THE BEST ARTISAN JERKY OF 2022
The world is full of fantastic, delicious, and innovative jerky. That’s why our panel of experts tastes each year some of the best, and ranks and celebrates what they find.
The annual International Jerky Awards competition rewards the Top Jerky creations of the Year.
Products from across the country entered into this competition, and were sent to a select jury panel of food & wine media and industry judges located throughout North America. This panel tasted, reviewed and voted on which they consider to be the “Top Jerky of the Year” by the TASTY AWARDS panel, the Academy of Media Tastemakers.
The judges and reviewers for this year’s selections come from a panel of gurus from the Academy of Media Tastemakers. Here are their favorites
SOME TOP JERKY SELECTIONS
TOP GOLD & OFFICIAL JERKY PARTNERS
Top Overall Gold Jerky Award Winners, TASTY AWARDS Winners, and Official Jerky Partners of the TASTE AWARDS
SELECTED JUDGES’ COMMENTS
The salmon jerky should have a category of its own. Loved all of them!
Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips MILD – absolutely addictive, so thin and crispy, delicious taste, quality ingredients. I will be ordering this as gifts for friends, and for my mother!
Bay Area jerky and Mikes
I liked two different kinds. The Bay Area Specialty had a unique texture. It was more like a cookie than a jerky. I think this could be something to add to another food item such as a baked potato and it would enhance the flavor. the other jerky was Jamies. For me it was the right texture and flavors
Jamie’s Jerky & Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets.
Crazy Mike’s
Weekend
Bay Area specialty-just keep doing what you are doing
Slim Sadie beef jerky done right
Fat Cow’s Pickle gives it good moisture
Bay Area Brisket Chips were the most unique “jerky” product. Loved the crunchy and light texture – like beef candy!
OFFICIAL JERKY PARTNERS OF THE 14TH ANNUAL TASTE AWARDS
Recipients of this honor have the use of the title, “Official Jerky Partner of the TASTE AWARDS,” as well as the option to place jerky samples in the VIP and Celebrity Gift Bags at the TASTE AWARDS Red Carpet celebration in California (March/April 2023).The TASTE AWARDS celebrate the year’s best in food, fashion and lifestyle programs on television, in film, online, and on radio.
STAR RATINGS: OVERALL
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- Jed’s Teriyaki Beef Brisket
- Jed’s Sweet & Spicy Beef Brisket
- Fat Cow Jerky Carolina Q
- Slim Sadie’s Beef Jerky
- Elfinwild Farms Beef Jerky Original Recipe
- Jamie’s Jerky Organic grassfed beef original
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
- Weekend Jerky Beef Brisket Jerky
- Crazy Mike’s Beef Jerky – Smokehouse Maple Flavor
- Fat Cow Jerky Pickle
- Leroy’s Smoked Jerky (Honey Teriyaki)
- The Good Jerky Smoked Pineapple Bourbon Salmon Jerky
- Fat Cow Jerky Spicy Original
- Leroy’s Smoked Jerky (Sweet & Spicy)
- Elfinwild Farms Beef Jerky Mild Old Bay
- Elfinwild Farms Beef Jerky Exxxtra Hot
- Bella Sun Luci Bella Sun Luci’s Tomato Jerky, Sriracha
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet jalapeño Swai Jerky
- Leyoy’s Smoked Jerky (Ghost Pepper)
AWARD CATEGORY: FLAVOR
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Slim Sadie’s Beef Jerky
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets
- Crazy Mike’s Beef Jerky – Smokehouse Maple Flavor
- Jamie’s Jerky Organic grassfed beef original
- Jed’s Teriyaki Beef Brisket
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
AWARD CATEGORY: TEXTURE
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- Jed’s Sweet & Spicy Beef Brisket
- Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jed’s Teriyaki Beef Brisket
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
- Weekend Jerky Beef Brisket Jerky
AWARDS CATEGORY: PACKAGING
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- The Good Jerky Smoked Pineapple Bourbon Salmon Jerky
HONORABLE MENTION
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
- Weekend Jerky Beef Brisket Jerky
- Bella Sun Luci Bella Sun Luci’s Tomato Jerky, Sriracha
AWARDS CATEGORY: UNIQUENESS
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- Bella Sun Luci Bella Sun Luci’s Tomato Jerky, Sriracha
HONORABLE MENTION
- The Good Jerky Smoked Pineapple Bourbon Salmon Jerky
AWARDS CATEGORY: QUALITY
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
- Jed’s Sweet & Spicy Beef Brisket
- Jed’s Teriyaki Beef Brisket
HONORABLE MENTION
- The Good Jerky Smoked Pineapple Bourbon Salmon Jerky
- Weekend Jerky Beef Brisket Jerky
- Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets
- Crazy Mike’s Beef Jerky – Smokehouse Maple Flavor
- Slim Sadie’s Beef Jerky
- Elfinwild Farms Beef Jerky Original Recipe
AWARDS CATEGORY: INGREDIENT COMBINATIONS
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- The Good Jerky Smoked Pineapple Bourbon Salmon Jerky
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
- Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets
- Crazy Mike’s Beef Jerky – Smokehouse Maple Flavor
- Slim Sadie’s Beef Jerky
- Elfinwild Farms Beef Jerky Original Recipe
- Fat Cow Jerky Pickle
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jed’s Sweet & Spicy Beef Brisket
- Weekend Jerky Beef Brisket Jerky
- Jamie’s Jerky Organic grassfed beef original
- Fat Cow Jerky Carolina Q
- Fat Cow Jerky Spicy Original
AWARDS CATEGORY: BEST BEEF JERKY
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips medium spicy
- Bay Area Specialty Jerky Brisket Chips mild spicy
- Crazy Mike’s Beef Jerky – Smokehouse Maple Flavor
- Jed’s Peppered Beef Nuggets
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jed’s Sweet & Spicy Beef Brisket
AWARDS CATEGORY: BEST POULTRY/FISH JERKY/NON-BEEF MEAT JERKY
- The Good Jerky Smoked Pineapple Bourbon Salmon Jerky
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet N Smoky Salmon Jerky
- The Good Jerky Smoked Sweet jalapeño Swai Jerky
HONORABLE MENTION
- Bella Sun Luci Bella Sun Luci’s Tomato Jerky, Sriracha
JUDGES PANEL
Awards Judges are National and Regional Magazine, Newspaper and Blog Editors, plus Topic Experts, Local Chefs and Food Gurus.
To more about the Academy, visit the site.
