Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky is a traditional style jerky product line produced by Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks, a family founded business that began in 1994 as a small home operation on the Oregon Coast before growing into a full scale production facility in Tillamook, Oregon. The Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky line is positioned around a classic “Old West” jerky experience, emphasizing premium cuts of beef that are sliced, seasoned with a proprietary blend of spices, and slow smoked over natural wood to achieve a bold, smoky flavor.
Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky is known for its distinctly tough, chewy texture rather than the softer, modern styles. The brand appeals to purists who prefer a more rugged, “jaw-working” jerky with a salty, meat forward profile. With its cowboy inspired identity and focus on simple, time tested methods, Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky reflects Werner’s broader commitment to authenticity, hands on craftsmanship, and delivering a no frills, traditional jerky experience rooted in old school flavor and texture. This Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky jerky brand is distributed under the name of Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks, Inc., located in Tillamook, Oregon, by the coast.
The first review on Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky will focus on a 4.8 ounce/136 gram bag of their Western flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as starting with premium beef, seasoned with Ken’s own blend of spices, then natural wood smoked to cowboy perfection. The bag was purchased at a gas station in Oxnard, California.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (Water, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Salt), Brown Sugar, Sea Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, White Vinegar, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Spice, Garlic, Maltodextrin, Bromelain, Papain, Sodium Nitrite. Allergen Warnings: Soy
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade includes a poor brand of hydrolyzed vegetable protein and healthy vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients added are garlic, spices, bromelain, and papain.
The sugar level is great at 1 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is sky high at 910mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, the salt level is ignored because healthy, minimally processed sea salt is used as opposed to table salt.
This jerky does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite, as sodium nitrite is used outright as a preservative to lose a rating. This jerky does not qualify to have no MSG added, as the highly processed, cheap flavor enhancer hydrolyzed vegetable protein is used to lose another rating.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
KRAZY KEN’S WESTERN BEEF JERKY – WESTERN BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I immediately smell soy and vinegar, especially soy. The pieces are exactly what jerky strips are supposed to look like. They are long and relatively thin, and they are rather dry and rigid, just as our forefathers intended. There is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste salt at a high level, but within reason. The sweetness is minimal at best, the garlic and pepper are noticeable but not too intense, and you can also definitely taste the soy. It is the most prominent flavor, even more intense than the salt, which is a bit of a turn off. The more I consume, the stronger the soy taste is. I enjoy the taste of soy, but it is more of a condiment used to add flavor, but if it is too intense, it overtakes the flavor, and too much of anything is not a good thing.
Overall, though, it is a very good flavor, and I am only deducting one point for the overwhelming soy flavor. A 9/10 in my estimation. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Western beef jerky flavor from Krazy Ken’s Western Beef Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the candid taste review. I agree, the soy flavor dominates the flavor profile. Hydrolyzed soy protein has a very distinct flavor that can be overwhelming. Regardless of what Paul thinks of soy as a condiment, soy sauce is a very common ingredient used in jerky. The saltiness is quite strong also, where it’s debatable if that warrants a rating deduction.”
“The natural flavor of beef has no hint of tasting processed but gets lost in the saltiness and soy. As Paul mentioned, thankfully there is only minimal sweetness. The flavor of smoke is at a light level in the background. As with Paul, I still found this jerky to be enjoyable and tasty. A unanimous Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 4.8 ounce/136 gram bag is believed to have been sold for $16.99. That works out to $3.54 an ounce, which rates as an average price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable, clear plastic bag has everything affixed to the front and nothing on the back. There is an illustration of what appears to be a Krazy Ken cowboy with guns.
There are no slogans printed. The only fact printed is “Made in USA”.
Some missing bag categories are a soy allergen alert, the jerky weight not stated in grams, and a blurb about the jerky or flavor.
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