Owner, Chuck Watson, started Mountain America Jerky in the 1997. After more than sixteen years, Chuck still smokes his premium jerky daily. Focusing on quality ingredients and specializing in exotic meats, Mountain America ships smoked meats and cheeses all over the country.

I found Mountain America online and was immediately intrigued by their wide selection of product. In addition to the usual suspects (beef & venison), Mountain America also makes jerky from fish, wild boar, alligator and even kangaroo. After a quick exchange of emails with Chuck, I couldn't wait to sample and review the Mountain America line of jerky.

Chuck was generous enough to send a wide variety of jerky samples. Below is a rundown of the various flavors.

Alligator Jerky: Easily one of the most unique and exotic, the alligator jerky was also one of the best. More tender than most of the other types, the alligator jerky recipe is a simple soy sauce, brown sugar base. It's a little on the sweet side with just enough salt and pepper to balance the flavor.

Wild Boar Jerky: This was the first pork jerky that I've had. It was every bit as good as beef. The wild boar jerky has plenty of chew and rich, savory flavor. Not as sweet as the gator jerky, I would almost characterize the flavor as "BBQ like." Regardless of what you call it, it was very tasty.

Beef Jerky: Compared to gator and wild boar, beef jerky may seem boring. However, this is no ordinary beef jerky. In fact, it's PERFECT beef jerky. Both the flavor and texture are right on point. It's salty, but still has great beef flavor and finishes with just a bit of black pepper. I can't even begin to compare this jerky to the stuff you find on gas station counters.

Elk Jerky: This lean elk jerky has a bit of extra chew. Like the beef, it too is a good balance of salty and savory flavor. The black pepper is a bit more pronounced, but not over powering. This jerky reminds me a great deal of the home made venison jerky I make in the fall.

Ostrich Jerky: My friends and family that sampled this jerky were shocked to learn that it was ostrich. Actually considered a red meat, ostrich has a rich flavor that wouldn't find in most birds. Though I found there was a slight difference.


As I said, Chuck was VERY generous with samples. I'll feature the rest of the flavors later on this week. While you wait for round 2, check out Mountain America online https://www.mountainamericajerky.com/