Vaquero Bandido is a jerky brand inspired by the traditional Mexican borderlands style of dried beef known as carne seca. Founded on the idea of bringing a more authentic, old world style of jerky to modern snackers, Vaquero Bandido was created out of a desire to move away from the sweet, soft jerky commonly found on store shelves and return to a thinner, crispier style rooted in Mexican tradition. Co-founder Ruben Reyes drew inspiration from the carne seca he grew up with, creating a brand focused on heritage, bold flavor, and a high protein snack that reflects the rugged spirit of the vaquero lifestyle.
Vaquero Bandido’s jerky is made from thin strips of lean beef seasoned with simple spices, slowly dried, and finished with hickory smoke for a traditional smoky flavor. The brand emphasizes clean ingredients, avoiding sugar, preservatives, and unnecessary additives, while focusing on a crunchy, crispy texture that sets it apart from softer American style jerky products. The company highlights the connection between its products and the traditions of Mexican dried meats while also supporting causes connected to strength and perseverance, including veteran focused initiatives through Heroes and Horses. With its combination of traditional carne seca techniques, bold flavors, and a distinctive crispy texture, Vaquero Bandido has carved out a unique place in the growing premium jerky market.
This Vaquero Bandido brand is distributed under the name of Vaquero Snacks, located in Newport Beach, California. This jerky is manufactured by Raandom Corp., and is located in Covina, California.
The first review on Vaquero Bandido will focus on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their Original flavored beef jerky. This flavor is known for its savory, slightly smoky taste, highlighting the natural richness of traditional dried beef with minimal seasoning to let the meat’s quality and flavor shine through. The bag was purchased at a Wegmans store in Niagara Falls, New York.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Top Round Thinly Sliced Beef, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper.
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.
There is no liquid marinade used here. Some refer to it as old fashioned jerky or a dry rub.
The sugar level is perfect at 0 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is decent at 300mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to be sodium nitrite free and does not use any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, minimally processed sea salt is the main preservative used. Admirably, this jerky also qualifies to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
VAQUERO BANDIDO – ORIGINAL CRISPY BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell nothing. The jerky is large in size, extremely thin, very crispy (as advertised), and dry. There is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, the salt level is perfect, strong, but not overpowering. The sweetness is nominal, at best, and the pepper is very prominent as well. It checks all the boxes as an original flavor. And it does a spectacular job at it, if I may be honest.
D*mn, this flavor is “da bomb”, what a home run. No question folks, an obvious 10/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Original beef jerky flavor from Vaquero Bandido: “Thanks Paul for the positive taste review. With only salt and black pepper used as ingredients, it is difficult to be critical here. Crispy jerky is arguably our favorite texture of jerky. This jerky does not disappoint and delivers exactly on what an Original flavor should bring to the table, a focus on the scrumptious natural beef flavor.”
“The natural flavor of beef has zero hint of tasting processed. As advertised, this jerky does live up to its claim as being crispy. The jerky is sliced thin, making the strips easy to chew. This jerky was addictive as heck and left me wanting more. A unanimous well deserved Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded. Take a bow Vaquero Bandido, a very enthusiastic two thumbs up!!👍👍”
This 2 ounce/56 gram bag of jerky was purchased for $6.99. That works out to $3.50 an ounce, which rates as an average price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable bag has everything imprinted to the bag on the front and fornt, along with a small sticker on the back.
A slogan printed on this bag could be “Traditional Mexican”. Some facts printed are “Carne Seca”, No Artificial Ingredients”, “No Sugar Added”, “32 Grams of Protein”, “Heroes and Horses”, and “Veteran Owned”.
All bag categories are covered.
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