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I’m a big fan of meat in general. It’s tasty, provides excellent nutrition, and does a great job of keeping me full while providing essential building blocks for an active body. Imagine my excitement then when I came home to discover a massive six pound box of jerky resting on the stoop of my apartment.

Country Archer has actually been around since 1977. Previously, sales have been delegated mostly to road side truck stands, limiting it’s reach to only chance encounters to those passing by. The new owners happened upon the brand on a road trip to the Grand Canyon and decided to track down the original owner to secure a well conceived business deal to get the jerky out to broader sprectrum. Thankfully, more people including myself can now enjoy the finely crafted delicacy.

Made with simple ingredients (proudly listed on their site)free of nitrates, preservatives, hormones and MSG, Country Archer provides a wide range of flavors of pork, turkey and of course beef. Rummaging through the smorgasbord of flavor filled protein pouches I was gifted, I quickly discovered a few favorites.

Sweet Jalapeno offers a subtly sweet flavor with the slow growing heat that the peppers are known for. It’s milder than an actual jalapeno, but offers enough of a bite to keep spicy food lovers happy.

Mango Habanero is even better. More flavor, with the fairly robust essence of mango baked in during the curing process, but slightly spicier as well. It’s not going to set you on fire, but you’ll feel it for a few minutes after eating it.

A surprise for myself, the Honey Dijon Turkey was simply delightful, landing the title of my new favorite flavor of jerky. Gushing with flavor, it’s almost like candied turkey with a basting of Dijon across the top. It’s simply delicious and practically melts as you chew it.

That’s not to say the other flavors aren’t great. They certainly are. Each flavor has proven to be  unique with subtle hues of flavor instead of blinding contrasts, none drowning out the base flavor of meat. Each one is slow cured and impressively tender and delicate. There is no tough, hard to eat jerky here.

My favorite varieties are certainly the traditional shaved style jerky in the larger packs, each with a unique taste and a very satisfying texture. There is some fun to be had in their “frontier bars” too, though. They’re softer bars that are quick and easy to eat with one hand, great for the trail. However, I don’t find their appeal to be as potent. While I quite enjoyed them as a fast protein filled snack on the go, I would much rather indulge in their more traditional flake jerky. The herb citrus turkey was the only one that really stood out to me, with it’s unique spiral of zest and spices. The real winners here are the traditional shaved packs.

If you’re a fan of jerky, or perhaps want a fast, convenient way to get more protein and nutrition into your diet, definitely consider Country Archer Jerky. It’s some of the most tender, and tastiest I’ve ever tasted, and I can say this with absolute certainty, now that I’ve chewed through nearly the entirety of the 6 pound box they provided me (thanks guys!). They’re not trying to rip anyone off either, as their packs generally cost a very fair $6, unlike other brands who like to jack up prices on more natural foods.

For more information on Country Archer and and their wide range of jerky, check out their website, https://www.countryarcher.com/

For information on our rating system and our testing procedures, check out our About us/ Contact us page.

I want to extend a huge thanks to Country Archer for providing this product for review. We couldn’t do it without their help. Our full disclosure can be found here.

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