Artisan: King's County Jerky
Posted December 08, 2011
These pals started out as neighbors in a Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment building, smoking small batches of beef jerky on their terrace. After being crowned the audience favorite in the Next Big Small Brand competition in 2010, Chris and Robert knew they were on to something. They got to work brainstorming flavors, trying new preparation methods, navigating USDA regulations, researching sources, and tweaking recipes. Finally bringing their business to scale to become Kings County Jerky Co. now headquartered in their modern facility in Bushwick.
With flavors like Korean BBQ and Orange-Ginger, Chris and Robert make their jerky delicious and accessible to almost any palate. And, with none of the pitfalls of industrially farmed meat and highly processed food, their jerky is free from the high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and preservatives you find in mass-market meat products. A mutually beneficial arrangement with their supplier makes for a great relationship: “We use the lean cuts that need to cook for ages. We provide a way for the farmer to sell meat they wouldn’t normally get much money for––it helps us, and it helps them.”
“When you start a food business in Brooklyn, you realize you’re part of a larger community, and it becomes part of your identity,” Chris says. “The East Coast epicenter of food, at least the kind of food we’re doing, is Brooklyn. We feel a real camaraderie – we want to help people out, help them succeed.” He adds, “If everyone supports each other, everyone wins.”
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