Wild Ridge Farms began as a humble tribute to time-honored family recipes rooted in the Ottawa Valley, where artisanal jerky crafted for lunchboxes and outdoor adventures won the admiration of friends and relatives, eventually inspiring something bigger. In 2015, fueled by community encouragement and a leap of faith, the brand was formally established and has remained family-owned and proudly Canadian ever since.
From the very start, their vision has been uncompromising yet straightforward: to create intensely flavourful, moist jerky from sustainably raised, pasture-fed premium Canadian beef, slow-cooked in small batches in an authentic smokehouse and thoroughly quality-tested so that only the best makes the cut. This Wild Ridge Farms jerky brand is distributed by Wild Ridge Farms Inc., and it is located in Golden Lake, Ontario, Canada. This jerky is manufactured by Stemmler Meats, located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
The first review on Wild Ridge Farms will focus on a 2.47 ounce/80 gram bag of their Cracked Black Pepper flavoured beef jerky. This bag was purchased online from Amazon.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Salt, Sugar, Spices, Cultured Dextrose, Garlic, Citric Acid, Sodium Nitrite, Smoke.
The beef used is sourced from local farms in Ontario is ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones or additional antibiotics are given to the cattle. The cows also have free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade is comprised of plain old water, which is likely healthy reverse osmosis water.
Some healthy ingredients added are garlic and spices.
The sugar level is great at 0 grams of sugar per 30 grams of jerky. The salt level is acceptable at 320mg of salt per 30 grams of jerky.
This jerky does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, as sodium nitrite is used outright as a preservative to lose a rating. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
WILD RIDGE FARMS – CRACKED BLACK PEPPER BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell natural beef, and nothing else. The pieces are medium in size and cut to a medium thickness. The jerky is dry and chewy, exactly as our forefathers intended. There is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste decent salt, minimal sweetness, slight garlic, and even slighter onion, and last, but not least, the unmistakable delicious pepper, which, while clearly evident, does not reach the “cracked” black pepper intensity. I am thoroughly enjoying this particular flavour, but I don’t feel quite right about giving it a 10, I feel more appropriate in awarding a well-deserved 9/10.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Cracked Black Pepper beef jerky flavour from Wild Ridge Farms: “Thanks Paul for the candid taste review. I agree with everything stated. The cracked black pepper could indeed be kicked up a level, with cracked black pepper in the flavour name. What stands out with this flavour is the natural beef flavour, which is at an excellent level. You can tell that this jerky is partially or fully grass-fed, which is a step above your average taste of beef, and borderline ‘buttery’ tasting, a term that we reserve for high quality beef.”
“The overall taste profile is rather simple but is effective. There is a light level of smokiness in the background that enhances this flavour. I found this jerky to be very addictive, and my portion was gone in no time. The garlic could be amped up a level, but that is a personal bias. A unanimous Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 2.8 ounce/80 gram bag of jerky sold online for $11.54. That works out to $4.67 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted to the bag on both the front and back. There is an interesting illustration of a bull on the front. Displayed on the front is a high resolution picture of salt, lime, garlic, cracked black pepper, and jerky strips.
A slogan printed on this bag is “Bite the Bull”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Artisan Quality”, “Made in Canada”, “100% Canadian Beef”, “Hardwood Smoked”, “50 Calories”, “9g Protein”, “1g Fat”, “Quality Ingredients”, and “High in Protein”.
All bag categories are covered. A small but good blurb is printed on the back about this jerky. You are encouraged to “Follow the Bull” on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with their @wildridgefarms handle. A QR code is printed on the back. As per Canadian law, French translations are provided.
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