About Side Project Jerky
A hobby that refused to stay small: in 2012, founder Marcos Espinoza began Side Project Jerky as a creative outlet with friends in the Philly food scene. The goal was to take the familiar and make it unforgettable, with global cuisine as the inspiration. Espinoza’s roots are in Albuquerque, and the brand’s Southwestern recipe is an homage to them. Pho was its first limited release, popular enough to join the full-time roster; Berbere, billed as the latest collaboration, took a year of perfecting. The company is based just outside Philadelphia and makes its jerky in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Marcos and a small crew trim, marinate, hang and bag every batch.
What makes Side Project Jerky different
Side Project Jerky calls its process hand made, not mass made. Every beef flavor lists USDA Choice top round first on its ingredient panel, and each batch is marinated, slow-dried in small quantities and handled by hand. Each recipe begins with a chef’s imagination: Chef Sean Magee set out to capture a bowl of pho, Chef Jonathan Adams drew on the Great American West and Rival Bros coffee, Chef Jen Carroll brought berbere spice from Ethiopian cooking, and Kiki Aranita of Poi Dog sauces created the brand’s first chicken jerky. The brand states it uses only all-natural ingredients with no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors.
Side Project Jerky flavors we carry
If you want something aromatic, the Vietnamese-inspired recipe builds on mushroom stock, star anise, cinnamon and Thai basil. The Ethiopian-inspired recipe is described as sweet heat and citrus, alongside our sweet and spicy beef jerky. The Texas-panhandle homage pairs coffee, smoked paprika and balsamic vinegar for a profile the brand calls sweet, smoky and earthy, while the New Mexico recipe leans on roasted green chile, cumin and cayenne for what it calls flavorful heat. The sesame-and-ginger recipe is sweetened with brown sugar, and the Philadelphia tribute is a portable cheesesteak; neither calls out heat. You’ll find them with the rest of our chef-driven beef jerky.
On the chicken side, the Hawaiian-inspired recipe pairs pineapple, white miso and Chinese five-spice, and it sits in our chicken jerky collection. Everything currently in stock is in the grid above.
Who it's for
If you chase heat, the New Mexico, Ethiopian and Texas-panhandle recipes are the ones the manufacturer describes with it; the cheesesteak and sesame-and-ginger recipes make no heat claim. Every flavor is labeled gluten free by the manufacturer, but allergens differ: the cheesesteak recipe carries a Contains line for soy and dairy, the chicken recipe for soy, and the sesame-and-ginger recipe lists sesame oil and sesame seeds. Tamari or soy sauce appears in every flavor, so check each bag if soy is a concern.
JerkyBrands is an independent retailer; the Side Project Jerky name and logo are trademarks of their owner.
