite or other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is sea salt. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
VERMONT’S FARMHOUSE JERKY – TERIYAKI ALPACA MEAT STICK
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell nothing. The alpaca stick is soft as heck and moist as heck. I am not impressed. The alpaca stick leaves an oily residue on your fingers, and it is soft.
The flavors I encounter are salt at a decent level, sweetness at a low level, medium garlic and onion, and natural beef.
The collagen casing is not the problem at this point. It is the soft texture of the alpaca sticks and the non-descript flavor. I am not really picking up on the teriyaki flavor and am unimpressed with the flavor I am encountering. This flavor of jerky is mediocre at best but not mind bending. A 5/10 in my opinion.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Teriyaki alpaca meat sticks flavor from Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. This is our first opportunity to try alpaca so there is nothing we can compare these alpaca meat sticks to. While I was half expecting this meat to taste like beef or pork, alpaca meat does not taste like anything I have eaten before. Some gaminess is present, which many people will say is an acquired taste. It is difficult to say if it’s the marinade ingredients or the alpaca meat itself, I cannot say that I enjoyed the taste of alpaca meat.”
“While the casing has some ‘snap’ to the texture, I am not impressed with the collagen casing. The casing is quite loose, sliding off easily. Either the casing needs to be wrapped tighter, or the casing needs to be stuffed more.”
“The sweetness is a little higher than I would have preferred, and the teriyaki aspect does not come across well. Something seems to be off with the overall taste profile. The taste of alpaca is so overpowering I cannot even detect the pork fat, other than some greasiness. I like Paul can go no further than an Average (5/10) taste rating.”
This 4 ounce/113 gram bag of jerky sells for $12.00. That works out to $3.00 an ounce, which we believe rates as an average price, as we do not have much to compare against.
Bag Review
This white, resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front and nothing on the back. There is a picture of an alpaca.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “No Nitrates, MSG or Preservatives”, “Local Alpaca Farm”, “Gluten Free”, “Made in Vermont Marketplace”, “Hand Cut”, “Chef Love”, “Driven by Passion”, and “Minimally Processed”.
Some missing bag categories are a best before date, the jerky weight stated in grams, no nutrition facts table, and no blurb is printed about Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky or this flavor. A lot number is provided, which could translate to a best before date. To the credit of Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky, a phone number and email address are provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.vtjerky.co
Leave a Comment