Rickey’s Jerky is a family‑owned, veteran‑led jerky brand based in the USA that began as a humble mom‑and‑pop stall at farmers’ markets in 2014 and has since grown into a nationwide movement. Crafted with grit, discipline, and integrity, their flagship beef jerky is made from USDA Choice American beef, seasoned, smoked (not merely dehydrated), and packaged using traditional, time‑tested methods. Rickey’s Jerky is bold, simple, and packed with protein, gluten‑free, keto‑friendly, and allergen conscious, available in a wide range of flavors and variety packs.
While their beef line features 100% domestic cuts with no nitrates, MSG, or high‑fructose corn syrup, Rickey’s Jerky also prides itself on an exotic meats selection, such as elk, bison, wild boar, alligator, and even kangaroo, all sourced from trusted suppliers in the U.S. and abroad and held to rigorous safety standards. Each batch is handmade in small batches, ensuring quality and care, and sold directly by real people at fairs, festivals, rodeos, and markets nationwide. Rickey’s Jerky isn’t just a snack company; it’s a community driven brand built on personal connections and shared passion handshaking, storytelling, and jerky slinging one bag at a time.
This Rickey’s Jerky brand is distributed under the same name as Rickey’s Jerky, located in St Petersburg, Florida. This jerky is manufactured by Whiskey Hill Smokehouse and is located in Hubbard, Oregon.
The next review on Rickey’s Jerky will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of Original flavored chopped and formed pheasant jerky. This flavor is described as subtle, slightly sweet, with a hint of wild game, seasoned with a simple herb blend to enhance its natural taste. The jerky was kindly submitted for review by Owner Ryan Rickey.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Pheasant, Brown Sugar, Water, Honey, Sea Salt, Garlic, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Black Pepper, Celery Powder.
Pheasant meat is leaner and healthier compared to beef. The pheasant are raised ethically, meaning they are not administered growth hormones or additional antibiotics. They also have free range access to forage. Therefore, the ingredient rating starts at an Excellent (10/10).
The texture of this jerky is chopped and formed. As a result, two ingredient ratings are deducted without a natural whole muscled strip of jerky.
The liquid marinade is comprised of just water and healthy honey.
Some healthy ingredients added are garlic and black pepper.
The sugar level is high at 8 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less per 28 grams of sugar. The salt level is acceptable at 340mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt and celery powder to a lesser degree. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
RICKEY’S JERKY – PHEASANT JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell almost nothing. The jerky strips are large and sliced to a medium thickness. The jerky is soft and very easy to chew, not even close to how our forefathers intended. The jerky is exceptionally oily, and it leaves a lot of moisture on your fingers. The jerky looks to be chopped and formed.
When I bite into the jerky, most of the flavors are mild. Mild salt, medium sweetness, mild pepper, garlic, and slight onion. I don’t believe I have ever eaten pheasant in any form before, and I don’t feel like I can detect any special flavor that might qualify as pheasant. This jerky is not really grabbing my taste buds very much, it is bland, too sweet compared to other flavors, and tastes too processed. I can find nothing to really convince me to give this flavor its props. I would say this particular make and model is mediocre at best, so I am therefore grading this jerky as a 5/10. Color me not impressed. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Original chopped and formed pheasant jerky flavor from Rickey’s Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the candid taste review. We do not quite see eye to eye here. First, it’s not a valid complaint to say the jerky isn’t tough enough. That is just a bias. I too was disappointed to learn that this texture was chopped and formed and would rather have had these strips in their whole muscle form to experience the true taste of pheasant.”
“Surprisingly, I too have never tried pheasant before. With that said, I was totally impressed by the flavor of pheasant. It does not taste like turkey or chicken, but it has a unique, downright delicious flavor. You could argue that there is a slightly gamey taste present. The overall taste profile is relatively simple, with pheasant as the star of the show. I also agree that there is too much sweetness, which seems unnecessary. With Paul at a 5 and myself at an 8, a Decent (7/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky sells online for $22.00, which equates to $7.33 an ounce. That rates as an expensive price.
Bag Review
This clear plastic non-resealable bag has a label affixed to the front and nothing on the back. The Rickey’s Jerky logo has a smiling cow wearing a baseball cap. This bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting.
There are no slogans displayed on this bag. Some facts printed are “Proudly Made in the USA”, “Simple Ingredients”, “Simply Delicious”, “American Made”, “Handcrafted Beef Jerky”, and “Gluten Free”.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about this jerky or flavor.
Order their jerky online: www.rickeysjerky.com
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