MEAT+POULTRY - September 2024 - 24

MEAT SNACK REPORT
and many are trying to make jerky softer and
softer, " Strickland said.
" But at the end of the day, there's a certain
percentage of the population that just wants
good old-fashioned jerky - just sliced,
smoked jerky. "
He added that previous versions of awardwinning
whole-muscle jerky the company
experimented with had a slightly sweeter flavor
and it was more tender than the product it
makes today, which uses less sugar.
" As far as mouthfeel, it was a great product,
but it was messy - it had a slightly tacky
exterior, " Strickland said of the earlier versions
of the Coastal Pepper jerky. " It just wasn't
something you could eat in the vehicle without
having to wipe your hands on something.
And to me, that's not jerky. It might be a
good snack; that's not jerky. Jerky shouldn't
be messy. "
Strick's
promotes its
meat snacks as a
back-to-school
necessity.
Those sticks are now sold at about 400
grocery outlets and convenience stores in the
region. And Strick's whole-muscle jerky is only
sold at its retail store, including its 2024 Grand
Champion Coastal Black Pepper jerky, which
features a subtle tropical flavor.
" It's kind of got a little Caribbean vibe to it,
I guess you could say, " Strickland said.
TOUGH LOVE
Strickland said the hand-cut, hickory-smoked
product is slightly different tasting than
traditional heavy black pepper jerky sold by
many companies. Somewhat surprisingly, he
said, the winning jerky is decidedly tough in its
texture and requires a bit of tugging and plenty
of chewing, which is somewhat of a novelty in
today's jerky market.
" There's so much out there now with
tender bites and steak bites and restructured
24 MEAT+POULTRY | 09.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
While appeasing his core customer's taste
for whole-muscle jerky is important, the
process is labor intensive and the cost of the
raw product is higher than most other items,
especially given the current market challenges
in the beef industry. As a busy deer processor
during the fall and because of the labor
heavy process of producing whole-muscle
jerky, Strick's made the decision to no longer
make it an offering for its custom processing
customers, reserving that product only for sale
in its retail store.
At Strick's, most custom order requests
include at least 50% of the meat be processed
into meat sticks or summer sausage, with
many of those order requests including up to
90% meat snacks and the remaining product
including commodity product, such as ground
or bulk sausage.
He said many in his community, and
hunters in general, prefer meat snacks because
they need a quick and convenient source
of protein. Customers are involved in kids'
sports and want something that is grab and go.
Plus, they want something they can stockpile
through the winter and utilize in the spring
when kids need snacks to take back to school
or for family road trips, ball game trips or
even something to snack on during the next
hunting trip.
" Snacks that you can eat on the run -
that's been a huge part of our business that we
are continuing to grow, " Strickland said.
Strick's Specialty Meats
http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - September 2024

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