About Pap's
Pap's Jerky is a Louisville, Kentucky beef jerky and beef stick company whose stated mission is to Fuel Your Outdoor Lifestyle. It began with founder Jim Richardson, an avid outdoorsman who was unsatisfied with the jerky on the market. He set out to make a jerky with the texture of the staple that adventurers, rangers and cowboys once chewed outdoors, and "just the right amount of chew!" became his mantra. In 2018 Pap's partnered with Grippo's, the Cincinnati snack maker that has been family owned and operated since 1919, and Grippo's Jerky was born that year. Grippo's Beef Sticks followed in 2019. Today the Pap's team hand packs its jerky at a Louisville facility it calls brand new and state of the art.
What makes Pap's different
Texture is the whole pitch. Pap's says its jerky is designed to actually be chewed, with a lasting, tender chew from beef sliced super thin. The beef is American and USDA inspected, and each batch is marinated, seasoned and slow cooked for hours in small batches before being hand packed. It is naturally cured, the brand says, without potassium sorbate. The recipes are tied to places: Pitmasters grew out of a rib dinner with Jim's friend Rick Waldon at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous in Memphis and, by the brand's count, 21 recipe iterations, and it borrows the dry-rub style of Memphis BBQ, while the Grippo's flavor carries the Bar-B-Q seasoning of a Cincinnati institution.
Pap's flavors we carry
If you want to start simple, Mild is the jerky that started the brand, billed as a modern take on classic taste with umami and subtle notes of sweet and smoky mesquite; no heat is called out, so it sits beside our original-style beef jerky. Hot pairs a cayenne-infused marinade with chili flakes for what the brand calls a fiery kick, and belongs with our spicy beef jerky picks. Pitmasters is the Memphis one, with a hint of heat, a touch of smoke and the caramelization Pap's credits to slow cooking in its smokehouses; browse it with the other barbecue beef jerky we stock. The Grippo's collaboration comes in a 2.25-ounce bag dusted with Grippo's BBQ seasoning, described as a rush of sweetness followed by a vinegar-tinged heat, a match for our sweet and spicy beef jerky. Everything currently in stock is in the grid above.
Who it's for
You get a real spread of heat, from a mild bag with no heat called out to a cayenne-and-chili hot, with barbecue styles between them. If you like jerky with some pull, that chew line is the point. Pap's positions it as an easy-to-carry snack for an active lifestyle, but its site publishes no ingredient panels or gluten and allergen statements, so read the label on each bag before you buy.
JerkyBrands is an independent retailer; the Pap's name and logo are trademarks of their owner.
