Pappy Kershenstine's Beef Jerky Steak

PAPPY KERSHENSTINE'S BEEF JERKY STEAK
"STEAK IN A BAG"

GRADE: A+

There it is.
Ragged as can be,
Oh, I love those memories.
They're still so dear to me,
When Pappy smoked his beef jerky
under that ole Oak tree.
My, how I love to smell that smoke,
while Pappy sang to me.
Pappy's grandsons have followed the
family tradition in trying to keep
it that way.

-- The Old Home Place -- poem from the back of package

Oh yea, Pappy Kershenstine's jerky!!!! I grew up on this stuff, and have been eating this stuff for the past 25 years. Kershenstine's Beef Jerky Inc. makes this stuff in Eupora Mississippi which looks like it is located in northern Mississippi, how this stuff makes it to Southern Louisiana I'll never know, but I'm glad it does. I love this jerky so much that I usually eat it for breakfast 2 or 3 times a week. Very salty (1220 Mg. of Sodium) and peppery, it goes great with a nice cold beer. The texture varies from thick and chewy to thin and crisp, and thus lies the beauty of the product.... everytime you grab a bag it's a different taste experience. Sometimes you get a bag that is very thick and peppery, the next time it may thin and crispy with no peppery taste. I have found this product mostly in independent gas/mini marts around Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Please let me know what other states this stuff shows up.

I remember back in the early 90's Kershenstine made a beer called "Rattlesnake Beer" and a wine cooler called "Rattlesnake Cooler". I'm not sure if they still make these things, but the jerky is still around..... Only negative--- Maybe it was in my mind, but a few months after Hurricane Katrina, I found that the stuff took on a different taste, can't really put my finger on it, but the taste was "stronger". Recently I found the taste went back to normal....

Bridgford Beef Jerky Original

BRIDGFORD BEEF JERKY ORIGINAL FLAVOR

GRADE: C-

I think you can buy this product all over. I've saw this jerky all over the country, usually you can find it in Kmart, Dollar General, Target, etc. It's a pretty average jerky product. It's what I would call "mainstream" jerky that can be bought at most mainstream stores. Mushy texture, chewy, very wet. Pretty bland "artificial" flavor. I once bought a bag of this stuff and it was full of mildew, I called the company and within a week they had 2 bags delivered to me free of charge-- that's classy. It kind of taste like some kind of cold cut meat. I really think that Jack Link's, Bridgford, Wal-Mart brand, etc is made by the same company, it really tastes all the same.... that's why I call them "mainstream".

Butler's Smokehouse Dr. Pepper Beef Jerky

BUTLER'S SMOKEHOUSE DR. PEPPER BEEF JERKY

GRADE: F

Yyyyyuuuuccccckk!!!! This stuff is awful!!!! I first saw this jerky at The Beef Jerky Emporium and immediatly thought that it would be a pretty good jerky. I love to try out novelty products and thought that a mixture of Dr. Pepper and beef jerky would be a combination that would be sweet and tasty. Boy, I couldn't be more wrong. This stuff is just nasty. Very greasy and sticky product, my hands were so wet and sticky after trying this stuff that I might as well stuck my hands in a bucket of Dr. Pepper and let it dry in the sun. I tried one piece of this jerky and quickly spit it out. I gave a piece of the jerky to my daughter (who loves beef jerky), and she also spit it out. I then brought the rest to work and gave a piece to a co-worker who managed to swallow the stuff, and then refused to have another piece.

I think the Beef Jerky Emporium stopped selling this stuff (couldn't find it on their website anymore), you can still find this stuff on the Butler's website at a high price along with a high shipping cost. Don't waste your money!!! I will try other Butler's products in the future, but not this one.

Mingua Brothers Beef Jerky

My first review....

MINGUA BROTHERS -- BEEF JERKY

GRADE: B

I first found this jerky at the Beef Jerky Emporium website when I purchased other jerky and they sent this stuff as a free sample. According to their website, their product can be found mostly in the Kentucky area. But can be ordered directly through them (at a pretty fair price).

The jerky is not too thick and has a good chewy consistency. There is a strong taste of soy sauce, so if that's not your cup of tea, then you may not like it much (but I find that it enhances the flavor). Maybe it's because of the soy sauce, but I find that the jerky is kind of on the salty side. This goes great with a nice bottle of beer or soda. The taste is pretty consistent, I have had about 5 or 6 bags of this stuff and the taste is always the same. Mingua Brothers sells their product on their website, at $5.00 for 1/4 LB and $10.00 for 1/2 LB, including shipping ($6.00), it's a pretty reasonable price compared to other products out there. The only negative is that I find that I cannot eat a lot of this jerky at one sitting, I don't know if that's because of the strong soy sauce flavor or the high sodium. I wouldn't bring this on a long road trip and plan on eating it to keep me awake, but in small batches, it's one terrific jerky!!! Good job Mingua Brothers!!!

Beef Jerky Reviews Coming

Beef Jerky reviews coming soon....