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 of 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 4 ounce/113 gram bag of Original flavored beef stick. These beef sticks were kindly submitted for review by Owner Mark Bauman.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Stick Seasoning (Salt, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Paprika, Spices, Autolyzed Yeast, Garlic), Corn Syrup Solids, Encapsulated Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Sodium Nitrite. Packed in Beef Collagen Casing.
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 spices, paprika, and garlic.
The sugar level is acceptable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of beef stick. The salt level is a high at 440mg of salt per 28 grams of beef stick to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of beef stick.
This beef stick does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite, as sodium nitrite is used outright as a preservative to lose a rating. Admirably, this beef stick does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
HOOK-N-LADDER JERKY – ORIGINAL BEEF STICKS
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell nothing more than mild vinegar. The pieces consist of a bunch of cut up pieces of a meat stick. The pieces are uniform in size and thickness, and they leave no oily residue on your fingers. The pieces are soft and chewy.
When I bite into the pieces of meat stick, I taste salt at a good level, minimal sweetness, which is a good thing, medium pepper and garlic, and the vinegar is coming through decent as well. This is a very tasty meat stick, I am enjoying it. It does taste like an original flavor, but I like the melody of flavors included in this particular meat stick. A 9/10 for sure. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Original beef stick flavor from Hook-N-Ladder Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the candid taste review. We pretty much agree with everything here. I don’t have much else to add. The only thing not stated is the lack of ‘snap’ in the texture. While I found this original flavor to be enjoyable and well balanced, it did not blow me away. With myself at an 8 and Paul at a 9, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
A 4 ounce/113 gram bag of beef sticks sells online for $5.49, which equates to $1.37 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price.
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 Northshore 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 these beef sticks or flavor.
Order their beef sticks online: www.hook-n-ladderjerky.com
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