Hook-N-Ladder Jerky is a family owned meat snack company founded in 2018 by retired Cleveland firefighter Mark Bauman, whose lifelong appreciation for smoked meats began while growing up in Cleveland’s historic Slavic Village neighborhood. Influenced by the old world butcher shops and Eastern European smokehouses of Northeast Ohio during the 1960s and 1970s, Bauman spent years searching for the perfect balance of smoky, sweet, and spicy flavors before creating his own line of handcrafted beef jerky and “Smokies” beef sticks. Drawing on both his culinary background and 33 year career with the Cleveland Fire Department, he built the brand around premium USDA inspected American beef, traditional smokehouse flavor, and small batch quality.
The company’s firehouse inspired identity reflects Bauman’s deep roots in the firefighting community. Hook-N-Ladder Jerky not only celebrates firefighter culture through its branding and storytelling but also supports local preservation efforts connected to Cleveland fire service history. A portion of proceeds from every product sold is donated to the Western Reserve Fire Museum and Education Center, where Bauman volunteers, helping restore historic fire stations and preserve firefighting heritage. The business remains family operated with support from his wife Diane, their children, grandchildren, and extended family members.
Hook-N-Ladder Jerky combines regional pride, family tradition, and authentic smoked meat craftsmanship into a brand that stands out in the specialty jerky market. By blending classic Northeast Ohio smokehouse traditions with modern jerky flavors and community involvement, the company has created a product line that reflects both Bauman’s personal history and his commitment to quality, service, and local heritage.
This Hook-N-Ladder Jerky brand is distributed under the same name Hook-N-Ladder Jerky, located in Northfield, Ohio. This jerky is manufactured by Just Mike’s Jerky Company and is located in Medina, Ohio.
The next review on Hook-N-Ladder Jerky will focus on a 3.2 ounce/91 gram bag of Original flavored beef jerky. This jerky was kindly submitted for review by Owner Mark Bauman.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Jerky Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Brown Sugar, Paprika, Autolyzed Yeast, Spices, Garlic), Sodium Nitrite.
The Angus beef used is ethically raised, meaning it is guaranteed to be free of growth hormones and additional antibiotics. The cattle have partial free range access to roam about and graze on grass as nature intended. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
Some healthy ingredients added are paprika, spices, and garlic.
The sugar level is acceptable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is high at 440mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less.
This jerky does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite, as sodium nitrite is used outright as a preservative to lose a rating. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
HOOK-N-LADDER JERKY – ORIGINAL BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell nothing at all. The jerky is small to medium in size, and it is sliced rather thin. The jerky is dry and chewy, 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 good level, but not as salty as most original flavors. I taste minimal sweetness, a good thing, the pepper is coming through at a very good level, along with mild garlic and onion.
This particular flavor is tasty, but nothing jumps out at me. The pepper level is impressive, but it lacks any “joie de vivre”, which literally means “joy of life”, but in this case, means loosely “flair” or “zest”.
Therefore, I am comfortable rating this particular flavor of jerky a 9/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Original beef jerky flavor from Hook-N-Ladder Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. I generally agree with everything stated. The saltiness is at an acceptable level, no problems there. As Paul stated, the black pepper is at a great level. I disagree that there is minimal sweetness present. While the sweetness is by no means strong tasting, the sweetness is at a light level, where the sweetness should be minimal or none at all for an Original flavor.”
“The natural flavor of beef has no hint of tasting processed and contains a little bit of a buttery aspect, which is only present sometimes when using high quality beef. The overall taste profile is simple, mostly being dominated by salt, pepper, and some sweetness. As with Paul, I did not pick up much ‘wow’ factor other than a good level of black pepper and the slightly buttery tasting aspect of the beef. A unanimous Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
A 3.2 ounce/91 gram bag of jerky sells online for $6.49, which equates to $2.03 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This black plastic resealable bag has a label affixed to the front and the nutrition facts table on the back. The Hook-N-Ladder Jerky logo has a fire department logo.
There are no slogans printed. Some facts printed are “Smokies”, “Ohio Proud”, “Contains Dairy”, and “No MSG Added”.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about this jerky or flavor.
Order their jerky online: www.hook-n-ladderjerky.com
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