About Pearson Ranch Jerky
Few jerky brands can point to a working ranch behind the bag, and fewer still to one sitting at 7,800 feet. Pearson Ranch was founded in 1959 and is family-owned, raising elk, buffalo (also known as bison) and cattle in the southwestern mountains of New Mexico. The brand describes the surroundings as virtually untouched, home to elk, deer, black bear, antelope, mountain lions and wolves. Pearson Ranch has been in the meat snack business since 2000, and in the summer of 2011 the main focus of ranch operations shifted to meat snack products. Buffalo products were introduced in 2003, with venison and wild boar products added in 2014. The owners call themselves fifth-generation New Mexico ranchers, and the company is now headquartered in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Its products, the brand says, are an alternative both for people used to beef-based meat snacks and for those trying meat snacks for the first time.
What makes Pearson Ranch Jerky different
Pearson Ranch Jerky calls itself the leader in exotic jerky, building its range on meats such as elk, bison, venison and wild boar rather than beef alone. All of the meat it uses is USDA inspected, and every product is produced under USDA inspection, something the company says gives its retail partners and customers an important assurance. That inspection is also why a bit of extremely lean beef or pork goes into the exotic products: according to the manufacturer, a product must contain at least 3% of an amenable species such as beef, pork or chicken to receive mandatory USDA inspection. The brand states that its jerky, snack sticks and summer sausages are always MSG-free, gluten-free and made with no added nitrites, as well as high-protein and low-fat. Unopened shelf life is given as up to one year, and the brand's snacks are stocked by outdoor retailers including Bass Pro and Cabela's.
Pearson Ranch Jerky flavors we carry
What you'll find here is the brand's wild boar jerky: meat from feral swine with pork added, seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, coriander and spice, made with cane sugar and finished with natural smoke flavoring. The manufacturer bills it as all-natural, perfectly seasoned and mouthwatering, cut into bite-sized bits rather than strips and carrying twelve grams of protein. No heat is called out on the flavor page; the seasoning it lists is the salt, pepper and coriander above. Because the base is swine, it sits naturally alongside the pork jerky lineup at JerkyBrands, and if a salt-and-pepper profile is what you're after, you may also like the black pepper beef jerky collection or a classic original-style beef jerky. It comes in a 2.1-ounce resealable bag, which the brand says is there in case you can't finish it in one sitting. When you're ready to branch out, the full roster of jerky brands is a click away. Everything currently in stock is in the grid above.
Who it's for
If you've been curious about game meat but don't want to commit to a whole roast, a 2.1-ounce bag of bite-sized bits is a low-stakes place to start. Nothing on the flavor page points to heat, so you can reach for it even if you steer clear of spicy snacks. According to the manufacturer it's gluten-free and MSG-free with no added nitrites, and the ingredient list doesn't name wheat, soy, milk, egg, nuts or shellfish, though it does include pork and cultured celery powder, and "spice" and "natural flavor" aren't broken out. Expect bite-sized bits rather than long strips, since that's how the brand describes it.
JerkyBrands is an independent retailer; the Pearson Ranch Jerky name and logo are trademarks of their owner.
