What Is Going On With Beef Jerky Companies?

[JennyC]

I am trying to find a good gluten free jerky for our weekend camping trip. So far I have contacted 4 companies and none of them could give me a list/gluten labeling policy over the phone! They all need to call me back, and one of them needs to check with quality control.

I just needed to vent. I hope they get back to me in time!

As a side note I still don't trust ConAgra. Every time I call them I get a different answer regarding their gluten labeling policy. It really seems that they don't label their gluten. The three customer sales representatives that I have talked to are not even very knowledgeable about gluten. The first one gave me the 8 common allergen speech and never directly answered my questions about other glutens, the second one said that the "wheat" label includes all forms of gluten, and the third one did not answer my gluten questions and is calling me back about the jerky.

Oh well. What else would I have done with my time?

[blueeyedmanda]

I bought a bag at Target and it says gluten free right on the bag. It is all natural beef jerky. It was good too.

[jennyj]

I hope you can find out before your trip. I love beef jerky but haven't had any in over a year. Keep us updated.

[dionnek]

I got somje turkey jerky at Whle Foods that was pretty good and said gluten-free on the package. Sorry I can't remember the name - I ate it and the package is gone, but it was a low fat turkey jerky (obviously not teriyaki flavored)

[JennyC]

I just got a call back from Oberto. Oh Boy Oberto Natural Style Beef Jerky in original, hickory or peppered flavors are gluten free. They said that they label their gluten! Their caramel coloring is made from brown sugar, the vinegar is apple cider vinegar, and the modified food starch is from corn.

One of the most helpful companies yet.

[blueeyedmanda]

I just got a call back from Oberto. Oh Boy Oberto Natural Style Beef Jerky in original, hickory or peppered flavors are gluten free. They said that they label their gluten! Their caramel coloring is made from brown sugar, the vinegar is apple cider vinegar, and the modified food starch is from corn.

One of the most helpful companies yet.

Jenny that is who I bought the beef jerky from. It is tasty too!!

[tarnalberry]

Oberto (all but the one flavor that does have gluten) and Whole Foods are the kinds I go with when I don't make my own.

[GFinMN]

fyi - The Buffalo Guys beef jerkey is gluten free. it says Gluten Free right on the label. you can buy it from the gluten free mall website, or else go to www.thebuffaloguys.com and order direct from them. it arrives very fast in the mail. i would recommend the "mild" over the "old style."

[alamaz]

Yum, Turkey Tom Tom Snack Sticks by Wellshire Farms (I find them at Whole Foods)....Delicious! And I like the allergy coding Wellshire Farms puts on all of the packing to say what its free of. I think the regular flavor is pretty spicey but I just bought the hot flavor to see what happens. Boy I wish I had those at work right now

[hez]

I buy the Oberto for camping all the time. I can find it in the regular grocery store. I have never had a problem with it (not that it means much!).

Hez

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Tiff,

How does one go about making their own?

BB

[gf4life]

Pacific Gold beef jerky is made by Oberto and just packaged differently for a different market. It is sold at Costco for about $10/lb, versus the $5-6 dollars for 4oz of the EXACT same jerky in the Oberto package.

I buy the Original Pacific Gold Beef Jerky from Costco all the time, but they no longer sell the Peppered, so I have to get that at the regular grocery store. You should see me when it goes on sale! I buy a whole bunch and the people at the store think I'm crazy!

I have made my own a few different ways, but I perfer to buy it. You need to have the butcher slice the beef very thin, then marinate it in gluten-free seasonings. Then you can either use a dehydrator or lay in pans in the oven and "bake" it at 200 degrees for a ling time until it is dried out. I've tried it both ways and the jerky was chewier from the oven and crispier from the dehydrator.

[tarnalberry]

Tiff,

How does one go about making their own?

BB

the recipe is on my Open Original Shared Link post...

[JennyC]

I got an email from World's Kitchens, and all of their jerky, except for teriyaki flavors, are gluten free!

[ianm]

Trader Joe's has some gluten free jerky but not all flavors are. However they clearly label what is and isn't gluten free.