Joe Jacobs

Drinking with Sasquatch

(Sponsored post, Free Jerky!)

“…The crisp/dry flavor of the beer actually enhances the beef jerky. Devoid of an overabundance of added flavorings, the simplified jerky becomes a salty treat; washed away quickly by the acidity of the beer, simply wonderful.” – Mitch

Drinking with Sasquatch

Last month Arkansas Outside began receiving solicitations to do reviews on various books, outdoor gadgets, and foods. After managing Arkansas Outside for six years we are becoming known as influencers, we are honored. Of course, this comes with new responsibilities. These will not be stories of exciting things to do outside in Arkansas or coverage of some crazy sporting event/party; they are stories of how to enhance those exciting adventures or reading about other people’s exciting adventures.

The folks at Jack Links seemed to be confident that we could do a review worthy of four of their meat products. We could have taken the jerky out on a hike or bike ride and tested our energy levels as we refueled, but that would almost be impossible for us to measure and since we have a scientist in our midst, we couldn’t very well mess with the scientific method. We went a different way.

We’ve been to many food and drink pairings over the years, usually involving alcoholic beverages; those events are always popular. In that time I have never been to a pairing that involved jerky. We could do this.

The four products from Jack Links included Original, Teriyaki, Breakfast Bacon, and Breakfast Sausage. We decided to pair them with local craft beers and soon decided on Vino’s Brew Pub – Pinnacle IPA, Lost Forty – Forest Queen Milk Stout, Diamond Bear – Southern Blonde, and Core Brewing – Hazelnut Southern Brown. Before the actual testing, I decided on an initial pairing that we would all try. By all, I mean Lisa and I plus friends, Mitch and Tina. We made score cards so we could each rate and make notes on the pairings. The initial pairings were:

Pinnacle IPA with Teriyaki
Forest Queen with Breakfast Bacon
Southern Blonde with Original
Hazelnut Southern Brown with Breakfast Sausage

We poured the beer and tasted each of the initial pairing ideas. Although all of the jerky flavors and beers were good individually, the pairings were a bit off. As we finished off the initial pairings we realized that the Southern Blonde from Diamond Bear, a golden lager, paired best with all of the meats. The brown, stout and IPA had such intense flavors they competed with the spiciness of the meats. This is pretty well summed up in Mitch’s quote above.

We know that any of these Jack Links products would taste great out on the trail in Arkansas. A surprise was the breakfast meats. In particular, the Breakfast Bacon made with 100% real bacon was really good and a great start to the day when camping. I recommend heating it up first but it’s still tasty cold.

The result is that we’d eat any of these products on the trail. If we felt the need to enjoy them with a beer, pick something light. If we had to do it again, maybe a pilsner.

Nutrition Information

Jack Link’s Breakfast Sausage-Original-4oz bag
- 160 calories per serving
- 9g protein per serving
- 1g carbohydrate
- Made with 100% real pork
- No added MSG

Jack Link’s Breakfast Bacon-Brown Sugar & Maple-2.85oz bag
- 120 calories per serving
- 8g protein per serving
- 2g carbohydrate
- Made with 100% real bacon
- No added MSG