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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 their 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 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their Korean BBQ flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as using crafted Choice, thin strips of inside-round beef, complimented with organic Tamari, house made Worcestershire, molasses, spices, and lightly smoked. The jerky was kindly submitted for review by Owner/Chef/CEO Chef Pierra Mesa.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Natural Liquid Smoke added (Water, Natural Liquid Smoke), Tamari (Water, Soy Beans, Salt, Sugar), Pineapple Juice (Vitamin C, Ascorbic Acid), Housemade Worcestershire Sauce (Garlic, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Molasses, Tamarind Paste, Spices, Onion Powder), Brown Sugar, Lemon Pepper (Black Pepper, Lemon, Onion, Garlic,
Spices, Salt), Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Spices. Allergen Warnings: Soy
This beef is ethically raised, meaning it is guaranteed to be free of growth hormones and additional antibiotics. The cattle are guaranteed to have some free range access to roam about and graze on grass the way nature intended. Chef Pierre personally inspects all facilities and checks every eye-round for quality and marbling. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade used here is comprised of natural liquid smoke, a respected brand of tamari soy sauce, healthy apple cider vinegar, a local maple syrup brand named LaFountain Family Maple, healthy pineapple juice, healthy sesame oil, and an awesome, unique homemade Worcestershire sauce.
Some healthy ingredients added are black pepper, lemon, garlic powder, onion powder, and spices.
The sugar level is acceptable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is very low at 160mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
VERMONT’S FARMHOUSE JERKY – ORIGINAL BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell basically nothing. The strips of jerky are not really strips, they’re more like jerky “blobs”. The “pieces” of jerky are sliced medium to thick, they are quite moist, yet they are not “soft”, which makes it a little better. The jerky leaves quite a bit of oily residue on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky I taste salt, at a decent level, a little sweet (a good thing), pepper, also at a decent level, along with mild garlic and even milder onion. There is no kick to this jerky.
While I am enjoying this jerky, it is writing as an 8/10, which I am very comfortable awarding. There is no “WOW” factor, but it tastes reasonably good.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Original beef jerky flavor from Vermont’s Farmhouse Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. We do not quite see eye to eye here. Almost all of what Paul mentioned is true, where this jerky leaves quite a bit of oily residue on your fingers. That is mainly from the homemade Worcestershire sauce, which has a unique, great flavor. With an Original flavor as we have here, the natural beef flavor is supposed to be the star of the show. What I found though is that the marinade and spices were so strong it distracted from the natural beef flavor.”
“Now, is it an absolute requirement for an Original flavor to have beef as the star of the show. No, not really, so I have to cut some slack here. The natural beef flavor does not have any hint whatsoever of having a processed taste, but it’s somewhat hard to tell, being muted with such fancy other flavors. As Paul mentioned, the minimal sweetness is much appreciated. The overall taste profile is well rounded but quite complicated, almost exotic, with a light level of smokiness in the background. I disagree completely with Paul that there is no ‘wow’ factor. With Paul at an 8 and myself at a 9, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded to this unique rendition of an Original flavor.”
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky sells online for $11.00. That works out to $3.67 an ounce, which rates as a borderline expensive price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This white, resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front and nothing on the back. There is an illustration of what I think is lemongrass. This bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “Natural Smoke Flavor Added”, “Made in Vermont Marketplace”, “Hand Cut”, “Since 2013”, “Chef Love”, “Driven by Passion”, and “Minimally Processed”.
Some missing bag categories are a best before date, an establishment number, soy and sesame allergen alerts, the jerky weight stated in grams, 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
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