Hailing out of Hayward WI is Lynn’s Custom Meats and their soon-to-be-world-famous Homemade Bloody Mary Jerky. This butcher shop jerky is an amazing treat the delivers on both sides of the Jerky equation. The meat quality and the spice mixture make this a truly special treat. Sold in the butcher shop Lynn’s jerky is bagged when you order it and it is placed in a simple zip-lock bag, weighed and labeled while you wait. The pieces of beef are large thick cuts that require tearing to get the meat down to a good eating size. The beef dry to the touch and has a visibly apparent rub on the surface. I found the meat would tear very nicely into 3/8 strips which were perfect to enjoy.
When the Jerky hits your mouth you are immediately are required to chew as the meat is dry on the surface but as you begin to chew this Jerky soars in your mouth as the complex flavors of the Bloody Mary spice unleashes a cacophony of flavors. At first you will notice the black pepper and garlic and then the celery salt lights up your mouth quickly followed by an explosion of Old Bay seasoning. Basically your mouth has a beef-based crab boil going on and the heat from the Old Bay continues to come on stronger as you chew. Once you rehydrate the meat in your mouth you will find a high-quality cut of beef that breaks down nicely releasing its rich beef flavor and leaves you wanting just a little more. The heat in this Jerky makes it ideally suited for small quantity consumption because your mouth will be on fire for 5-10 minutes after you finish your last piece.
This handcrafted Jerky comes from Lynn Melton who is the proprietor of Lynn’s Custom Meats. She got her start in the meat business as a deli manager for 13 years. Leveraging that experience into catering services and then finally opening the doors to Lynn’s Custom Meats in 2007. This is a family business with Lynn’s children and friend’s all pitching in to make this wonderful Jerky. Unfortunately, if you want to get your hands on some of Lynn’s Jerky you’ll need to go visit her in Wisconsin.
This Jerky scores a 5-Flavor and 5-Chew. In my opinion this is how jerky should be made. The Old Bay gives you a 4-Heat score and most likely a 4-Salt score. Since this is butcher shop Jerky the nutritional facts are left to your imagination. Best of all this Jerky is a great value and scores 4-Value points at $1.37 per oz (May 2015). Overall this Jerky is a 4-Rating Jerky and is the best Jerky we’ve tasted so far this year. If you are near Hayward WI go visit Lynn and tell her we said hello! http://www.lynnscustommeats.com